Men's DI Club Preview

Can anyone unseat defending champion Louisville in Division I Club? Despite returning just four starters from last year’s title team, the Cardinals look like the team to beat again. They punched their ticket by winning the Fighting Irish 7s in March, their second tournament win of the spring, with Cameron Donlon and Ryan Cammarata leading the Louisville attack. 

The University of South Carolina comes in as the East’s top seed. The Gamecocks are no stranger to the CRC, as they make their 9th tournament appearance. This is the program’s first in Division I Club, though, as South Carolina has been a Premier Cup mainstay. 

Players to Watch

Iowa’s Ren Heimer is a slippery speedster with go-the-distance capability. Give him too much space, and he can cause headaches. 

UMass has a pair of All-Americans in forward Christian Manjikian and halfback John McGoey. The big Arthur Dehareng is also a unit for the Minutemen. 

Nebraska’s version of thunder and lightning is Ben Kubicek and Lucas Fleming. Kubicek wins contact and the gainline, while Fleming quarterbacks the Husker attack. 

MARC champion West Chester posted a 10-0 record this spring, winning both the conference tournament and Frostbite 7s. The Rams are led on the field by the dynamic Diohnny Ruiz, who would be a boon to any of the 80 men’s teams at the CRC, regardless of division.

Cinderella Candidate

Maryland knows the slipper fits, as the Terps were the Cinderella of the Premier Cup last spring, knocking off top-seed Brown and finishing sixth overall. This year, the path back to the ball seems more realistic, as the Terps boast regular season wins over tourney teams in Virginia Tech (Premier Cup), UMass and James Madison.