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Vikes women go undefeated to win national rugby 7s title

'It was amazing' according to third year Jess Neilson, a former Monterey middle school student

Joel Tansey

Black Press

The University of Victoria Vikes women’s rugby team earned its first Canadian University Sevens title in program history on Saturday, defeating the UBC Thunderbirds 24-0 in the final at Westhills Stadium.

“It was amazing,” said third year Jess Neilson, a former Monterey middle school student. “The whole weekend we just kind of took it game by game and didn’t think too much about the big picture. We knew UBC would come out with a fight and we just executed our game plan.”

The Vikes outscored their opponents 108-5 on Day 1 then defeated Guelph and McMaster on Day 2, two of the top teams in the country.

“It was an excellent tournament for the girls,” said head coach Brittany Waters. “They had a strong performance in every game and just kept getting better. I think they really showed what they’re capable of this tournament, which is nice.”

Madeleine Graham and Gabrielle Senft led the Vikes with seven tries each. Neilson had two tries and 11 converts.

The Vikes also entered two teams into the Canadian University Sevens men’s championship as the Vikes premier team won silver and the Norsemen took bronze.

The Vikes premier side came within a game of winning their fifth straight national title, falling to the UBC Thunderbirds 19-5 in the final. Up to that point, the Vikes outscored opponents 185-0 in five games.

“That’s a good UBC team,” head coach Doug Tate. “The halftime score was tight. We had two opportunities in the first half inside their 10-metre line and we didn’t score.”

Gradyn Bowd led the Vikes with 48 points through six games with four tries and 14 converts and Aidan McMillan scored 40 points on eight tries.

It was nearly an all-UVic final as UBC knocked the Norsemen out in the semifinals. The Norsemen rebounded to beat Alberta 34-0 for bronze.