BERKELEY – California rugby opens its fall sevens competition Saturday at the West Coast Collegiate 7s tournament hosted by Cal Poly. The full day of action begins at 10 a.m. PT. Fans can follow along with updates throughout the day on Twitter.
 
As in year's past, Cal will enter two teams into the tournament, with one squad being a developmental side of the program this year. The teams will compete as the "Cal" squad and the "Bears" squad. Cal will have a pool of 28 student-athletes among the two teams, with representation from all class levels.
 
At last year's West Coast Collegiate 7s at Cal Poly, Cal's two squads dominated the competition. Both of the teams topped their pools and defeated their opponents in quarterfinal and semifinal matches to make an all-Cal finals matchup. The Bears chose to forgo competing against themselves in the Cup Final and brought home the tournament title, the program's fifth in tournament history.
 
This year, the Bears will see contributions from both returners and newcomers to the sevens pitch at Cal Poly as they seek to defend their title.
 
"The first tournament of the year is about more than victory and standings for our program," Cal senior Max Schumacher said. "It's about getting every player a chance to put on the Blue & Gold, whether it's for the first time or for the 100th time, to demonstrate the talent and the hard work we have put in as a team."
 
Leading the Bears on Saturday are experienced senior co-captains Schumacher and Nathan Zylstra. Schumacher, who was recently named a Second Team All-American in XVs, played in three matches and was a starter for two at last year's tournament. He logged one try and two conversions, all in the match against UC Santa Barbara. Zylstra also started in two matches at the 2021 Cal Poly 7s, collecting a try in each appearance.
 
Fellow returner Max Clark was the top try-scorer at last year's tournament, contributing five tries, including two in the semifinal match versus UCLA. Clark will be returning to the pitch for the Blue & Gold at Saturday's competition to kick off his fourth-year campaign.
 
Making their way off the sidelines after spending 2021-22 battling injuries are sophomores Kealan O'Connell and Joe Kirsten. O'Connell started his freshman season strong at last year's Cal Poly 7s. He played in three matches and logged three tries and two conversions. Just as his momentum was building during the fall sevens schedule, the flyhalf faced a season-ending injury that cut his time on the pitch short.
 
Similarly, Kirsten is expected to make his return from an injury he incurred prior to his arrival at Cal, which will make this his debut appearance for the Bears in collegiate competition. The versatile sophomore plays in the fullback and winger positions.
 
"It has been a full year since we've had the opportunity to play sevens as a team, so there is a lot of positive anticipation among the boys," Schumacher said. "It's always our goal as a team, and as individuals, to put our best foot forward in the season's first showing."
 
Here is a list of players who will represent Cal this weekend:
Alex Aguero
Miles Beaubelle
Dougie Brown
Alex Brundage
Jack Casey
Max Clark
Pat Deely
Brett Dowgiewicz
Mack Fell
Luke Freeman
Michael Freeman
Joe Kirsten
Tyler Lenk
Cal Liebowitz
Oliver Newall
Kealan O'Connell
Jack Openshaw
Griffin Rudy
Cormac Saint
Nate Salter
Rand Santos
Max Schumacher
Will Shankland
Caleb Tomasin
Evan Weigold
Solomon Williams
Nathan Zylstra
 
STAY POSTED 
For complete coverage of Cal rugby, please follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalVarsityRugby), Instagram (@CalVarsityRugby) and Facebook (/CalVarsityRugby).