The Women's National College 7s Championship (May 23-24, Denver) brings together a diverse group of teams that took very different paths to the final tournament. Some teams qualified in the fall, others are playing 15s until this weekend, while others still are very new to the game of 7s. While there are some regrettable absences, the 16-team field provides a nice cross-section of the country. Below are brief insights in the participants' programs:

Air Force – The academy side hosted last weekend’s Piper Cup, and the victor was guaranteed a spot at nationals. BYU won the tournament convincingly, but Air Force finished second in a 37-0 title bout. It’s too early to know what Air Force will look like in Denver, as a mandatory cadet event – the Ring Dance – takes place during the national championship. Coach Lisa Rosen is closely monitoring the situation, as players try to get released.

California – The Bears were the first to qualify for the college 7s championship, winning two qualifiers in the fall. But now that the rest of field is focusing on 7s, Cal’s head start has diminished. Cal has the personnel for a fantastic 7s side if everyone’s healthy – Jess Lewis, Stacy Wong, Lauren Butler, and CJ Whiteside, to name a few – and has 7s Eagle Irene Gardner to get the squad back on track.

Central Washington – The Wildcats are one of two teams still playing 15s, but that will end this Saturday. Central Washington hasn’t played 7s since the fall, although several players populated various all-star teams in February’s LVI. In addition to the 7s veterans – like HS All American 7s members Ashley Rolsma and Queen Fina Toetu’u, and Nate Serevi, who has 7s in her blood – Central Washington has former USA 7s Eagle Katie Dowty to prepare the team, quickly.

Humboldt – The West Coast 7s marked Humboldt’s first foray into 7s, and the DII side finished 2^nd behind Stanford. “We are fortunate to have mobile forwards who enjoy getting creative in attack, and we've seen a lot from the newer players, such as Kristine Werner, who dominated at 15s nationals and has been an unleashed tackling force ever since things started to click,” said Humboldt coach Evi Ashenbrucker. Humboldt will be without Meredith Conrad-Forrest, but it'll have finisher Lila Bell and halfbacks Kiana Hargreaves and Jasmine Phiengsai setting the pace.

James Madison – The Virginia side finished second to UVA at the NOVA 7s qualifier – beating North Carolina along the way. Like its Mason Dixon conference mate, James Madison has close ties with NOVA’s cadre of 7s Eagles turned coaches. Emily Fulbrook is the team’s more successful try-scorer and has roots in NOVA’s summer program. Watch for Kayla Cook to make an impact as well.

Lindenwood – The Lions lost Davon Thomas, Tianna Camous, and Dana Olsen but has been able to win behind a squad whose players average 19 years old. Leading the way is captain Amanda Divich, who has Stars touring experience; All American Gio Cruz, a hard runner whose forte is 15s flanker; and Joyce Taufa, a spring rookie who has earned a tournament MVP already and injects a lot of physicality at the breakdown. “Our edge is that there isn’t one playmaker,” coach Billy Nicholas said. “The teams knows it has to run better support lines and team defense.”

Montana State - is in the midst of a renewal and recently transitioned to an official club sport at the university. The team has joined the Rocky Mountain DII, and is propelled by a handful of players who have been playing since high school: President Kelsie Maricelli, who was instrumental in revitalizing the program four years ago; VP Ivanna Lopez-Bell, a Washington Logger alum; and scrumhalf Courtney Kawamoto, who learned the game with Oregon power Grant Generals.

North Carolina – The Tar Heels played DI playoff ball until mid-April, and then zoned in on 7s. UNC competed at the NOVA 7s, along with James Madison and UVA, finished 3^rd, but also tied UVA 19-19 during pool play. Naya Tapper is a well known entity, and when defenses zone in on the former track star, the space will open up even farther for attackers like Tavoiya Whitworth and Cam Gunn.

Penn State – The Nittany Lions qualified for the May 23-24 event by winning the Big Ten 7s, but the team is focused on the DI 15s national championship this Saturday. Penn State has been running out two sides at 7s tournaments, but expect USA 7s Eagles Meya Bizer to feature heavily in Denver, while Gabby Cantorna, Elizabeth Cairns, Tess Feury, and Kyla Chipman are just a handful of the players who take well to 7s.

Princeton – The Tigers are young this year, but they looked good while winning the Ivy League 7s championship and in their 22-12 final's victory over Brown. Chris Ryan and Emil Signes are working behind the scenes, while captain and lone senior Cat Lambert is charged with keeping the squad calm and focused. Watch for Shanghai native Jessica Lu, whose outstanding play earned her MVP at the conference championship.

Rutgers – The New Jersey side won the Tri-State conference with ease, defeating pool play opponents 144-5, Vassar 32-7 in the semis, and Stony Brook 39-0 in the final. Miranda Previte is the most recognizable player, but speedy support from Ashley Romeo, Erin Arroyo, and Sarah DeLuca encourages the sideline-to-sideline ball movement. The team forewent the local ACRA 7s championship last weekend to pool resources for the Denver event.

Stanford – The Cardinal was playing 15s until April 12, when the team’s DI spring post-season ended. Two weeks later, Stanford won the West Coast 7s, going 4-0 and defeating Cal twice, DII Santa Clara, and DII Humboldt in the final. Olivia Bernadel-Huey won MVP, and the Bishop O’Dowd alum is our pick for freshman fullback of the year. Nikki Richardson, Dani McDonald, and Chelsea Sveinsson are just a few of the dangerous players that Stanford fields.

Texas – The Longhorns are veterans of the college 7s championship and punched its return ticket after last weekend’s Southwest Women’s Conference qualifier. It was a four-team affair with Texas Tech (also attending nationals), Texas A&M, and Sam Houston State. Watch for Collegiate All American Wendy Sun to lead the attack, while Rachel Kitchens and Kristen Karsten punch up the lineup with a good mix of speed and power.

Texas Tech – The Lubbock-based team has some nationals 7s experience, having participated in the 2012 iteration of the championship and finishing as Shield runner-up. Texas Tech earned an at-large berth after advancing to last weekend’s Southwest conference final. Watch for difference-makers Toni Armstrong, Aida Gutierrez, and Janae Coleman, who were named to the all-tournament team during the 7s qualifier.

UC Davis – The Aggies brought a young but tough side to DI playoffs this spring. UC Davis couldn’t get past the likes of Central Washington, but that left extra time to shore up its 7s game. Sydnee Watanabe, Erica Hipp, and Kristin Shum are dangerous with ball in hand; freshman flyhalf Caitlin Reid is an able decision-maker; and Paige Steiding is the right combination of power and speed.

Virginia Women’s Rugby – UVA went right from the DI spring quarterfinals to winning the NOVA 7s qualifier. UVA 7s coach Dana Creager helped with the quick transition, and the NOVA/Atlantis fixture has been coordinating efforts with former USA 7s Eagle CJ Hildreth, who will be coaching the team in Denver. Bri Kim is the All American all-star, and Summer Harris-Jones and Joy Jefferson were also impressive during the April qualifier.