Wheeling, W. Va. - On Saturday, the seedings and match-ups were announced for the 2026 Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) National 7's Tournament. The Wheeling University Women's Rugby team (10-2) will be making their second consecutive trip to the national stage, entering the field as the #5 seed. They will face #4 seeded West Chester in their first-round match-up, as they look to advance further in the tournament field with a year of experience behind their back.
The Cardinals kicked off their 2026 season at the Valley 7's where they ran through pool play in the tournament field. They would score a combined 78 points in pool play, while allowing just 17, but they would fall in the championship match to go 3-1 on the day. A week later, the Cardinals would take on the Cavalier 7's and wrote a similar script, going a perfect 3-0 in pool play. They would battle Michigan in the semifinals, picking up a 33-7 win, but their run ended in the championship against Davenport, where they fell 29-0 to end the day. Their final regular season appearance came at the 7's in the Swamp tournament, where they played in round robin action. They would pick up a pair of wins against Kent State, and added a 50-0 win over Ohio Wesleyan to finish 3-0 and bring their regular season record to 10-6.
2026 will be the Cardinal's second straight season appearing in the CRC National 7's Tournament, making their debut in their inaugural season. They would also enter as the #5 seed in the tournament, and won their first-ever National 7's Tournament match when they took down Bowdoin College 19-5. However, they ran into their nemesis American International College, who they fell to 31-14 to move into the consolation bracket. They would earn a 17-12 win over New Haven to start the consolation bracket, before falling to Queens University of Charlotte 34-12 to end their run on the National stage. As they head into this year's tournament, several of the Cardinal's key contributors from last year's run are back as they try to lock down their first 7's National Championship.
The veteran presence for the Cardinals in this year's tournament will be Alexis Dallas, who continues to be a force on both sides of the ball for the Cardinals. The junior is coming off her strongest performance of the season so far at the 7's in the Swamp, where she scored three tries including her first multi-try match of the 7's season. Along with her offensive contributions, she continues to lead the way on defense, setting up as the Cardinal's leading tackler on the season. While not part of last year's run, Emerson Callegari is looking to continue her strong 7's season on the National stage. She scored 16 points at the 7's in the swamp tournament, and has been the Cardinal's leading scorer through the 7's season, combining for 56 points over her last two tournaments.
The Cardinals will start their 2026 run against #4 seeded West Chester in the first round match-up, with the winner taking on the winner of #1 Brown and #8 UCONN in second round action. Other first round match-ups on the Cardinal's side of the bracket include #3 Navy against #6 St. Bonaventure, while #4 Queens University of Charlotte battles #7 Northern Iowa. The Cardinals will not have to face AIC until the championship match, with the Yellow Jackets on the East side of the bracket, and the Cardinals have a win already this season against Northern Iowa and are looking to advance past the Quarterfinal round for the first time in program history.
The Wheeling University Women's Rugby team kicks off CRC National 7's play when they take on #4 West Chester in first round action.
