Tropical 7s Plate Champions, Statement Scorelines, and a Centurian

Fresh off its national championship win in the fall, the Harvard rugby team has taken time to build momentum for the start of its sevens season. With only three tournaments in its spring campaign, the team was excited to build momentum from its first outing.

Harvard headed to Tropical 7s over the weekend for the annual tournament based at a 15-field sportsplex in Tampa, Fla. The tournament hosts over 200 teams across youth, senior, and various levels. Squads arrive from across North America and overseas for the tenth annual competition.

The Crimson fielded two teams, sending one to compete in the Women’s Elite division and the other in the Women’s Open division. Day one saw each group face three teams in their respective pools, with the opportunity to progress to the knockout stage on the second day.

Open Divison

The team in the open division kicked off play against the SARC Sharks. In a promising first half, it took an early lead with a try from junior Courtney Taylor. However, Harvard let this lead slip in the second half, conceding two tries to lose the game 15-5.

The other two games provided a mixed bag of results. The Crimson’s next opponents were Kennesaw State, which it outplayed, with the 33-0 scoreline illustrating its dominant performance. Tries were scored by freshman Evie Eyers as well as debutant walk-on Morgan Gibson.

Harvard’s final match of the day was against the Canadian Misfits, in which it was handed a tough loss, falling 43-0. This completed the team’s 1-2 record, leaving it in the consolation pool for the second day of competition.

Elite Division

Harvard’s elite team ended its first day with a 2-1 record, after securing convincing wins against Army, with a 31-0 score, and against Penn State in an incredible 52-0 battering. The game saw six different players earn tries, a phenomenal feat in the quick 14 minutes of play.

“We played really good rugby, which is exciting because we definitely have the talent. The skill is unlimited on this team,” said senior Lennox London, speaking on the depth within the squad.

The Crimson’s final contest of the day was against Trinity Western. The game was tight throughout, and senior Cameron Fields led the offense to keep Harvard in the game. At halftime, the Crimson were just behind the Spartans, with a score of 19-12. Harvard’s efforts were not enough, however, as Trinity Western edged ahead, icing the game at 24-12 and putting an end to the Crimson’s winning streak.

On day two of the event, the elite team faced Brown in an Ivy League match-up in the quarter finals. In a game of tight margins, Harvard fell 19-7 to the Bears. This result put it into the Plate competition for a semi-final bout against its previous opponent, Penn State.

This semifinal marked a monumental moment for London, who tallied five tries in the game. Her incredible performance enabled her to scratch her name into the program’s history books, becoming the first player to total 100 career tries. The centurion cemented the team’s place in the Plate final in a dominant 34-0 win.

“It feels really great. Definitely makes me just think about the team, honestly, and just all the work that they did to get me to this place. I can’t just do it by myself, you know, as I think of like Tiahna Padilla and Chloe Headland, for just always being such great attackers that can draw on defenders and offload so well that it just makes my job so easy,” said London, reflecting on her achievement.

“I’m super honored to do that, but would love to also see it broken because that means rugby is getting better,” the senior added.

In the final, the elite team faced the Canadian Misfits. Harvard demonstrated its attacking depth, as it had throughout the entirety of the tournament, with tries from freshman Sana’a Lunon, freshman Madelyn Hubbell, and sophomore Josephine Mignone to secure the 19-5 victory and lift the Elite Plate.

The Crimson will return home to Mignone Field in Cambridge, Mass., to host the Ivy 7s tournament this Saturday, April 11.

—Staff writer Rhiannon Stewart can be reached at [email protected].