2016 USA Rugby College 7s Life & Davenport crowned National Champions

USA Rugby Women’s Division I College 7s National Championships

Life had its own spring of disappointment in the 15s game, but shined in the Olympic sport of rugby sevens at the Atlanta 7s Festival alongside the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series event. That form continued into the National Championship event in Cary as the Running Eagles swept pool play to earn the top seed in the knockout rounds.

There was still work to do Sunday, as Life faced a well-coached, on-the-rise Stanford side in the Semifinal that kicked 2015 runner-up Central Washington out of the competition. Having overcome that obstacle, 26-0, the Running Eagles faced a Lindenwood team that sent reigning College 7s Champion Penn State home, a team with which it became familiar at the Atlanta7s Festival.

On the Running Eagles’ side heading into the Final at WakeMed Soccer Park was the mentality some National Championship contenders lack: concern for the greater picture.

“We just wanted to play for something bigger . . . for those who are belittled,” Life captain and AIG Women’s Collegiate All-American Nicole Strasko said, speaking in regards to the constitutionally protected rights of underrepresented minorities in the United States. “We also play for each other. We’ve been working really hard throughout the season and in the offseason, just building each other up is what kept pushing us.”

Strasko had been shown a yellow card two minutes after Life had taken a 5-0 lead, an advantage that would hold up after the 14-minute Final had completed, 10-0.

The Wildcats of Central Washington did not end their College 7s campaign with a loss, beating 15s Spring Championship runner-up Virginia, 29-0, in the Plate Final. The Nittany Lions also ended the Memorial Day weekend tournament on a high with a third-place finish against Stanford.

USA Rugby Women’s Division II College 7s National Championships

Davenport claimed the Division II National Championships Sunday at WakeMed Soccer Park with 2016 USA Rugby College 7 s National Championship Cup Final victories.

The Panthers out of Grand Rapids, Mich., finished the two-day Women’s DII competition undefeated three weeks after defeating Southern California in the 15s National Championship match in Moraga, Calif., while the Fighting Penguins earned redemption against top-seeded Wisconsin-Whitewater in the Semifinal before dealing with Saint Louis in its Final Sunday.

Coach Greg Teliczan pointed to the short time span between the 15s championship and this weekend’s event as a reason for Davenport’s slow start, but the Panthers only let up 15 points while scoring 76 in the three matches leading up to the Cup Final against Bloomsburg.

Nicole Snyder and the Huskies nearly derailed Davenport’s bid at a 15s National Championship back in the fall of 2015, holding a lead after 40 minutes of the Fall Championship Semifinal. AIG Women’s Junior All-American Danielle Ordway and the Panthers recovered from the early setback in that match to score 38 unanswered points.

“We came out a little flat, got the shakes out,” Ordway said, echoing Teliczan’s statements regarding her team’s performance on Day Two in Cary. “We have a good rivalry with [Bloomsburg]. They’re good competition for us so it’s nice to have them around because, with our fall season, we kind of blow teams out.

“It’s nice to come back [to sevens] and have good competition to play against.”

Wasting no time in taking a stranglehold on the match Sunday, Ordway, the Most Valuable Player of the Final, opened the scoring in the third minute. She followed fellow All-American Ashlee Byrge over the try line a second time to end the half with a 17-0 lead.

Snyder’s two second-half tries bookended a five-pointer from Makala Ferguson, finishing off cohesive attacks from the Fall Semifinalist to put more points on the scoreboard against Davenport than any team could over the weekend. The championship effort still came up short at 24-14.

PR provided by Chad Wise of USA Rugby