College Women
If you didn’t know much about the American Rugby Pro Training Center (ARPTC), chances are you do now. The Little Rock-based Olympic Development Academy (ODA) won the women’s Club 7s National Championship over the weekend, and did so with a cast of relatively unknown players.
The South Independent Rugby Conference's two Men's DIAA divisions get going in September, with two-time national champion and 2014-15 runner up Central Florida leading the field once again.
Ariel Johnson was supposed to be packing for the Club 7s National Championship next weekend, having helped NOVA to a Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) #2 seed. But the past two weeks have been spent in the hospital, as Johnson was recently diagnosed with brain cancer.
The 7s season is nearly over – except for the 16 women’s teams advancing to next weekend’s Club 7s Championship. All but one team are propelled by senior players, but there’s a smattering of college players, and even high schoolers, who will be helping women’s teams in Des Moines, Iowa, Aug. 8-9.
This weekend is a big one for senior 7s teams, as the Pacific Coast, Midwest, and Red River name their representatives to the women’s Club 7s National Championship. Many collegians – and even some high schoolers – are boosting these berth-seeking teams, and it’ll be great to see those younger players perform on the senior stage this Aug. 8-9 in Des Moines, Iowa.