Women's rugby shutout Dartmouth 32-0 in the finals Sunday evening to win the USA Rugby Collegiate Sevens National Championship. It was the fourth consecutive title for the Lions at the event as it returned after a one-year hiatus due to COVID.
 
Despite the final outcome, the Big Green had some momentum in the early stages of the championship match with a steady drive into Lindenwood territory, but as Dartmouth neared the try line,

the Lions forced a turnover. Helen van Hattem took the ball and raced down the left side for a score in the corner. The ensuing conversion failed, but Lindenwood had a 5-0 lead and never looked back. As the first half continued, van Hattem dotted down in the left corner and Amy Brice scored in the right corner for a 15-0 advantage at the break. In the second half, Punipuao Skipps crossed the try line to the right of the posts and then picked up a loose ball and dashed for another score. The conversion made it 27-0 for the Lions. Van Hattem added her third try of the game for the final margin.
 
Earlier in the day on Sunday, Lindenwood faced rival Life University in the semifinals and defeated the Running Eagles 27-7. That would prove to be the only points yielded by the Lions all weekend as they outscored opponents 207-7 in six games. In the quarterfinals Sunday morning, Lindenwood shutout Penn State 34-0.

The Lions cruised through three games of pool play on Saturday. They stopped the Big Green 31-0, shutout Brown 36-0, and defeated West Chester University 47-0.
 
Head Coach Billy Nicholas notched his second national title in a span of just over two weeks after leading Lindenwood to the Women's D1 Elite 15's Championship in Texas April 30.

"It was a great experience to go out and play against the top teams in the nation this past weekend. We have a lot of respect for the slew of great coaches and student athletes that were lined up against us. Having only about a week to prep for this tournament we know some of our 15's habits would carry over a bit, but for the most part the team really bought in quickly and played off each other well. The team put in a pretty dominating weekend and we were all really grateful for the chance to go out and compete."
 
The USA Rugby Women's Collegiate Sevens Championship featured the top teams in the country from multiple divisions and affiliations including D1 Elite and NIRA schools. The one-of-a-kind tournament brought these skills together for a chance to earn the right to be called the best in the country. Multiple matches were streamed on Peacock TV and broadcast on CNBC with the finals aired on NBC Sports, making it one of the largest televised events for rugby in the United States.
 
The Lions will attempt to defend another national title at the Collegiate Rugby Championships (CRC) May Madness Sevens May 28-29 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Lindenwood edged Life University 10-7 for the third straight title at the event.
 
 

USA Rugby Women's Collegiate Sevens Championship
Overall Results Summary:
Match 1 vs. Dartmouth 31-0 (Pool Play)
Match 2 vs. Brown 36-0 (Pool Play)
Match 3 vs. Westchester  47-0 (Pool Play)
Match 4 vs. Penn State 34-0 (Quarterfinals) 
Match 5 vs. Life 27-7  (Semifinals) 
Match 6 vs. Dartmouth 32-0  (Finals) 
 
Total Point Differential: 207-7