The Irish kicked off their spring 7s season with the Hawkeye Classic in Iowa city, Iowa on February 15th. Nerves were high at the start because for a decent portion of the team this was their first 7s tournament. The team got over these nerves though and played excellent together and really showed up. The team had a good showing, finishing in 2nd place after beating Iowa State, Iowa, and Davenport and falling to Wayne Sate in the Championship game. Emma Shimek, Tori Jones, Emma Farnan, Josie Walters, Michelle Feely, and Emma Cassidy all scored for the Irish. Josie Walters, a freshman on the team, talked about scoring her first try and playing 7s for the first time, "I was so excited and honestly it was such a blur when it happened. 7s is much more 1 on 1 and you need to have speed". Captain Tori Jones was very proud of the team saying, "Everyone is playing so great" and that "we're all connecting very well". It was a great weekend for the team, filled with hard work, fun, and bonding moments.
The Irish are big on bonding moments and making the team about more than just playing rugby. Allison McPeek enjoyed the whole tournament but the moments off the field like dining at Gramma's Kitchen and making memories on the car ride stuck out to her as well. "I think part of our success probably had to do with how much we bonded on the way there and just how much fun we had overall" said McPeek. Hannah Skrypkun also agreed saying, "It was super cute. It felt very homey and got us in a good mood to start off the weekend as a unit".
The Irish's next tournament will be their home tournament on March 28th but in the meantime they'll keep working hard at practice and keep up with the fun.