Indianapolis, Ind. — The Aquinas College men's rugby team traveled down to Indianapolis, Indiana, for the Big Rivers Conference 7s Tournament. The meeting of Rugby powers took place on Sunday (Apr. 14). 

The Saints began pool play with one of collegiate rugby's giants, the defending national champions, the Cardinals of Wheeling. No matter the opposition's previous record or current, the Saints are always willing and prepared to demonstrate the discipline of play. This contest saw both teams attempt to out-muscle and out-maneuver one another. But with the final whistle, the Saints had found themselves at a standstill with the defending champions. Ending the contest in a draw at 14-14.

Continuing in pool play, AQ faced off with the Panthers of Drury. The Saints made due and earned their first win on the day with a strong 29-5 performance. Aquinas kept the momentum rolling into the quarterfinal contest as AQ took to the pitch with the familiar Iowa Central. Similar to the fall, Aquinas submerged the Tritons with a 41-0 demonstration.

Sitting at 2-0-1 on the day, Aquinas set forth for the semifinal. Finding another familiar face in the Knights of Marian. AQ continued a strong show but the Knights had just a tad more in the tank after a day's worth of competition. With the end of the game clock, the Saints were two tries away with a 29-19 loss. 

In the end, the team finished 2-1-1 giving them a finish in the top four. Demonstrating some of AQ's best performances against some of the best competition in the country. 

Head Coach Lance Hohaia shared "Really proud of the team and their efforts during the tournament. Despite missing some of our more experienced players, we showed what we're capable of as a squad, in a number of strong patches".

Up Next

The Saints await the reveal of the National bracket for the 2024-2025 Collegiate 7s National Championship held on Friday and Saturday (Apr. 25 & 26) in Boyds, Maryland.