NOTE: The Canada West Women's Rugby 7s series is scheduled for Feb. 24-25 at the University of Victoria's Wallace Field. Due to recent snowfall and further forecast of snow conditions, the existing schedule is currently pending. Please make note of the following points for this coming weekend: 

• All six teams are still committed to traveling to Victoria this weekend
• A revised schedule for Saturday, Feb. 24 will be pushed back to start no earlier than 12:00 p.m. (weather permitting)
• It is likely that at a minimum, a revised schedule will be able to be played on all of Sunday, Feb .25
• At this time, all games that are able to be played will still happen at Wallace Field

Evan Daum, Canada West Communications

VICTORIA – The final stop on the Canada West Women's Rugby 7s Series is set for this weekend, as the University of Victoria hosts the third event on the 2018 schedule Saturday and Sunday at Wallace Field. 

A conference champion will be crowned Sunday afternoon, as the host Vikes are joined by the Alberta Pandas, UBC Thunderbirds, Calgary Dinos, Fraser Valley Cascades, Lethbridge Pronghorns, and Thompson Rivers WolfPack.

The Vikes enter their home tourney six points up on the Dinos for top spot in the conference standings, with the team who tops the table at the conclusion of the weekend being crowned the 2018 CW champion.

CLICK HERE FOR THE SERIES STANDINGS

Victoria is coming off back-to-back tournament wins, as the Vikes earned first-place in both previous stops on the schedule (Alberta – Jan. 19-20 / Fraser Valley – Feb. 10-11) thanks to perfect 6-0-0 records. 

"Every team in the conference is getting better each and every game, so to keep playing the way that got us here isn't enough," said fourth-year Vike Madeleine Graham.

"We have high expectations for ourselves and we can't afford to become complacent. We know that if we want to continue to be successful, we can't just keep doing the same things – we need to be better." 

Now, Victoria has the chance to join Calgary – who won last season – as the only Canada West rugby 7s champs in the sports young history at the university level. 

They'll have the chance to do it in front of a hometown crowd to boot.

"We are always excited to play in front of a home crowd. With so few home games throughout our 15s and 7s seasons, getting the opportunity to play in front of our family and friends is really special," said Graham. "It is always an honour to put on a Vikes jersey, and getting to represent UVic at home is an especially significant privilege."

In just its second season, the CW Women's Rugby 7s Series has been a welcome addition to the university rugby schedule for student-athletes across the conference. 

With seven teams now competing in CW rugby 7s thanks to the addition of Thompson Rivers, who will compete in their second consecutive event this weekend, the sport has already gained traction in the conference, which dominated at last year's national championship.

"The Canada West 7s Series has been huge for 7s development in our league. We really saw the impact of the series at the 2017 University 7s Championships, where five of the top six teams were from the Canada West conference," Graham pointed out. "Each series stop makes for higher quality rugby as each team gets more skilled and gains more experience. It is exciting to see the level of play improve every game, and we know that it's going to continue to get better from here."

The Series, which has been made possible thanks to the ongoing support of B2ten and Rugby Canada, opens Saturday morning with Fraser Valley taking on TRU (9:30 a.m. PST), with the final game of the tournament set to be a dandy when the Vikes take on the Dinos Sunday afternoon (2:50 p.m. PST). 

For a full look at this weekend's schedule, as well as previous game scores, click here.

About the Canada West Women's Rugby Sevens Series

2018 marks the second season of the Canada West Women's Rugby Sevens Series, which has been made possible thanks to Canada West's partnership with B2ten and Rugby Canada. 

Through their joint support, which will include scholarship opportunities for players at all six competing institutions, B2ten and Rugby Canada are committed to helping Canadian female athletes pursue their athletic careers, including an opportunity to progress to the national team. 

The Canada West Women's Rugby Sevens Series champion will be crowned Feb. 25 at the University of Victoria, as determined by cumulative series points. 

2018 Canada West Women's Rugby Sevens Series tournament dates: University of Alberta (Jan. 20-21), University of the Fraser Valley (Feb. 10-11) and University of Victoria (Feb. 24-25).