Wolverines Capture 2nd Place in the Big Ten 7s Final
Coming into the weekend (April 16th), the men had only played in two sevens tournaments. The Notre Dame College 7s Tournament, a qualifier for the USA Rugby College 7s Tourney, and the first leg of the Big Ten 7s Series down in Columbus, OH. The team finished 5th and 3rd respectively in their first two tournaments.
Michigan participated in Pool B with Iowa, Illinois, and Purdue. In Pool A was Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Northwestern.
The day started off a little bit slow. The Wolverines are known for a fast-paced, fundamental and defensively sound style of rugby, and the squad had to shake off the cobwebs in their first bout with the Hawkeyes but were able to come out on top with a 28-12 win.
Next up, the Wolverines faced the athletic Fighting Illini, but the Wolverines had too many weapons for the Orange and Blue as Michigan was able to defeat Illinois 17-5.
Finally, the men were slated to play the Boilermakers from Purdue. This one ended in a 22-7 Michigan victory as the Maize and Blue were able to capture the top spot in Pool B.
Next up, the Wolverines would face their arch-rivals, the Ohio State Buckeyes. Michigan lost to the men from Ohio earlier in the first leg of the Big Ten 7s series suffering a devastating loss. Michigan was looking for revenge and a chance to play for the championship. In what has become typical of Michigan-Ohio State battles, this one was a slugfest with both sides trading brutal blows. In the end, Michigan came out on top winning 26-20, giving Head Coach Brandon Sparks his first win against the Buckeyes since he took over at Michigan in 2014.
The team’s rugby improved throughout the day and the 2nd place finish was an improvement on last year’s 3rd place result. This is a young team with a lot of talent eager for the next step and will be hard at work in the coming month.
In the championship game the Maize and Blue faced Wisconsin. Two fast and fundamental teams looking to take the Big Ten Title. In a tough game the Wolverines just couldn’t seem to find their rhythm until it was too late and the Badgers won 38-17. With the win, Wisconsin qualified for the CRC in Philadelphia.
Looking ahead, the men will be hard at work in the gym and on the pitch training relentlessly for the Larimer Cup in Columbus Ohio on May 21st and the CRC in Philadelphia during the weekend of June 4th-6th. The Larimer Cup will feature some very talented teams and some squads that will be present at the CRC which will feature the top Collegiate Sevens teams in the country. It’s time to get back to work. Go Blue!
Please support us at the CRC by purchasing tickets at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/michigan-rugby-at-the-collegiate-rugby-championship-tickets-21603070365
Roster:
Captain Zack “Junior” Burns
Chening Duker
Nick Mattes
Nate Fisher
Matt Kasten
Ron Marine
Andre Cargill
Zack Burns
Cooper Smart
Jesse Fenno
John Spooney
Colin Walters
