Women’s Eagles June Camp at Elite Athlete Training Center

USA Rugby Women’s Eagles head Coach Pete Steinberg indicated that the Women’s Eagles June Camp at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista “is the final selection camp for the World Cup. We have been tracking these players for years through the sevens, NASC, and age-grade programs, and the goal is to give them an opportunity to show what they can do on and off the pitch. The camp is designed to be difficult for the players, because it allows the players who can perform while there are distractions to show what they can do. This is a learning from the last cycle, that we need to not make it easy, because the World Cup is one big distraction.”

Players are staying in local apartments and houses, creating opportunities to bond with other camp athletes. This provides another opportunity for coaches to identify any potential issues of spending the next two months together this summer.

With Canada presenting a challenge in the set pieces last month, the U.S. are looking at the scrum and also at ways of exploiting the backs. With this in mind, the tight five forwards will remain for two days following the June Camp with Assistant Coach Liz Kirk.

Assistant Coach Richie Walker has a number of capped Women’s Eagles Sevens players at the camp, including the USA’s leading points and try scorer, Naya Tapper and Sevens captain Alev Kelter.

The age-grade programs also provided a number of players, such as Danielle Ordway and Kat Ramage, who have played for the AIG Women’s Junior All-Americans and AIG Women’s Collegiate All-Americans.

The USA Rugby National Development Academies (NDAs) participants include Stacey Bridges, Bianca Dalal, Abby Gustaitis, Sam Pankey, Sara Parsons, and Kimber Rozier from Scion Academy; Ashley Perry from American Rugby Pro Training Center; Chelsey Birgisdóttir, Naima Reddick, and Kristine Sommer from Atavus Academy; and Tess Feury and Ramage of Northeast Academy,

USA Women’s Eagles Sevens players will have one final leg of the HSBC World Rugby Women’ Sevens Series left in France June 24-25. Upon its conclusion, athletes part of the World Cup pool will remain in or relocate to the Chula Vista area. The team will have a friendly against the Women’s Premier League All-Stars on July 1 in San Diego prior to the final World Cup squad traveling to Dublin thanks to the sponsorship of Irish Rugby Tours.

USA Women’s Eagles – June Camp

• Kathryn Augustyn – Berkeley All Blues
• Catherine Benson – Life West
• Chelsey Birgisdóttir – Seattle Saracens
• Tia Blythe – San Diego Surfers
• Sylvia Braaten – Twin Cities Amazons
• Stacey Bridges – Twin Cities Amazons
• Nicole Burr – Augusta Women’s RFC
• Elizabeth Cairns – Life West
• Sarah Chobot – Glendale Raptors
• Bianca Dalal – At Large
• Kate Daley – New York Rugby Club
• Cheta Emba – Women Eagles Sevens
• Tiffany Faaee – New York Rugby Club
• Tess Feury – Pennsylvania State University
• Megan Foster – Life West
• Jordan Gray – Life West
• Abby Gustaitis – Northern Virginia
• Nicole Heavirland – Women’s Eagles Sevens
• Nicole James – Houston Athletic Rugby Club
• Alev Kelter – Women’s Eagles Sevens
• Brianna Kim – Northern Virginia
• Joanna Kitlinski – Glendale Raptors
• Phaidra Knight – New York Rugby Club
• Eta Mailau – Vipers Women’s Rugby
• Dana Meschisi – San Diego Surfers
• Danielle Ordway – Chicago Lions
• Deven Owsiany – San Diego Surfers
• Samantha Pankey – San Diego Surfers
• Sara Parsons – Northern Virginia
• Annakaren Pedraza – Lindenwood University
• Ashley Perry – American Rugby Pro Training Center
• Kat Ramage – Dartmouth College
• Naima Reddick – Seattle Saracens
• Jamila Reinhardt – San Diego Surfers
• Kimber Rozier – Scion Sirens
• Kristine Sommer – Seattle Saracens
• Nicole Strasko – Women’s Eagles Sevens
• Naya Tapper – Women’s Eagles Sevens
• Kristen Thomas – Women’s Eagles Sevens
• Alycia Washington – New York Rugby Club
• Kate Zackary – San Diego Surfers