CARY, N.C. – USA Rugby announced Saturday a contingency plan for the final day of the 2016 USA Rugby College 7s National Championships at WakeMed Soccer Park.

Due to the impending tropical storm Bonnie headed for the southeast region of the United States, concessions must be made in consideration with player welfare and the host venue. Lightning strikes and water collected on the playing surfaces will likely cause massive delays to the current match schedule for all four National Championship competitions, therefore the decision has been made to advance the start to Day Three an hour to 8 a.m. ET and consolidate the remaining fixture list.

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The Men’s DII 15/16 seeding match has been struck from the fixture list, while Cup Semifinals in all four divisions have been moved up to the beginning of the day to counter any forecasted delays. The live broadcast on The Rugby Channel will begin with the first kickoffs on all three fields and continue through the end of the event. Due to circumstances out of our control and keeping in mind the travel schedules for all 60 teams in North Carolina this weekend, USA Rugby reserves the right to cancel further matches as the day progresses.

USA Rugby staff on-site in Cary have notified team personnel Saturday night and will continue to communicate updates throughout the day Sunday of any changes made to the schedule. It is in USA Rugby’s and the community’s best interests to see every match scheduled for College 7s played in its entirety; however, due to circumstances beyond USA Rugby’s control, it is expected that further matches will be cancelled throughout the day to ensure National Champions are crowned and teams can return home safely prior to the start of the Memorial Day holiday.

USA Rugby would like to thank coaches, players, parents, siblings, and everyone involved with the 60 National Championship contenders in North Carolina this weekend for their patience in these unfortunate conditions.