ELLENSBURG, Wash.—After finishing their 15s season three weeks ago in the D1 Elite playoffs, Central Washington women's rugby changes gears this weekend as the Wildcats are set to participate in the USA Rugby 7s College National Championship, Saturday and Sunday at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga.
 
All of this weekend's matches will be either streamed live on Peacock or viewed on CNBC. Sunday's championship round will be televised by NBC.
 
A total of 24 teams will play in three different divisions. Pool play begins on Saturday, with each team getting three matches. Teams will then be re-seeded for Sunday's championship rounds, with the top 8 teams in each pool advancing to the finals, while the bottom four teams play in a consolation round.
 
The Wildcats will play Harvard, American International, and Penn State in pool play.
 
This will be Central's first 7s tournament since 2019, which will make the event even more challenging for the Wildcats.
 
"It's a pretty tall order considering that our 15s season ended on April 16," CWU head coach Matthew Ramirez said. "To try and make that switch straight into 7s has been tough but the squad has handled it well."
 
Playing on a regulation field with half the players, teams will play two, 7-minute halves with just a two-minute halftime. Obviously, conditioning will be a major key.
 
"Conditioning is a huge aspect of it," Ramirez said. "The skillset if different, you have more space to attack. Learning the ins and outs of that game, but the speed of the game is so much different, especially how team-oriented play must be. One missed tackle or missed pass or extra pass can make all the difference in the outcome of the game."
 
Adding to the experience will be the exposure, with all matches being available on national broadcast or streaming platforms.
 
"Any chance you have to get on any sort of national broadcast is really important for our sport," Ramirez said. "We saw a big uptick in interest and recruitment after the Olympics, when rugby gained some TV exposure. This could be pretty amazing for our sport."
 
The Wildcats will carry 12 players on their roster this weekend. They are: Lauren Odette, Georgia Budd, Keia Mae Sagapolu, Shona Kennedy, Maryjane Pasioles, Noelle Inverso, Tessa Hann, Kai Brandt-Templeton, Madison Hadden, Jenn Aquino, Sammy Stern, and Philomena Namosimalua.
 
SATURDAY SCHEDULE (all games on Peacock TV)
vs. Harvard, 10:20 a.m. EST
vs. American International, 1 p.m. EST
vs. Penn State, 4:40 p.m. EST