PRINCETON, N.J. - The Navy women's rugby team won the Emperor 7s for the second-straight season and third time since 2019 on Saturday in Princeton, N.J. Navy's three teams posted a combined record of 5-4-1.
 
Navy's No. 1 team posted a 3-1 record and placed first in the group A bracket. The Mids opened the tournament with a win over the Penn State No. 1 team (26-5), but were shut out in their next match to the West Chester No. 1 team (17-0). The No. 1 squad responded with a victory over Princeton (20-5) to set up a rematch against West Chester in the first-place match. The Mids avenged their loss to the Golden Rams (24-7) to take the title.
 
Navy's No. 2 team placed first in the group B bracket with a 2-1 record. The Mids lost their opening match to Penn State (15-10). The No. 2 unit bounced back with a win over West Chester (27-12) and defeated the Golden Rams again in the title match (10-7).
 
Navy's No. 3 team compiled an 0-2-1 record to finish in fourth place in the group B bracket. The squad fell to West Chester (38-5) and tied Penn State (10-10) in the play-in matches. Navy lost in the third-place match to the Nittany Lions (21-19).
 
Navy No. 1 Team vs. Penn State No. 1 Team (Win, 26-5)
Kyndall Wyngaard opened the scoring with a try in the first minute against the Nittany Lions to put the Mids ahead, 5-0. Penn State responded with a try in the fifth minute to even the score, 5-5. Chrissi Foster ended the first half with Navy's second try of the match and a made conversion kick by Abby Hershner made the score, 12-5, at intermission.
 
Wyngaard scored her second try of the contest in the eighth minute and Hershner added her second conversion kick to give the Mids a 19-5 advantage. Navy's MA Sorensen Award nominee, Marissa Meyer, scored her first try of the day in the 10th minute and Hershner's third conversion kick of the match extended Navy's lead to 26-5 for the final scoring of the contest.
 
Navy No. 1 Team vs. West Chester No. 1 Team (Loss, 17-0)
Navy was unable to find the try zone in its second match against West Chester. The Golden Rams built a 12-0 lead in the first half with a converted try in the fourth minute and an unconverted try in the sixth minute. West Chester scored an additional try in the 10th minute for the final score of the match.
 
Navy No. 1 Team vs. Princeton (Win, 20-5)
Meyer scored her second try of the day in the fourth minute for Navy's first score against Princeton. The Tigers tied the match, 5-5, with a try in the sixth minute, but Megan Leitz ended the half with a try to put the Mids back in front, 10-5.
 
Leitz scored two more tires in the second half to secure a hat trick. She extended Navy's lead to 15-5 with a try in the 12th minute. The freshman scored her third try in extra time to end the match with the scoreboard reading 20-5 in favor of the Mids.
 
Navy No. 1 Team vs. West Chester No. 1 Team First-Place Match (Win, 24-7)
The Golden Rams scored a converted try just 38 seconds into the championship match to take a 7-0 lead. Meyer provided the response Navy needed with a try in the third minute and a made conversion kick from Hershner tied the match, 7-7.
 
Extra time was added in the first half and Wyngaard took advantage by scoring a try. Hershner made another conversion kick to give Navy a 14-7 lead at the halfway point.
 
Meyer added her second try of the match in the 11th minute to put the Mids ahead by two scores. The match was ended on a try by Charlotte d'Halluin in the 16th minute to win Navy the match, 24-7. 
 
Navy No. 2 Team vs. Penn State No. 2 Team (Loss, 15-10)
The Nittany Lions took a 5-0 lead on a try 40 seconds into the contest against Navy's No. 2 team. Kalele Hakes evened the score, 5-5, with a try in the fourth minute.
 
Penn State retook the lead with a try in the ninth minute, but Anastasia Ngyuen scored a try in the 10th minute to tie the match, 10-10. The Nittany Lions scored a try in the 15th minute of extra time to win the game, 15-10.
 
Navy No. 2 Team vs. West Chester No. 2 Team (Win, 27-12)
The Golden Rams put the Mids in a 12-0 hole with tries in the first and third minutes, but Navy regrouped and cut West Chester's lead down to two points before intermission. Hannah Brink scored a try in the fifth minute and Emma Lucchese found the try zone in the seventh to make the score, 12-10, at halftime.
 
Navy took its first lead of the match in the eighth minute on a try from Dina Giles. Brink made the conversion kick following the go-ahead score to give the Mids a 17-12 advantage. Naomi Nutwell and Elizabeth Dunne scored additional tries in the 11th and 13 minutes for the final scores of the contest.
 
Navy No. 2 Team vs. West Chester No. 2 Team (Win, 10-7)
Brink provided all the scoring Navy needed to win the group B bracket against West Chester. She scored both of Navy's tries in the third and 12 minutes. West Chester's only points came via a converted try in the 14th minute, which ended the match.
 
Navy No. 3 Team vs. West Chester No. 2 Team (Loss, 38-5)
Navy's No. 3 team opened the tournament with a 38-5 setback to West Chester. The Golden Rams built a 17-0 lead by halftime with tries in the first, third and eighth minutes along with one conversion kick.
 
West Chester added three converted tries in the second half, while Navy's only try was scored by Kerra Miller in the 12th minute.
 
Navy No. 3 Team vs. Penn State No. 2 Team (Tie, 10-10)
Penn State struck first with a try in the second minute, but Sydney Boutz tied the match with a try in the sixth.
 
Jamie Wheeler put the Mids in front, 10-5, with a try in the 12th minute. Penn State's offense found the try zone in the 13th minute, but an unsuccessful conversion kick kept the match tied, 10-10.
 
Navy No. 3 Team vs. Penn State No. 2 Team
Navy built a 14-0 lead in the first three minutes of the group B third-place match. Wheeler scored a try 1:21 into the contest and Kimberly Van made the conversion kick to give the Mids a 7-0 lead. Van followed with a try in the third minute and made the ensuing conversion kick to put Navy ahead by 14 points.
 
Penn State scored a try in the fifth minute and nailed the conversion kick to make the score 14-7 at the halfway point.
 
The Nittany Lions tied the match with a converted try in the 10th minute. Sydney Boutz put Navy back in front, 19-14, with a try in the 12th minute. Penn State scored a try in the 14th minute and made the conversion kick to win the match, 21-19.
 
Up Next
Navy competes in Annapolis for the first time since Nov. 19 when it hosts the Legacy 7s Sunday, April 16. The tournament is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
 
Box Scores
Navy No. 1 vs. Penn State No. 1
Final Score: Navy 26, Penn State 5
First Half
1:22 - Navy - Try - Kyndall Wyngaard (5-0)
5:41 - Penn State - Try (5-5)
8:00 - Navy - Try - Chrissi Foster (10-5)
Conversion Kick - Abby Hershner (12-5)
Second Half
8:35 - Navy - Try - Kyndall Wyngaard (17-5)
Conversion Kick - Abby Hershner (19-5)
10:15 - Navy - Try - Marissa Meyer (24-5)
Conversion Kick - Abby Hershner (26-5)
 
Navy No. 1 vs. West Chester No. 1
Final Score: West Chester 17, Navy 0
First Half
4:32 - West Chester - Try (0-5)
Conversion Kick - West Chester (0-7)
6:07 - West Chester - Try (0-12)
Second Half
10:33 - West Chester - Try (0-17)
 
Navy No. 1 vs. Princeton
Final Score: Navy 20, Princeton 5
First Half
4:25 - Navy - Try - Marissa Meyer (5-0)
6:05 - Princeton - Try (5-5)
7:32 - Navy - Try - Megan Leitz (10-5)
Second Half
12:47 - Navy - Try - Megan Leitz (15-5)
15:28 - Navy - Try - Megan Leitz (20-5)
 
Navy No. 1 vs. West Chester No. 1
Final Score: Navy 24, West Chester 7
First Half
0:38 - West Chester - Try - (0-5)
Conversion Kick - West Chester (0-7)
3:20 - Navy - Try - Marissa Meyer (5-7)
Conversion Kick - Abby Hershner (7-7)
8:20 - Navy - Try - Kyndall Wyngaard (12-7)
Conversion Kick - Abby Hershner (14-7)
Second Half
11:31 - Navy - Try - Marissa Meyer (19-7)
16:14 - Navy - Try - Charlotte d'Halluin (24-7)
 
Navy No. 2 vs. Penn State No. 2
Final Score: Penn State 15, Navy 10
First Half
0:40 - Penn State - Try (0-5)
4:09 - Navy - Try - Kalele Hakes (5-5)
Second Half
9:12 - Penn State - Try (5-10)
10:36 - Navy - Try - Anastasia Nguyen (10-10)
15:30 - Penn State - Try (10-15)
 
Navy No. 2 vs. West Chester No. 2
Final Score: Navy 27, West Chester 12
First Half
1:50 - West Chester - Try (0-5)
Conversion Kick - West Chester (0-7)
3:20 - West Chester - Try (0-12)
5:42 - Navy - Try - Hannah Brink (5-12)
7:39 - Navy - Try - Emma Lucchese (10-12)
Second Half
8:44 - Navy - Try - Dina Giles (15-12)
Conversion Kick - Hannah Brink (17-12)
11:22 - Navy - Try - Naomi Nutwell (22-12)
13:37 - Navy - Try - Elizabeth Dunne (27-12)
 
Navy No. 2 vs. Westchester No. 2
Final Score: Navy 10, West Chester 7
First Half
3:40 - Navy - Try - Hannah Brink (5-0)
Second Half
12:59 - Navy - Try Hannah Brink (10-0)
14:40 - West Chester - Try (10-5)
Conversion Kick - West Chester (10-7)
 
Navy No. 3 vs. West Chester No. 2
Final Score: West Chester 38, Navy 5
First Half
1:44 - West Chester - Try (0-5)
3:42 - West Chester - Try (0-10)
Conversion Kick - West Chester (0-12)
8:21 - West Chester - Try (0-17)
Second Half
9:10 - West Chester - Try (0-22)
Conversion Kick - West Chester (0-24)
12:22 - Navy - Try - Kerra Miller (5-24)
13:50 - West Chester - Try (5-29)
Conversion Kick - West Chester (5-31)
16:35 - West Chester - Try (5-36)
Conversion - West Chester (5-38)
 
Navy No. 3 vs. Penn State No. 2
Final Score: Navy 10, Penn State 10
First Half
2:57 - Penn State - Try (0-5)
6:23 - Navy - Try - Sydney Boutz (5-5)
Second Half
12:03 - Navy - Try - Jamie Wheeler (10-5)
13:41 - Penn State - Try (10-10)
 
Navy No. 3 vs. Penn State No. 2
Final Score: Penn State 21, Navy 19
First Half
1:21 - Navy - Try - Jamie Wheeler (5-0)
Conversion Kick - Kimberly Van (7-0)
3:25 - Navy - Try - Kimberly Van (12-0)
Conversion Kick - Kimberly Van (14-0)
5:58 - Penn State - Try (14-5)
Conversion Kick - Penn State (14-7)
Second Half
10:00 - Penn State - Try (14-12)
Conversion Kick - Penn State (14-14)
12:35 - Navy - Try - Sydney Boutz (19-14)
14:16 - Penn State - Try (19-19)
Conversion Kick - Penn State (19-21)