October 26, 2026​

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Irvine, CA — Arizona put together a strong opening weekend at the Pacific Desert Rugby Conference Sevens, finishing third overall with a 3-1 record and earning valuable experience as the Wildcats continue their preparation for the fifteens season.

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Arizona opened pool play with victories over UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara. The Wildcats battled through a tight contest against UCSB, securing a 15-12 victory to finish pool play unbeaten and set up a semifinal matchup against Claremont.

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The semifinal proved to be a back-and-forth battle. Trailing 12-5 at halftime, Arizona cleaned up its penalties and tightened up defensively to work its way back into the match. Brityn Ward crossed the try line to level the score at 12, before Claremont regained the lead. Molly Chisholm responded with a try to tie the match at 17, but despite opportunities to take control, Arizona couldn't find the go-ahead score. Claremont would strike with just 30 seconds remaining to secure a 24-17 victory and send the Wildcats into the third-place match against UC San Diego.

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The battle for third place was another tightly contested affair, with both sides fighting for every opportunity. With the match coming down to its final play, Finley Korn broke through for a spectacular 50-meter line break to seal the victory and secure third place for Arizona.

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The Wildcats' 3-1 record and third-place finish provided plenty of positives as the team continues to use the fall sevens schedule to build toward fifteens. The resilience shown in coming back against Claremont and the composure to finish against UC San Diego will serve Arizona well as the team turns its attention to a quick turnaround against Arizona State this Friday in Tempe.

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Irvine Sevens Roster​

-Bailey Castaneda

-Andrea Chacon

-Molly Chisholm - C

-Melody Chu

-Katheryn Ehlers

-Hannah Jackson

-Lea Jaramilla

-Finley Korn

-Remy Poisl

-Aria Lewis

-Brityn Ward

-Izabella Ziolkowski

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