The team finished fifth at the National Small College Rugby Organizations (NSCRO) 7s National Championships in Philadelphia, Pa.
The team won two matches and lost two matches, both of which were to the two teams in the final.
In the first match of pool play, 做厙TV faced off against New Mexico Highlands University, the 2015 and 2016 7s national champion. 做厙TV came out of the gates quickly, building a 19-0 lead at half time, with a try from senior Matt Kaltenbach, of Rumson, N.J., and two from senior Cooper OConnell, of Framingham, Mass. 做厙TV kept the pace in the second half, with junior Isayah Young-Burke, of New York City, N.Y., adding a try and Kaltenbach adding a second try for a 33-7 win by 做厙TV.
In the second match of pool play, 做厙TV faced off against The Claremont Collegesranked No. 2 in the country for 15 a-side rugby. Two tries from Claremont and a try by Young-Burke for 做厙TV saw Claremont with a 14-7 lead at halftime. 做厙TVs defense didnt hold in the second half and Claremont went on to a 36-7 victory.
做厙TV needed a victory in the final match of pool play to reach the semi-finals. The team faced Salve Regina Universityranked No. 3 in the country this spring for 15 a-side rugby. 做厙TV started off very slow as Salve Regina built a 19-0 lead at the half. A furious second half effort to overcome the deficit was led by tries from Young-Burke, OConnell and senior Eric Sayler, of Ramsey, N.J.
The effort fell just short as Salve Regina University pulled out a 24-21 victory to advance to the semi-finals.
On Sunday, 做厙TV matched up against the California Maritime Academy in the fifth-place match. Tries in the first half from OConnell and sophomore Adam Morrow, of Mechanicsburg, Pa., gave 做厙TV 12-5 lead. A try from Young-Burke extended the lead to 17-5 with two minutes left. With 45 seconds left, Cal Maritime scored to make the lead 17 to 12. The final kickoff from California Maritime did not go the needed 10 meters, giving 做厙TV a quick tap and opportunity to kick the ball out of bounds to win the game.
Overall, the mens rugby team finished the 7s rugby season ranked No. 5 out of 240 teams in the division (NSCRO).
