Full Bracket
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Head coach Tony DeRemer and the West Chester University women's rugby team are finishing their preparations in advance of the Collegiate Rugby 7's Championships in our Nation's Capital this weekend. Appearing on the National Stage to conclude the 7's season for the third year in a row, West Chester is playing as close to home as it ever has in the previous two years after traveling to Atlanta for the Inaugural Championships in 2022 and Houston a year ago.  West Chester will kick off its stay at the Championships on Saturday at 10:10 a.m. with a matchup against Southern Nazarene as the Golden Rams are set to compete in the Women's Premiere Division alongside Brown, Penn State, Navy, American International, and a host of other traditional powers once again in 2024.

All the action will be broadcast live on The Rugby Network Streaming service throughout the weekend, which is free to join for fans wishing to follow the team in D.C.

When asked about the Championships being played closer to home than they have been so far in the history of the Tournament, DeRemer said, "It'll certainly be nice to be a bit closer to home. We know we have some family coming down to support, and it's an easier trip for them than it has been in recent years. We are also excited to be streamed on the Rugby Network again with announcers, so that'll be a nice experience for the team and our fans who can't make the trip."

No strangers to postseason Tournaments, Coach DeRemer and the Golden Rams have been fixtures in the postseason throughout the years, including back-to-back appearances in the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association 15s Championship game in November 2019 and 2021 and NIRA Semifinal appearances in each of the last two fall seasons. West Chester is also making its third consecutive appearance at the USA Rugby 7's Collegiate Championships this weekend after participating in the Inaugural Championships in Atlanta two years ago and Houston a year ago.

When asked about the Tournament experience his veteran members can share with younger members of the squad, DeRemer said, "We are certainly going to be counting on the returners in our lineup this weekend to help lead the charge. The veteran experience is always important, but even more so on a weekend like this when we are playing in a stadium atmosphere with everything as timed out and scheduled as it is. It's always an exciting weekend but also stressful for them, so our veteran players will be key to helping us manage that and keep our mindset where it needs to be."
West Chester heads into the weekend with a record of 6-8 for its Spring season, including a repeat Championship in its home WCU 7's Invitational at the end of March.

Ty Hickey (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) led the team in scoring throughout the Spring season, scoring 12 trys and adding six conversions for 72 points, while  All-NIRA pick Faith Morley (Glenmoore, Pa./Downingtown East) and Camryn Snow (Exton, Pa./West Chester East) are tied for second on the team in scoring with seven trys for 35 points each. Sofia Lasonio (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) is close behind with six trys for 30 points, while Brooke Crago (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) has scored 24 points with four trys and a pair of conversions. The Golden Ram's other All-NIRA selection, Emma Davies (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett), has continued her outstanding rookie season, leading the team in conversions in 7s play as well, successfully converting eight attempts while scoring a try of her own. Elly Gorham (Alexandria, Va./Hayfield) has shown herself to be a very serviceable option kicking as well, converting four conversions of her own to rank third on the squad in this category.

Lasonio and Snow were both excellent in the home 7's Tournament Championship earlier this season, combing for seven trys as West Chester battled its way to a hard-fought Championship with wins over Princeton, New Haven, Kutztown, and Mount St. Mary's in an outstanding 4-0 afternoon.

"Our development throughout the Spring has been awesome to see," started DeRemer. "We had a lot of players who hadn't played a lot of 7's heading into this year, so their growth has been great to watch, but the whole team has been coming along well from the beginning of the year and becoming better all-around players. This development will also translate to 15s in the fall as players have seen the field more and learn more about attacking defenses and many of those offensive principles we are always working on."

With a victory on Saturday morning against Southern Nazarene, West Chester would advance to a 2 p.m. match against the winner of Brown vs. Minnesota, with the winner of that matchup playing at 11 a.m. on Sunday in a Semifinal matchup against the victor of the Navy, Virginia Tech, Penn State, and New Haven quarter of the bracket.

"I don't know a ton about Southern Nazarene, having not seen them this year," acknowledged DeRemer. "However, if we go out to play our game and manage the emotions of the day, I think we'll have a great chance to perform how we know we can."

"Looking at the remainder of our half of the bracket, if we get to see Brown, that'll be a really exciting matchup as that has become a great rivalry for us, beating them in the 2019 NIRA Championship and then falling to them in a tight match in Atlanta two years ago. We might see Navy or Penn State later in the weekend, which would also be exciting. We have seen plenty of them this Spring, and while we have come out on the losing end against them so far, it's been a lot of great, close games, so I think if we can limit our mistakes and play the way we know how we will have a great chance to pick up a victory with them as well."

When asked about a final message to his squad ahead of play beginning on Saturday, DeRemer said, "I want the team to go out, have fun, and just enjoy this atmosphere and experience. We know we don't get to see this every year, and when we do, it's a once-a-year type of experience, so it's important to make sure we take it all in and compete as best we can."