BETHANY, Okla. - The Iowa Central rugby program takes aim at securing a bid to the Collegiate Rugby Championship May Madness 7s here this Saturday.

The Tritons will be joined by host Southern Nazarene, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Air Force for a 7s qualifier. The winner automatically earns a bid to the CRC nationals event, which takes place May 28-30 in New Orleans. 

Four years ago, Brent Nelson believed he had done enough to take Iowa Central to one of the biggest rugby events in the country. 

"I'll never forget before that tournament in Kansas City, going into Tom Beneke's office and telling him we could be playing on TV if we win this," Nelson said. "He said to go for it and we did, and the rest became history. It all helped put us on the map, but wasn't the way we wanted it.

"This is a very personal accomplishment for me to have built the program into something where the rest of the rugby community takes us seriously and allows us to play four-year schools. If we win (Saturday), we are absolutely going to take our team to New Orleans."

The Tritons have played several 7s events this spring, including a deep run to the Survivor Cup finals where they battled Western Michigan. That event featured over 30 teams competing for an automatic bid, which went to Indiana. 

"It's a huge tournament for us to try and earn that qualifier spot," Nelson said. "Getting into these tournaments is a big deal. 

"They have opened the door for Iowa Central and we are going to run through that door and really make waves."

Selection Saturday for the CRC event is set for April 30. 

-By Dana Becker