BINGHAMTON, NY – For the third year in a row, the Binghamton University men’s rugby club will host a national qualifying tournament for sevens rugby at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 16, at the Binghamton University East Gym track field. The tournament, free and open to the public, will run throughout the day.

Rugby has been a staple at Binghamton since 1979, when the Tasmanian Devils Rugby Club first took the field against Syracuse University. Today, the Binghamton University men’s rugby club competes in the Empire Conference as a Division I club under USA Rugby. Rugby sevens will make its Olympic debut this summer in Rio.

Just as the name suggests, rugby sevens features seven players battling it out on the pitch during two seven-minute halves. Players must have speed, stamina and a sharp mind to excel in this less-crowded, fast-paced game.

The club is expecting team representation from fellow Empire Rugby Conference members, including Brockport College, Fordham University, Stony Brook University, Syracuse University and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Non-conference members expected to attend include the University at Buffalo, Kutztown University and Northeastern University.

Binghamton is one of three sites to host a qualifying conference tournament. The winner of the Binghamton tournament will receive an automatic bid to the USA Rugby College 7s National Tournament. 

The men’s rugby club is one of 39 recreational and competitive club sport teams at Binghamton University under the auspices of Campus Recreational Services. 

To learn more about rugby and the national sevens tournament series, visit usarugby.org.

For more information about the tournament, contact the men's rugby club student tournament liaison, John Gallagher, at jgallag8@binghamton.edu; or Craig Dube, assistant director of Campus Recreational Services, at 607-777-4259 or cdube@binghamton.edu.