Big XII 7s Next USAR Qualifier

WVU digs out of the snow and on to the Big XII 7s.

03.05.2015 - Alex Goff

The Big XII 7s kicks off this weekend at Oklahoma University in Norman, Okla. with seven teams taking a shot at a USA Rugby Collegiate 7s Championship spot.

Only Baylor, Texas, and Kansas will not be represented in the ten-college Big XII (yes, you read that right), while from way back east, West Virginia will bring their squad (pending the effects of another huge snowstorm).

**Kansas State had a roaring fall. Can they translate it into 7s success in March?**

WVU is expected to get the services of Keystone all-conference players such as Ryan Blythe, Kristofer Wilson, Derek Antonucci, and Austin Hoover, to name a few. Chris Mackenrodt is a playmaker and young Luke Ellis is a speedy guy who might have a breakout tournament.

But WVU will be coming into the season relatively cold. They haven’t been outside and will welcome a warm sun and actual grass beneath their cleats.

So will Iowa State, but the Cyclones may well be a team set to surprise.

TCU, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State all have had games under their belts. So, too, has Kansas State, which played a full fall, going 4-1 in the Heart of America Conference in 15s.

Hosts Oklahoma have a lot to prove in this tournament. After a coaching changeover during the winter, they are in a re-grouping phase. The Sooners went to the CRC Qualifier at the Las Vegas Invitational, but didn’t perform as well as they hoped. They were in a tough pool (losing to Bowling Green, Lindenwood, and Notre Dame College), rebounded against lesser opposition Lewis & Clark and Columbia, but lost to Georgetown in the Bowl Final.

But they’ve got some young talent, such as freshman scrumhalf Grant Clancy, and Allen, Texas product Somto Iromuayna, while all-conference players Vance Young and George Fritch adding leadership, the home team might have a coming out party in Norman.

The tournament, said OU program director and tournament director Jon Velie, “will be a great test and a lot of fun to engage in because of the traditional rivalries.”