The Dartmouth College women’s rugby team steps onto Fijian soil for competition today as international guests at the 50th Fiji Bitter Marist 7s, marking the American side’s first tournament of the season and a high-profile warm-up against the heartland of sevens rugby.
Co-captains Paola Almeida and Katelyn Walker said the squad has been preparing for months for the trip and has relished the chance to train in a country where rugby is central to community life. “We’re so excited to be in Fiji and to play rugby in a place where the sport is so big compared to the States,” Walker said, underlining the significance of competing in a festival that celebrates five decades of the Marist sevens.
The Dartmouth players have been fine-tuning their game at the Uprising Resort ground, where they shared sessions with the Fiji Airways Fijiana 7s squad. Almeida described the experience as invaluable for sharpening skills and broadening the team’s on-field repertoire. “We’ve been running with the Fijiana 7s team and learning different styles and flair. It’s been wonderful for our preparation,” she said.
Coaches and captains have concentrated the team’s short-term focus on two practical areas: speed and defensive intensity. Those priorities respond directly to the hallmark of Fijian sevens—free-flowing attack and quick ball movement—which Dartmouth sees as a key test for its young side. By emphasizing line speed and containment, the American visitors hope to counter the flair-driven play they will face across the tournament pitches.
For Dartmouth this tournament is not only a competition but a benchmark. As Walker noted, “This is our first tournament of the season, so it will set the baseline for us. We’re excited to grow and take what we learn here back home.” The squad’s campaign in Nadi (training at Uprising Resort) will therefore inform selections, tactics and conditioning for the months ahead as the collegiate season unfolds.
The appearance of the Dartmouth women at the 50th Fiji Bitter Marist 7s continues a trend of international teams using Pacific sevens events for exposure to top-level, fast-paced play. While local fans will focus on homegrown sides and marquee names, the presence of an American college team adds an international dimension to the milestone edition of the tournament and offers Dartmouth players firsthand experience against players shaped by Fiji’s sevens tradition.
Dartmouth’s matches begin today; the outcome will be closely watched by coaches tracking how the team adapts to the pace and physicality of island rugby. Regardless of results, the week promises to be a formative exchange: for Dartmouth a valuable initiation into sevens culture and for Fijian audiences a glimpse of collegiate rugby from the United States.
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