Nov 11- Arizona welcomes the PAC conference to Tucson this weekend as they kick off the PAC Rugby Sevens Championship at Pima County Kino Sports Complex tomorrow. The Wildcats have named the side that will take the field, with the 14-man roster featuring some new faces from last month's West Coast Sevens-winning campaign.

 

Captain Kyle Rogers leads the team as the 2nd Team All American Sevens player looks to continue his strong form and leadership. Rogers is joined by veterans Shane Dempsey, Ben Joseph, Jonah Eldridge, and Bryce Mantell. Ryan Hudson joins the group for the second straight tournament, with strong sophomores Ryan Fitzpatrick and Garrett Walker also selected.

 

Five Freshmen make up the roster, with Ben Scoular, Anton Grigoriou, and Jake Hedge returning to the fold. Two underclassmen make their debut, with Lucas Thayer, Zach Heisterkamp, and Sophomore Nick Fadelli selected for their first tournaments as Wildcats. 

 

Head Coach Sean Duffy pointed to the PAC Sevens as a brand new challenge. "Last month was a great victory, but our goal has been to wipe the slate clean because we know each of these teams has been working hard to do well on national television and earn conference bragging rights" said Duffy "our goal is the program's first conference sevens championship and we know it'll be a hard-fought battle amongst the eight teams."

This year will be a special one in collegiate rugby history, as last year's PAC-12 Network coverage has been expanded to include four PAC-12 regional networks along with the national network on Sunday, one of the largest broadcasts ever in the sport's history. "We're honored that the PAC-12 Network has expanded their coverage of the event, and with such a talented conference I know I speak for all of the coaches when I say we're excited to showcase our teams to the nation and make our universities proud." Last year's tournament, won by the Cal Bears, featured some of the nation's toughest teams, with Cal, UCLA, and Arizona all finishing in the top four at the Collegiate Rugby Championships on NBC.

 

The event will take place at Pima County Kino Sports Complex, the fantastic 1,800 seat stadium located within a 155-acre sports complex. The weekend will also feature High School and Youth brackets in the adjoining fields, making this a fantastic event for all ages. Gates open at 9:30 AM on Saturday and 10:00 AM on Sunday with discounted tickets available for students with university ID. Children 12 and under receive free admission.

 

Sunday's broadcast will commence at 12:00 PM PST featuring all knockout matches of the tournament.

 

 

 

Schedule

12:00 PM- Game 1 vs Utah

1:30 PM- Game 2 vs Stanford

2:40 PM- Game 3 vs UCLA

 

 

PAC Sevens Lineup (click for bio)

1. Ben Scoular

2. Ben Joseph

3. Zach Heisterkamp

4. Anton Grigoriou

5. Lucas Thayer

6. Bryce Mantell

7. Ryan Fitzpatrick

8. Ryan Hudson

9. Garrett Walker

10. Kyle Rogers (C)

11. Jonah Eldridge

12. Shane Dempsey

13. Jake Hedge

14. Nick Fadelli