Swannanoa, N.C. – The Aquinas women's rugby team traveled down to North Carolina this past weekend (Mar. 18) to compete in the Warren Wilson College Sevens Classic. The tournament consisted of three pools of three teams as Aquinas was placed in "Pool C" with Emory and Henry College and the Mean Green Motley. AQ would split its games in pool play before playing the eventual winner of the tournament, Virginia Tech, in the semi-finals. This result gave AQ a 1-2 record on the day.

The Saints ended the tournament with a third-place finish in the Warren Wilson Classic. The WWC serves as a USA Rugby DI National Championship qualifier.

Game 1: Aquinas 40, Emory & Henry College 0

The Saints started the tournament as their usual dominant selves. Aquinas jumped out to an early start and prevented Emory and Henry from generating any offense. McKenna Norman and Jenesis Dotson ended the match with two try scores each.

McKenna Kaczor and Liberty Cawthorn each scored a try themselves to give the Saints six try scores in the match. Cawthorn also went six-for-six on all of her conversion attempts to help the Saints get to 40 points and another shutout win on the season.

Game 2: Mean Green Motley 14, Aquinas 12

Mean Green Motley (MG) was a last-minute addition to the tournament after a late dropout from one of the teams. This team which consisted of players from several different teams appeared to be in a position to give AQ a tough test after they topped Emory and Henry 29-0.

Norman proved to be the offensive catalyst once again in this matchup, scoring both of AQ's tries throughout the match. However, Cawthorn missed her first conversion attempt of the tournament which proved to be the difference in the game. MG scored two tries and scored both conversions to win the game 14-12, giving the Saints their first loss of the 2022-23 season.

Game 3: Virginia Tech 43, Aquinas 0

After an impressive performance in the first two games, Aquinas made the semi-finals of the tournament as the number-four seed. This seeding matched up the Saints with top-seeded NCAA Division I Virginia Tech. The Hokies proved why they were the top-ranked team in the tournament and went on to win 43-0.

Coach Laura Miller was proud of AQ's performance at the Warren Wilson Classic. This is what she had to say: "The WWC was a great opportunity for our young squad to play against strong competition early in the spring. Attending this tournament has helped the players recognize the rigors of competitive sevens and will help us prepare for the CRC at the end of April."

In addition to AQ's time at the WWC, the women's rugby program spent six hours of community service at Bounty and Soul. Bounty and Soul is a local nonprofit that helps reach the community of Asheville, North Carolina to deliver fresh produce and wellness education to everyone who needs it.

The Saints are back in action on April 8th when they compete in the University of Michigan Sevens Tournament. This competition will be played in Ann Arbor, Michigan.