ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Oct. 16) – The Central Washington University men's rugby team hosts the Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference 7's Qualifier on Saturday (Oct. 17) and Sunday (Oct. 18).
Last season the Wildcats put up a dominating performance to earn the National Championship bid.
"There have been six qualifiers within this conference before and we have won all six of them," CWU Head Coach
Tony Pacheco said. "We are trying to make it number seven this year."
Central will take on the WSU Tri-Cities, Idaho State, and Boise State University on the NCRC's first day.
"With our opponents on day one we need to focus on day two to get into the Cup Round," Pacheco noted. "It'll still be about execution and accuracy on the second day. If we can do that we will be successful."
The Wildcats are back and healthy for the NCRC, after having a few players out for the Vikings Cup.
"We get Scott [Dean], Aladdin [Schirmer] back and healthy," Pacheco added. "Seth [Halliman] joins us. He has been away with the USA Eagles 7's camps. He gets to make his Central debut, which we are excited about. It's going to be good to get those guys back."
Going into the Viking Cup the Wildcats had just one training session. With a Cup win and more training under their belts, the Wildcats are looking for another strong showing.
"We have had a few training sessions, building up to this so it should be really fun," Pacheco said.
Last season, the Wildcats went 3-0 on the first day of the NCRC with a combined score of 116-5. Central then went on to down Oregon and Gonzaga in the second day, before taking on Western Washington in the final. The Wildcats thumped Western 50-7 to claim the title.
Central opens play at 10 a.m. on the Wildcat Rugby Pitch.
Day one of the qualifier will be pool play for all 12 teams, before moving into Cup play on day two.
Below are the pools for the tournament.
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C |
| Central Washington | Western Washington | Washington State |
| Boise State | Gonzaga | Washington |
| Idaho State | Oregon | Oregon State |
| WSU Tri-Cities | Western Oregon | Eastern Washington |
