Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Women's Rugby team quickly announced their presence in their inaugural season, winning the NCR 15's National Championship. After taking a few months off, the team is ready to get back to work as they continue their inaugural season with the release of their first-ever Spring 7's Schedule. The team will compete in six 7's tournaments throughout March and April, all with the hopes of duplicating their performance from the fall season and taking home another National title.
As they head into the 7's season, the Cardinals will feature a deep roster of players all vying for a spot on the 7's squad. The roster of 30 women from the fall will be shortened to 17 in the fall as the Cardinals prepare to take on the grueling 7's season. The transition from 15's to 7's season will see both shorter games, with each half running just seven minutes long, and less players on the field, in a 7-on-7 format. Several of the Cardinal's players have already gotten a taste of 7's play, leading Lander University to the 2024 Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) National 7's last season, and they will look to get back to that event in their first season competing with the Wheeling Women's Rugby team.
The season will kick off on March 1st as the Cardinals will compete in their first-ever 7's tournament. They travel to Lancaster County and Hempfield High School for their first NCR National Qualifier tournament, the Frostbite 7's. Wheeling will get a shot to make their case for Nationals in their opening event, against some of the top schools in the region. They will cross another first off their list the following week, when they host the Wheeling 7's for their first-ever home 7's event. It will be an all day affair at Bishop Schmitt Field, with teams competing for the first-ever Wheeling crown. The Cardinals will follow that with a week off before hitting things hard to end March.
They head to their second NCR Qualifying tournament of the spring on March 22nd, when they head to Brown University 7's, and the very next week they head to St. Bonaventure 7's on March 30th. After playing through four grueling tournaments throughout March, the team takes a week off before hitting the final National Tournament stretch. They head to one of Wheeling's Mountain East Conference (MEC) rivals in Frostburg State for the Frostburg State 7's on April 13th. Their final regular season 7's tournament takes them down to the Tropical 7's which will serve as their final tune-up for the CRC National 7's. Wheeling will then await their fate in the 2025 CRC National Championship 7's as they chase down a National Title in their first 7's season.
The Wheeling University Women's Rugby team kicks off their inaugural 7's season on Saturday, March 1st, when they head to the Frostbite 7's.
