California Golden Bears Athletics
Sunday, October 18
Oceanside, CA
11:40 a.m. PT
California
31
vs
17
Utah
Cal concludes fall sevens play with tournament victory in San Diego.
Photo by: Alex Ho
10/18/2026 4:06 PM | Rugby
Cal Lifts Championship Trophy At Third WC7s Tournament Of 2026
SAN DIEGO – California rugby completed its sweep of the West Coast 7s circuit with its third consecutive tournament title this weekend at the WC7s SoCal. The Golden Bears shut out their pool-play opponents on Day 1 before defeating Utah, 31-17, in the Cup Semifinal and taking down Long Beach State, 29-15, in the Cup Final on Day 2 to lift the tournament trophy. Oliver Teague was named Tournament MVP in what was the Bears' fall sevens finale.
In the Cup Semifinal versus Utah, Cal's strong first half propelled the squad to an early advantage that would carry the Bears through to the tournament final. Cal recovered the first kickoff and only took a few passes down the line before seeing Seamus Deely carry it into the try zone just 20 seconds into the match. After the restart, the Bears worked into the Utes' territory and played a few phases before sending the ball out to Emmett Cook on the wing who beat a defender to dot down the score and give Cal a 10-0 lead.
The Bears stayed on the attack and saw Oliver Tegaue score two tries in quick succession to extend the advantage. Teague's first try moved seamlessly through the hands of nearly the entire line across the field before Deely carried it just a few meters from the goal line and unselfishly offloaded it to Teague on the edge to secure the score. The Bears kept their foot on the gas for the final play of the first half and gathered the ball from the restart before Teague maneuvered through a gap up the middle to dot it down between the posts. Nate Comiskey went 2-of-4 on conversion attempts to make it 24-0 in favor of the Bears at halftime.
Cal made four substitutions during the break and was met with some stronger defensive pressure from Utah as the second half got underway. The Bears turned it over near their own goal-line and Utah capitalized on the error to get its first score of the match, which it did not convert on. Cal answered with a try just one minute later, with Chris Biller catching the restart and putting his speed on display to carry it up the middle of the field. A Ute defender tracked him down, but Cook was in lockstep with Biller and was ready for the handoff that allowed him to collect his second score of the match, which he converted himself. Utah managed to score twice before the end of the second half, both on breakaway runs, but Cal's strong first-half offense ensured a 31-17 victory that put the squad through to the Cup Final.
Long Beach State was Cal's toughest competition of the weekend in the Cup Final, which started off as a back-and-forth affair between the two teams before the Beach intercepted a Cal pass and ran it into the try zone to get on the board first. The Bears immediately answered on the next possession when Comiskey broke a tackle before jetting off to carry the ball past the goal line and convert his own score to make it 7-5 in the third minute. Near the end of the first half, LBSU was awarded a penalty and elected to scrum. The Beach took the ball up from the short side and dotted it down to take a 10-7 lead over the Bears into halftime.
Cal wasted no time regaining its lead in the second half, with Comiskey having another good run to get into Beach territory. James Curtis pulled out the ball from a ruck and put it in the hands of Teague to score his first of two back-to-back tries in the match. It was a gritty restart with windy conditions having an effect on both teams' kicking and passing, but Teague muscled his way through the LBSU defensive line again to touch down a try between the posts, which he converted himself.
After the ensuing kickoff, the teams played a few phases before the Beach pitched it forward off a boot and began a chase-down. LBSU recovered the ball and managed to score on the far left side to make it a four-point game with three minutes of play to go. Cal continued to apply the pressure and Max Threlkeld had the last word with a pair of scores in minutes 13 and 14. For his first try, he took the ball up the middle into scoring territory and offloaded to Sinclair, who maintained possession in the breakdown. Curtis put the ball in the hands of Threlkeld, who walked it into the try-zone untouched. A long kick and a penalty put Cal in good position for the final play of the contest, with Threlkeld once again storming up through the middle to tap down a try that capped the 29-15 Cup Final victory for the Bears.
Cal will now turn its focus to XVs competition, with its eyes set on a preseason tilt versus Western Washington. The two-time reigning national champion Golden Bears will host WWU at Witter Rugby Field on Nov. 7.
Scoring Timelines:
Cup Semifinal
Cal vs. Utah
0:20 – Seamus Deely 5
3:00 – Emmett Cook 5
5:00 – Oliver Teague 5, Nate Comiskey 2
6:00 – Oliver Teague 5, Nate Comiskey 2
Half: Cal 24-Utah 0
11:00 – Utah 5
12:00 – Emmett Cook 5, Emmett Cook 2
13:00 – Utah 5, Utah 2
14:00 – Utah 5
Final: Cal 31, Utah 17
Cup Final
Cal vs. Long Beach State
2:00 – LBSU 5
3:00 – Nate Comiskey 5
6:00 – LBSU 5
Half: LBSU 10, Cal 7
7:00 – Oliver Teague 5
10:00 – Oliver Teague 5, Oliver Teague 2
11:00 – LBSU 5
13:00 – Max Threlkeld 5
14:00 – Max Threlkeld 5
Final: Cal 29, LBSU 15
STAY POSTED
For complete coverage of Cal rugby, please follow the Bears on X(@CalVarsityRugby), Instagram (@CalVarsityRugby) and Facebook (/CalVarsityRugby).
In the Cup Semifinal versus Utah, Cal's strong first half propelled the squad to an early advantage that would carry the Bears through to the tournament final. Cal recovered the first kickoff and only took a few passes down the line before seeing Seamus Deely carry it into the try zone just 20 seconds into the match. After the restart, the Bears worked into the Utes' territory and played a few phases before sending the ball out to Emmett Cook on the wing who beat a defender to dot down the score and give Cal a 10-0 lead.
The Bears stayed on the attack and saw Oliver Tegaue score two tries in quick succession to extend the advantage. Teague's first try moved seamlessly through the hands of nearly the entire line across the field before Deely carried it just a few meters from the goal line and unselfishly offloaded it to Teague on the edge to secure the score. The Bears kept their foot on the gas for the final play of the first half and gathered the ball from the restart before Teague maneuvered through a gap up the middle to dot it down between the posts. Nate Comiskey went 2-of-4 on conversion attempts to make it 24-0 in favor of the Bears at halftime.
Cal made four substitutions during the break and was met with some stronger defensive pressure from Utah as the second half got underway. The Bears turned it over near their own goal-line and Utah capitalized on the error to get its first score of the match, which it did not convert on. Cal answered with a try just one minute later, with Chris Biller catching the restart and putting his speed on display to carry it up the middle of the field. A Ute defender tracked him down, but Cook was in lockstep with Biller and was ready for the handoff that allowed him to collect his second score of the match, which he converted himself. Utah managed to score twice before the end of the second half, both on breakaway runs, but Cal's strong first-half offense ensured a 31-17 victory that put the squad through to the Cup Final.
Long Beach State was Cal's toughest competition of the weekend in the Cup Final, which started off as a back-and-forth affair between the two teams before the Beach intercepted a Cal pass and ran it into the try zone to get on the board first. The Bears immediately answered on the next possession when Comiskey broke a tackle before jetting off to carry the ball past the goal line and convert his own score to make it 7-5 in the third minute. Near the end of the first half, LBSU was awarded a penalty and elected to scrum. The Beach took the ball up from the short side and dotted it down to take a 10-7 lead over the Bears into halftime.
Cal wasted no time regaining its lead in the second half, with Comiskey having another good run to get into Beach territory. James Curtis pulled out the ball from a ruck and put it in the hands of Teague to score his first of two back-to-back tries in the match. It was a gritty restart with windy conditions having an effect on both teams' kicking and passing, but Teague muscled his way through the LBSU defensive line again to touch down a try between the posts, which he converted himself.
After the ensuing kickoff, the teams played a few phases before the Beach pitched it forward off a boot and began a chase-down. LBSU recovered the ball and managed to score on the far left side to make it a four-point game with three minutes of play to go. Cal continued to apply the pressure and Max Threlkeld had the last word with a pair of scores in minutes 13 and 14. For his first try, he took the ball up the middle into scoring territory and offloaded to Sinclair, who maintained possession in the breakdown. Curtis put the ball in the hands of Threlkeld, who walked it into the try-zone untouched. A long kick and a penalty put Cal in good position for the final play of the contest, with Threlkeld once again storming up through the middle to tap down a try that capped the 29-15 Cup Final victory for the Bears.
Cal will now turn its focus to XVs competition, with its eyes set on a preseason tilt versus Western Washington. The two-time reigning national champion Golden Bears will host WWU at Witter Rugby Field on Nov. 7.
Scoring Timelines:
Cup Semifinal
Cal vs. Utah
0:20 – Seamus Deely 5
3:00 – Emmett Cook 5
5:00 – Oliver Teague 5, Nate Comiskey 2
6:00 – Oliver Teague 5, Nate Comiskey 2
Half: Cal 24-Utah 0
11:00 – Utah 5
12:00 – Emmett Cook 5, Emmett Cook 2
13:00 – Utah 5, Utah 2
14:00 – Utah 5
Final: Cal 31, Utah 17
Cup Final
Cal vs. Long Beach State
2:00 – LBSU 5
3:00 – Nate Comiskey 5
6:00 – LBSU 5
Half: LBSU 10, Cal 7
7:00 – Oliver Teague 5
10:00 – Oliver Teague 5, Oliver Teague 2
11:00 – LBSU 5
13:00 – Max Threlkeld 5
14:00 – Max Threlkeld 5
Final: Cal 29, LBSU 15
STAY POSTED
For complete coverage of Cal rugby, please follow the Bears on X(@CalVarsityRugby), Instagram (@CalVarsityRugby) and Facebook (/CalVarsityRugby).
Players Mentioned
Center
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Wing/Center
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Fullback/Wing
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Scrumhalf/Midfield
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Lock
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Flanker/Back Row
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Center
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