It took ten hours for a field of 16 teams made up of the best and brightest women’s college 7s players in the nation to be winnowed all the way down to one ultimate champion in Atlanta today; a feat that was a logistical nightmare for organizers, but an absolute dream for college rugby fans across the country. Viewers were treated to non-stop action and plenty of unexpected finishes throughout, including the championship-winning performance put on by a Tri-State side that few (outside of this clairvoyant writer) expected to be the last team standing.
A severe winter storm warning for Sunday turned the annual All-Star event into a single elimination tournament with the winners needing to win four straight games to hoist the trophy when all was said and done. Add in the launch of the brand-new Women’s XV’s All-Star tournament taking place simultaneously in Atlanta, which drew some of the top talent away from the regional 7s all-star pools, and you have the makings of what older generations might refer to as a “character building” event for these college stars.
But the team from the Tri-State had the right stuff throughout the tournament, beginning with their opening round 46-5 demolition of the Great Lakes. RPI’s Leanna Wells loudly announced herself as a force that would certainly need to be reckoned with, scoring three tries in the game – a total that would eventually balloon to seven on the day. Standout first-year Olivia McQuhae, from Siena, also scored two of her eventual three total tries in the contest.
While game one proved that Tri-State had the firepower to run teams off the pitch, game two proved that they also knew how to win close contests. They traded blows with an incredibly talented North Atlantic side featuring Endicott teammates Laryssa Landmesser and Colleen Mitchell, who both scored in a game that saw six lead changes. Wells added another try for Tri-State but it was Marist’s Sydney Weiss who made the difference in the end. The junior took over her team’s Instagram account on Friday and then took over this game on Saturday, nailing three conversions and scoring two tries including one at the death to break a 21-21 tie and send her team to the semifinals. Weiss ended with a tournament-high nine successful conversions.
Their next match was against a dangerous High Peaks team from out West that featured one Player of the Year winner (DIII) in Piper Lee out of the Colorado School of Mines and one Player of the Year nominee (DI-AA) in Colorado’s Lucia Hoffman. While both Lee and Hoffman scored in the semifinal bout, Tri-State had the better duo on the day. The now deadly combination of Wells and Weiss combined for all 21 of the points it took to win as the rest of the team helped with a stellar defensive effort that held High Peaks to the low score of 10.
Finally, in the championship match, Tri-State was able to hold All-American Kelly Greenleaf out of Towson University in check and defeat the MARC All-Stars 24-15 to claim their title. Weiss was stellar once again, scoring twice and nailing a conversion, while McQuahe and Wells chipped in their final scores of the tournament. RPI’s Ondine Simmons put the finishing touches on the win, mooting a MARC comeback attempt fueled by scores from Longwood University sisters Brianne and Brandi Dawson as well as Georgetown’s Juliette Robinson.
Leanna Wells was named the 7s All Star MVP.
The runners-up had an incredible run of their own to the finals, knocking off a Florida team in the semis that had knocked off the defending champion squad from the Lonestar conference the round before. Florida was led by junior Savanah Lewis, from USF, who had four tries on the day, as well as FSU’s Neva Harke, who had three. Harke’s college teammate, senior flyhalf Jessica Rosenblum, also drilled eight conversions – two of which helped her team to a 21-19 victory over High Peaks in the third place match.
The MARC knocked off another juggernaut in the quarterfinals, beating a stacked Big 10 team 14-12. Notre Dame’s Mia Blocher may have taken her absence from the Player of the Year nominee list personally as she went absolutely nuclear on the weekend, leading the field with 10 tries and 50 total points. Though Blocher, and her talented Notre Dame teammate Isabel Henderson, each scored in the contest, they couldn’t overcome the stellar defense of the MARC team and some more clutch scoring by Greenleaf.
Other standout players in the tournament include South Dakota’s Maurina Street, whose seven tries and 39 total points helped lead her Prairie State team to a 2-2 finish. Iowa’s Gillian McRae also chipped in six tries to get her Midwest team to .500 on the day. DI Player of the Year winner Telesi Uhatafe, out of Southern Nazarene, looked like she would be on pace for a huge day after scoring four tries in the opening match of her Lonestar team’s title-defence. But the junior failed to score in the team’s loss to Florida in round two and contributed only one try in the subsequent loss against the Big 10. A final loss to the North Atlantic left last year’s winners with a 1-3 record on the weekend.
2026 All Tournament Team
"The level of play across both the XVs and 7s tournaments was exceptional, making selections incredibly difficult,” said Women’s Director Alycia Washington. “Our selectors closely evaluated every match, and being named to an All-Tournament Team reflects consistent excellence and impact throughout the day."
