The Varsity Rugby era at Wheeling Jesuit University officially kicks off this Saturday, Sept 1 at 10 am, when the Cardinals travel to Bowling Green State University to compete in the MAC Sevens.

The MAC Sevens is a qualifying tournament for the USA Rugby College Sevens National Championship. The tournament is comprised of schools in the Mid-America Conference, as well as the University of Notre Dame, and defending D1-AA National Champions, Davenport.

The tournament will be held in Bowling Green’s Football Stadium, and is expected to draw a large audience. Rugby Sevens is the version of the rugby that makes it’s Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and is one of the world’s most popular sports.

For the Cardinals, the MAC Sevens is the newly formed program’s first opportunity to take the field as a varsity sport. The Cards have been in camp for the past three weeks undergoing vigorous fitness testing and skill development with a focus on Sevens rugby in preparation for the MAC Tournament.

WJU will be fielding a very young, but strong and experienced squad in it’s inaugural outing.

Players to watch for the Cards include Jamie Barlow, a hard running Freshman hailing out of Columbus, OH. Barlow brings excellent vision of the field and plenty of pace to match his skill. Look for him to put plenty of points on the board.

Leading WJU up front in the forwards are Freshman Pete Malcolm and Jesse Jensen, both hailing from Miami Florida. Malcolm is a tenacious defender with a high work rate offensively. Jensen is a tall, rangy Sevens Prop who will compete well for the ball in the air, and has plenty of speed to burn.

The Cards will also be looking to John Stapleton to make a big impact this weekend. Stapleton, a Freshman hailing out of Sydney, Australia brings high-level experience with fast feet and a ability to read the field.

WJU is in Pool D of the MAC Sevens, and will face Davenport in the first match at 10am. Also in Pool D is The University of Cincinnati. The Cards play the Bearcats at 12:40 before moving on to the knockout stages of the tournament.

WJU Roster for MAC Sevens

Jamie Barlow
Allan Hansen
Jessie Jensen
Max Lum
Peter Malcolm
Corben McInnis
Zach Reichenbach
Jordan Saseen
John Stapleton
Brandon Stine
Dante Walters
Tyler Williams

2012 MAC SEVENS POOLS

A
Miami (OH)
Central Michigan
Dayton

B
Bowling Green
Ball State
Northern Illinois

C
University of Notre Dame
Ohio University
Western Michigan

D
Davenport
Cincinnati
Wheeling Jesuit University

2012 MAC SEVENS MATCH SCHEDULE

1.) 9:00 AM Pool A 1 v. 3
2.) 9:20 AM Pool B 1 v. 3
3.) 9:40 AM Pool C 1 v. 3
4.) 10:00 AM Pool D 1 v. 3
5.) 10:20 AM Pool A 1 v. 2
6.) 10:40 AM Pool B 1 v. 2
7.) 11:00 AM Pool C 1 v. 2
8.) 11:20 AM Pool D 1 v. 2
9.) 11:40 AM Pool A 2 v. 3
10.) 12:00 PM Pool B 2 v. 3
11.) 12:20 PM Pool C 2 v. 3
12.) 12:40 PM Pool D 2. v 3

POOL PLAY OVER at 1:00. Intermission until 2:00 PM

13.) 2:00 PM Pool A #1 seed v. Pool D #2 seed CUP QUARTER
14.) 2:20 PM Pool B #1 seed v. Pool C #2 seed CUP QUARTER
15.) 2:40 PM Pool C #1 seed v. Pool A #2 seed CUP QUARTER
16.) 3:00 PM Pool D #1 seed v. Pool B #2 seed CUP QUARTER
17.) 3:20 PM Pool A #3 seed v. Pool B #3 seed PLATE SEMI
18.) 3:40 PM Pool C #3 seed v. Pool D #3 seed PLATE SEMI

Intermission until 4:20 PM

19.) 4:20 PM Winner Cup Quarter (A #1 v. D #2) v. Winner Cup Quarter (B #1 v. C #2) CUP SEMI
20.) 4:40 PM Winner Cup Quarter (C #1 v. A#2) v. Winner Cup Quarter (D #1 v. B #2) CUP SEMI
21.) 5:00 PM Loser Plate Semi #1 v. Loser Plate Semi #2 SHIELD FINAL
22.) 5:20 PM Winner Plate Semi #1 v. Winner Plate Semi #2 PLATE FINAL
23.) 5:40 PM Loser Cup Semi #1 v. Loser Cup Semi #2 3rd and 4th Place
24.) 6:00 PM Winner Cup Semi #1 v. Winner Cup Semi #2 CUP FINAL