POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - This weekend, all the Tri-State Conference Teams compete for their respective Conference 7s titles. Thirteen (13) men's and sixteen (16) women's rugby programs will take the field, and after play, the Conference will have a men's and a women's 7s championship team.

Women - Saturday, April 9

First up are the Women at Fairfield University on Saturday, April 9, 2022. Games begin at 9:00 am, and the final will be at 6:40 pm. 

Vassar College Women are the defending Tri-State 7s Champions, but that last victory was in 2018, as there was no rugby in the Spring of 2019 or 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Brewers are 6-0 going into the Championship and seeded #1. They will face stiff competition from Poughkeepsie neighbors Marist who they played earlier this spring with just a single score separating the teams - Vassar won 22-15. In addition, hosts Fairfield University have traditionally had an advantageous back division in their 15s squad, and they will be at home with a partisan crowd. Montclair State University Women has beaten Marist, and every team has a flyer, so concentration is vital. After three pool games, there will be semifinals and a final. The finalists will advance to the American Collegiate Rugby Association Championship on Sunday, May 1, 2022, at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.

Men - Sunday, April 10

The Tri-State Conference Men's 7s Championship will be held at Hofstra University on Sunday, April 10, with games, starting at 10:00 am. There are 13 schools, but 16 teams as three schools are entering a second 7s team - this makes a tournament with four pools of four possible, followed by quarterfinals, semifinals, and a championship game. Marist College, Hofstra University, and Vassar College will have A and B sides in the competition. The overall winner may advance to the National Collegiate Rugby Championship on Memorial Day weekend in New Orleans.

The Vassar men will face competition in their groups with the A-side up against William Paterson University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Hofstra University's B-side. The Vassar B squad will take on Hofstra's A-side, Seton Hall University, and SUNY-Oneonta and be looking to finish in the top 2 to advance. Every moment will count as teams earning three points for a win, 2 for a tie, a bonus point for four tries or more, and a bonus point for losing by seven or less.

"I am so pleased that all the Vassar players will participate in this competition," said head coach Tony Brown. "All the other teams in the Conference were asked if they wanted to put in a B-side before I could enter our lads, and I'm so excited for them to be able to play."