Rugby Finishes 5th at DII 7s Championship
A crowd of Principia alumni and friends showed up in Denver to celebrate Principia’s record-setting fifth consecutive appearance in the USA Rugby 7s DII National Championship. The team finished in 5th place, making them the Plate Champions.
In pool play on opening day, the Thunder Chickens took tough losses against North Carolina State (7–10) and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte (14–26). Then, Coach Ward Patterson (C'82) notes, “Our men settled down and were able to play more freely during the third game against Montana State University.” Principia got ahead early and kept the lead the entire game. Despite some late pushes by Montana, Principia won 19–14.
The Thunder Chickens then waited for results from other matches, which would determine bracket play. “The top eight teams go to the championship bracket, while the bottom four continue to the consolation bracket,” Patterson explains. “During the team dinner that night, we learned we finished 7th and were heading into the championship bracket!”
The following day, in the quarterfinal game against the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Principia went into halftime tied but wound up losing 7–26. “Charlotte went on to win the Championship over defending champions University of Wisconsin-Whitewater,” Patterson notes. “Our men brushed off the loss and set to work on winning the Plate [5th Place] Championship.”
Next, Principia faced Norwich University, a team that took 3rd place in the USA Rugby 15s DII National Championship in the fall. Principia held a strong field position throughout the game and defended well against Norwich’s late pushes in the final 90 seconds. The Thunder Chickens’ 14–12 win advanced them to the Plate final.
The final game against University of Hartford was scoreless for over 12 minutes (games last 14 minutes), as both teams struggled with a rain-soaked ball. Then Principia scored, ultimately pulling ahead 5–0 to win the Plate Championship. “The men dropped to their knees as they let the excitement and relief wash over them,” Patterson says. “What a tremendous privilege it is to see Principia’s light shine so brightly on the national stage. The men truly honor the opportunity to represent Principia at the highest levels they can. Assistant Coach Nick Johnson (C’04) and I feel blessed to be able to help them achieve their goals. And we are deeply grateful to everyone who came to support. Principia had the biggest fan club at every game.”