Men's rugby finished second at the 2023 College Rugby Association of America (CRAA) Premier Sevens National Championships after falling to Life University 28-17 in the finals Sunday afternoon at Aveva Stadium in Houston, Texas. It was the only loss at the event for the Lions after sweeping two games during pool play and earning shutout victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
Lindenwood began the weekend in Pool A on Saturday with a 26-5 victory over Penn State. After trailing 5-0, the Lions stormed back to score the last 26 points unanswered. Jeremy Zwick was a key factor in the win with his great distribution of the ball.
In the final pool match against Cal Poly, Lindenwood again trailed early before a big defensive play from William Groves turned momentum around and led to a 26-10 victory. By going 2-0, Lindenwood won its pool and headed into the knockout stage.
In the evening quarterfinals match, the Lions faced a young Grand Canyon University squad. Lautaro Soto Ansay scored four tries to lead Lindenwood to a 35-0 shutout and advancement to the next round.
With a matchup against Army in the semifinals Sunday morning, the game plan for the Lions was to keep possession and force the Black Knights to have to cover them defensively. That game plan worked as Lindenwood held possession for over three-quarters of the match. Kasrten Rice broke to the edge early to score and the Lions never looked back on the way to a 40-0 shutout and a rematch of last year's final against Life University.
Like last year, the two squads put on a nice show in the National Championship match. An early try for Lindenwood set the tone, but the Lions failed to capitalize on numerous Running Eagle mistakes deep in their own territory. Alejandro Martinez Tapia had an outstanding performance, scoring two long distance tries to keep Lindenwood in contention, but ultimately prevailed with the 28-17 win.
Other Matches:
Ten Lindenwood athletes were selected to play on the CRAA Tournament Selects that competed in Pool B. The Selects were captained by Emilio Carranza and rounded out with a mix of other Lions players. The selects played great rugby highlighted by a loss to UCLA by four points, and a 24-12 win over D1A playoff contender Texas A&M. Mark Barbour and Bautista Nasta had fantastic play for the Selects over the course of the tournament.
Men's Rugby Premier Sevens Full Roster
Tyren Al-Jiboori
David Cathcart
Cian Darling
William Groves
Preston Hammerschmidt
Nick Hardrict, II
Calvin Ihrig
Alejandro Martinez Tapia
Clayton Means
Kobe Millar
Matteo Peignon
Karsten Rice
Lautaro Soto Ansay
Ike Wrigley
Jeremy Zwick
Lions Selected for CRAA Selects:
Emilio Carranza
Micah Duffield
Jack Johnson
Bautista Nasta
Tyresse Prescod
Brendan Mullen
Jaryd de Jager
Abraham Boston
Mark Barbour
Lindenwood Match Summary:
Lindenwood vs. Penn State 26-5
Lindenwood vs. Cal Poly 26-10
Lindenwood vs. Grand Canyon University 35-0
Lindenwood vs. Army 40-0
Lindenwood vs. Life 17-28
CRAA Selects Match Summary:
CRAA Selects vs. UCLA 17-21
CRAA Selects vs. Grand Canyon University 14-40
CRAA Selects vs. Santa Clara University 10-12
CRAA Selects vs. Texas A&M 24-12
