Men's Rugby | 5/24/2015 11:06:00 AM

DENVER, Colo. (May. 24) – Both the Central Washington University men's and women's rugby teams finished in the top three of the USA Rugby Collegiate 7's National Championship as the men's team earned a third place finish with a win over the University of Utah and the women's team captured a second place finish falling to Penn State.

The stellar finishes marks the conclusion for the Wildcat rugby program who begain its inaugural season as a varsity sport at CWU which competed at the Divison I level. 

 
Women's Rugby
Quarterfinal: 24-5 win over University of California-Berkeley
 
The Wildcats jumped out to a quick 12-0 lead over the Golden Bears scoring in the second and third minute of the match capped off by a Cassidy Meyers' conversion kick.
 
The Golden Bears would respond early in the second half with their lone try of the match. But two more trys in the 11^th and 13^th minute sealed the quarterfinal win.
 
 
 Semifinal: 12-10 win over University of Virginia 
 
The Wildcat women were on the brink of elimination, but were saved by sweeper Cassidy Meyers who delivered a clutch try as time expired and sank the conversion to send CWU to the women's College 7s national title match with a 12-10 win.
 
Virginia had an easy try negated by CWU when the ball could not be grounded in the try zone, but in the third minute, Virginia found the try zone and the conversion was no good.
 
Central Washington has a promising run in the fifth minute and were about 20 meters from the try zone but a forward pass stalled the Wildcat's attack.
 
In the eighth minute, CWU scored a try to tie the game and went into half knotted at 5.
 
With a minute left in the second half Virginia scored a go-ahead try for 10-5 lead.
 
On the kickoff, with time expiring, Cassidy Meyers went coast to coast for an nearly an 80 meter try to tie the game and the ensuing conversion was good to send the Wildcats to the 7s national title match for a rematch with Penn State, who upended CWU just weeks previous in the 15s title match in Kennesaw, GA.


Final: 44-27 loss to Penn State University

The Wildcats were beaten by powerhouse Penn State University for the second time in as many weeks by a score of 44-27. 

Cassidy Meyers earned player of the tournament for her play, helping the Wildcats claim its second, second place finish in a national championship bout.
 
Men's Rugby
Quarterfinal: 31-0 win over San Diego State University
 
The Wildcats used the strength of five trys from four different players to upend to Aztecs in the quarterfinal matchup.
 
Cameron Marek lit up the score board with the first points of the match in the second minute. Josh Bower found his way into the try zone two minutes later to increase the Wildcats' lead to 10-0.
 
The Wildcats would rattle off consecutive trys in the second half of play when Marek struck again for his second try of the match and Aladdin Schirmer followed suit just 60 seconds later.
 
Scott Dean would go on to convert three out of five conversion attempts en route to the win.
 

Semifinal: 26-21 loss to Davenport University 
 
The Wildcat men got off to a hot start in their semi final match with Davenport, but came up just short of the College 7s national title game as they relinquished a late lead en route to a 26-21 loss.
 
Josh Bower kicked off the scoring with a try in the third minute and the conversion was good by Scott Dean.
 
A minute later, Aladdin Schirmer sped into the try zone and a Dean conversion for a 14-0 lead, but Davenport answered with a try in the fifth minute.
 
The Wildcats led 14-5 at half.
 
Davenport scored first in the second half with a try in the ninth minute but the conversion was no good.
 
One minute later, Scott Dean scored a try and conversion to open up a 21-12 lead with four minutes to play.
 
Davenport would then go on to score 14 unanswered points in the last two minutes to complete the comeback, scoring their last try with under 20 seconds to play, leaving the Wildcats no time to counter.

The Wildcats will play the Utah Utes for 3rd place at 3:10 PST. 


3^rd place match: 34-7 win over University of Utah 
 
The Wildcats took on the Utah Utes for third place and once again had their number. CWU came into the game reeling from a loss to Davenport earlier in the day, but showed no signs of lethargy as they lit up the scoreboard from the outset, besting the Utes 34-7.
 
Cameron Marek scored a try in the second minute and Scott Dean drilled the ensuing conversion for an early 7-0 lead.
 
The Wildcats maintained control as Ian Wright scored a try two minutes later, but the conversion fell no good, pushing the lead to 12-0.
 
Utah nearly scored a try midway through the first half after a Utah defender kicked the ball in a soccer fashion near the CWU try zone, but Zach Siemens saved the Wildcats from near disaster.
 
With less than a minute in the first half remaining, Utah scored a try and went into the half with the Wildcats on top, 12-7.
 
After the half, it was academic for the Wildcats from there on out, despite the fact both teams played with six players for most of the second half due to injuries and penalties, the Wildcats scored 22 unanswered points.
 
A Utah defender attempted to trip Josh Bower and would have been awarded a penalty, but the Wildcats went on to score their third try of the match, scored by Maverick Schirmer and the attempted conversion was good by Dean.
 
Central Washington scored three tries in the remaining three minutes to put the finishing touches on a blowout win over the Utes.
 
The win wraps up the season for the Wildcats, who secured a top four finish for the second time this spring, with a bright future ahead as they return several key players for next year.