BOULDER, Colo. – The 2015 USA Rugby College 7s National Championships are less than two months out, and teams have slowly begun stamping their tickets to the tournament hosted by the University of Denver. The field at the premier College 7s event will consist of 52 teams in total, including 24 Men’s Division I teams and 16 Women’s teams. In a recent development, the Men’s Division II field has been expanded from eight to 12 teams due to the heightened interest in the sevens code amongst DII schools. The majority of the automatic qualifying tournaments for the College 7s National Championships will be taking place over the next two weeks, but a handful of teams have already placed themselves into one of the three National Championship fields after winning qualifying events in the fall. The men and women of UC Berkeley each won two tournaments in the fall. On the men’s side, the Golden Bears won the Battle in the Bay and the PAC Rugby Conference 7s tournaments. For the women, it was the Oregon State 7s and Stanford 7s field in which Cal took first place. Berkeley is the only team on the women’s side to have earned its way to Denver, but there are still eight more automatic qualifying tournaments to be played. The men of Cal are not expected to accept their invitation to the National Championships as they did in 2013. D1A Rugby’s San Diego State was the first team to enter the championship field after winning the California State 7s tournament back in September. The Aztecs will be looking to improve upon their finish as the runners-up to the Bowl Champion, Arizona State, from the most recent College 7s National Championship in 2013. Another squad returning from 2013 is Central Washington after dominating the field at the Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference 7s Championship. The Wildcats, who are led by AIG Men’s Collegiate All-Americans Sevens Head Coach Tony Pacheco, will be a real threat in this year’s National Championships as shown in 2013 when the team reached the Cup Semifinals. Reigning D1AA National Champion Central Florida proved it not only has prowess in 15s, but sevens, as well. The Knights won the South Independent Rugby Conference 7s Championship, and should represent its conference well in Denver. West Virginia traveled further than any team to compete at the Big XII Universities Championship in Norman, Okla., but it didn’t stop the Mountaineers from claiming the event. The newly-minted Rugby East squad could face Reno-Nevada at the College 7s National Championships after the Wolf Pack won the Pacific Western 7s qualifier. Saint Louis and Southern Illinois are the first of 12 Men’s Division II teams to cement a spot in Denver. Saint Louis got past 2013 College 7s Men’s DII National Champion Principia in the Final of the Gateway Conference 7s to qualify for this year’s tournament. A victory at the Spring Hill College 7s in Mobile, Ala., was the route taken by Southern Illinois to reach the College 7s National Championship. Like Cal, Dartmouth and UCLA are likely to pass on their automatic qualifying spots. UCLA won the West Coast 7s, while Dartmouth again was the top dog at the Ivy League 7s Championship. Three teams in the Men’s DI field have already been extended well-deserved at-large placements at the May 23-24 Championships. Arkansas State and Saint Mary’s, the Cup Finalists in the Men’s DI National Championship, have their places reserved in the 2015 field. The Red Wolves are the two-time defending National Champions, and their first-place finish at the 2015 Las Vegas Invitational is proof that the team is equipped to defend its title once again. Arizona State, on the other hand, proved itself worthy of an at-large berth from an incredibly strong run of sevens in the fall. The Sun Devils were the runners-up at the supremely competitive Battle in the Bay, as well as the PAC Sevens tournament. For more information regarding automatic qualifying tournaments for Men’s DI and DII schools visit USA Rugby Men’s College 7s page, while information on the Women’s qualifying events can be found at the USA Rugby Women’s College 7s page.