Life Chiropractic College West rugby has earned a second spot in the USA Rugby Club 7s National Championship, which will take place Aug. 10-11 in Kansas City, Mo. The Life West women’s team punched its ticket to the tournament with a strong showing at Saturday’s Pacific North Championship on the Bay Area’s Treasure Island.
The Gladiatrix are heading to the national championship in Kansas City.
The Gladiatrix were one of five teams in the round-robin tournament, which featured each squad playing all other sides once. The top three teams earned berths in the national tournament, and Life West ultimately finished second behind the Berkeley All Blues, who prevailed 22-14 in an overtime final. The Washington Athletic Club also qualified for nationals following a 19-0 shutout win over Oregon Rugby Sports Union in the third-place game.
Life West’s men’s rugby, meanwhile, had previously qualified its “white” team for nationals with a win in the Western Open earlier this summer. The Gladiators sent two teams to Treasure Island, which is Life West’s home field, on Saturday. The white team finished second in their six-team tournament, in which they dropped a hard-fought final 24-19 to the Westside Ronins. Meanwhile, the Washington Athletic Club’s men’s team joined their women’s program in nationals with a win over Sacramento in the third-place contest.
The summer season has already provided plenty of highlights for the Gladiators and Gladiatrix. Both teams won the Northern California Rugby Football Union tournaments in San Jose, and the Gladiatrix also took the top prize at the Santa Barbara “Sevens by the Sea” tournament.
The USA Rugby Club 7s National Championship will be held at Swope Soccer Village, and it doubles as the 40th anniversary of the first event. Tickets are on sale now. If you’re unable to make it to Kansas City to support the Gladiators and Gladiatrix in person, FloRugby.com will have live, streaming video of each game.
Seeds and early-round matchups for the tournament are expected to be announced soon. For more updates from Life West rugby, follow the program’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
