April 09, 2019

Susquehanna University’s men’s club rugby team won the 7s National Championship Qualifier on April 6. The team now advances to the 7s National Championship June 1-2 in Philadelphia.

The automatic qualifying event, held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was one of the eight nationwide automatic qualifiers for the National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO) 7s National Championship.

To qualify for national championships, the River Hawks beat Neumann University 26-5, and Franklin and Marshall College 22-0 in pool play. In the quarterfinals, Susquehanna beat No. 12 nationally ranked Ithaca College 21-14. In the semifinals, Susquehanna was down 14-12 against No. 7 nationally ranked Loyola University, Baltimore, with less than 15 seconds remaining when junior Jackson Prusak, of Bel Air, Maryland, scored on the final play of the game to give Susquehanna a 17-14 victory.

In the championship match, Susquehanna faced off against No. 2 nationally ranked Endicott College, Beverly, Massachusetts. Susquehanna took an early 14-0 lead into halftime and held on in the second half, winning 21-14 to secure their berth to the 7s National Championship.

The team was led on the day by junior Adam Morrow, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, with five tries, while sophomore Andrew Heydt, of Wayne, New Jersey, added four tries.

This is Susquehanna’s sixth trip to the NSCRO 7s National championships in the last seven years, having finished fifth in 2018 and third in 2016.

The NSCRO 7s National Championship will be held June 1-2 in conjunction with the Collegiate Rugby 7s Championships at Talen Energy Stadium in Philadelphia. Last year, over 30,000 fans attended the event. Event information can be found here. Fans can purchase tickets here.