After a monumental weekend that saw teams qualifying from all across the collegiate landscape, fans will get a bit of a respite this time around with only two Automatic Qualifiers on the docket. Though the field be small, however, it is still mighty as these tournaments have produced national contenders in the past and contain some of the top teams in their divisions heading into the 2026 tournament.
St. Patrick’s 7s
The first AQ up is the 5th annual St. Patrick’s 7s, hosted by the Missouri S&T men and women in Rolla, MO. Two qualifiers will be crowned when all is said and done, with the winners securing a spot in the Men’s DII bracket and the Women’s DIII bracket respectively.
Last year’s winners on the men’s side, Colorado Mesa, went on to capture the hearts of many a fan in Maryland with their bleached hair and boisterous march to the Final Four, where they lost to eventual champs UNC-Wilmington 12-0. The team followed up that success with a High Peaks conference championship win this Fall.
Led by the Norton brothers – Heath, Parker, and Josh, CMU has started the 2026 7s season off strong with a sweep of the Colorado School of Mines 7s tournament last weekend at which they outscored their opponents 111-7. With Bergen Roth and last year’s leading scorer Jackie Martinez in the fold as well, the Mavericks seem primed to repeat as St. Pats champs and head back to Maryland for another shot at glory.
Standing in their way is a talented field that includes some of the top DII teams in the Midwest like Northwestern, who qualified as a one seed in last year’s CRC, and UNI, who always fields an athletic side with a relentless motor. Grand Valley State University, coming off a surprising run through the National XV’s playoffs a few months ago, should also be considered dangerous with players like Alex Jones and Kyle Riter running around. And my boss, Pat, is pulling hard for the Benedictine Black Monks so I should mention them as contenders here as well.
Last year’s champs on the women’s side, Drury, are also returning and they also look poised to repeat as tournament winners in 2026. The Panthers’ deployment of not-so-secret weapon Lauren Thomlinson, fresh off an invite to USA Eagles camp in January, along with a stellar supporting cast should be enough to get them back to Maryland where they’ll look to avenge their three point loss to Endicott in the semifinals.
The University of North Dakota, with All-Americans Maurina Street and Jordan Shannon, will certainly be a tough out. But they had mixed results at the Hawkeye Classic two weeks ago, beating McKendree 24-17 but tying Missouri S&T 26-26.
Terrapin 7s
The final qualifier on the weekend, Terrapin 7s hosted by the University of Maryland, will send a team to compete in the Men’s DI-AA bracket along with Kentucky and Sam Houston State. Last year’s winners, Virginia Tech, are not competing in the 2026 version of the tournament, which opens the door for the defending National Champions, NC State, to lock up their spot. The Wolfpack blew the house down at the CRCs last year and have looked strong against Premier Cup competition this Spring, beating Alabama and Florida at Sunshine 7s in late February. Franco Rocco, Logan Fitzmaurice, and Roman Bonaparte were key contributors for NC State in that tournament and will continue to be throughout the Spring.
UMass Amherst, who made it all the way to the Final Four last year where they lost 10-7 to UNC Charlotte, will look to standout John McGoey, along with fellow All-Star Liam Pearl, to help them potentially brick the Wolfpack in this one. They’ll have to escape a pool that includes hosts Maryland and a Niagara team that had a solid showing at Frostbite 7s last week. West Chester, who finished in third at Frostbite 7s and made it to the second round at the CRCs in 2025, will also be a threat.
Tune-up tournaments
While there aren’t any bids to Nationals on the line, the field for the 2026 Queens Cup makes it must-see TV if you want to get a sense of how the top contenders might stack up. The tournament pits five of the top teams in the Men’s Premier Cup division against one another as they look to establish an early pecking order with just under two months to go until Nationals.
Host Queens will be joined by defending champs Wheeling – who are beginning their hunt for a third consecutive National 7s title with this tournament – as well as an Indiana University side that won the Yellow Rose 7s Showcase in Texas last weekend and an increasingly dangerous Belmont Abbey squad. Kutztown University, who always play tough, will enter two sides into the tournament.
Written by Zach Lanning of The College Rugby Show. Tune in tomorrow, March 6, for predictions, recaps, and college rugby news.
