IOWA CITY, Iowa - Last weekend, the Panthers took three teams to participate in the Hawkeye Classic 7s Tournament. Some of their opponents included teams from Iowa State, Simpson College, Minnesota State, Notre Dame, and Wayne State.
 
The tournament started strong, with a faceoff of Davenport B versus Iowa B. A little under a minute into the game, a try was dotted under the posts by Lori Lewis, who had a strong running presence in the game. The game seemed to be a track event, as countless members of the team ran on the edges to score. The scoring was continued by Adilene Ochoa, McKenzie Horsley, Lauren Leitzelar, and Sonja Groters.
 
The next game was a match between Davenport C versus Iowa C. The game was very back-and-forth, but the steady pressure on the Iowa defense became too much for them to handle, with the score ending at 15-10. The tries were scored by Lewis, Emily VanDyke, and Kallea Rollins.
 
Davenport A's first game was against Minnesota, and was a close-fought match. Scores were by Megan Bird, and others, with two conversions being made by Ashleigh DeWitt. It was highlighted by good tackles by each member of the team, and support to get the ball to the edge in order to make runs
 
The last game played by Davenport C versus Northern Iowa University was won 19-15, making the C team the open division champions.
 
Two players of the match were selected for each team that played. For Davenport A, Adara Benton and Ochoa were chosen: Ochoa for her good support and low tackles, and Benton for her quick thinking on defense and offense. For Davenport B, Groters and Lewis were chosen: Groters for her solid defensive effort in the rucks and good runs, and Lewis for her consistent runs and line breaks. For Davenport C, Abbi Kowalczk and Abigail Jamarillo were selected: Kowalczk for her ball handling, focus, effort, and Jamarillo due to her constant defensive threats and runs.
 
Davenport A ended the day with a record of 1-2, while B ended with 1-2 as well, and C ended at 4-0. All three sides exemplified teamwork, positive efforts, and improvement, game by game. On the weekend, the Panthers went 6-4 and were outscored by their opponents 196-172. The next event scheduled for the team will be March 14, an alumni game and fundraiser day for the growing DU women's program, so come out and support your favorite team!
 
Story by: Maggie Wetter
 
Picture credit: Kara DeVries