USA Women’s Eagles Selected for Women’s Rugby World Cup
By Theo BrennanUSA Women’s Eagles Selected for Women’s Rugby World Cup
UPDATE | July 24 Tess Feury has replaced Annakaren Pedraza in the USA Women’s Eagles’ Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 squad.
Women’s Eagles Head Coach Pete Steinberg selected 28 athletes for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 in Ireland in August.
The Eagles, the seventh ranked team, will be in Pool B along with England, Italy and Spain at University College Dublin August 9-17 prior to the knockouts August 22 and 26 in Belfast.
The team includes seven players with previous World Cup experience in Kathryn Augustyn, Sylvia Braaten, Devin Owsiany, Naima Reddick, Hope Rogers, and Kimber Rozier, where they led the Eagles to a sixth place finish in the 2014 World Cup.
The are two Team USA Olympians in Alev Kelter and Jessica Javelet. They are joined by other Women’s Eagles Sevens team members Cheta Emba, Nicole Heavirland, Naya Tapper and Kristen Thomas. Fourteen of the women selected made at least one appearance on the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series during the 2016-17 season, Women’s Eagles Sevens Head Coach Richie Walker is also an Assistant Coach.
Women’s Premier League players include Kathryn Augustyn, Sylvia Braaten, Stacey Bridges, Tiffany Faaee, Deven Owsiany, Samantha Pankey, Christiane Pheil, Jamila Reinhardt, Hope Rogers, Alycia Washington and Kate Zackary.
Both Nicole James and Jessica Javelet will debut for the Women’s Eagles.
Pete Steinberg discussed the team with USA Rugby indicating that “With an experienced squad in 2014, we knew we had to get younger for this World Cup. The shortened cycle has made getting so many players the experience they need challenging. This is a group that will need to grow through the tournament to be able to play at our top potential. It is exciting, though, to see so many players going to Ireland that will be eligible in 2021.”
Steinberg’s staff includes former World Cup Eagle Liz Kirk as a forwards specialist, experienced strength and conditioning professional Ian Gibbons, Richard Ashfield as a skills coach, and a team of physicians and physiotherapists.
To learn more about supporting the Eagles’ journey to the World Cup, please click here.
USA Women’s Eagles | Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 Coaching Staff Pete Steinberg – Head Coach Peter Baggetta – Associate Head Coach Richie Walker – Assistant Coach Liz Kirk – Assistant Coach Richard Ashfield – Assistant Coach Ian Gibbons – Head of Physical Performance Katie Gloyer – Physician Michelle Look – Physician Amy Valenta – Physiotherapist Sarah Leslie – Physiotherapist Bri Arsenault – Physiotherapist Caitlin Singletary – Video Analyst Julie Sutcliffe – Sports Psychologist Amie Kern – Assistant Manager & Massage Therapist Roshna Wunderlich – Manager
USA Women’s Eagles | Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 v. Italy – Wednesday, Aug. 9 @ 11:30 a.m. ET v. Spain – Sunday, Aug. 13 @ 9:45 a.m. ET v. England – Thursday, Aug. 17 @ 9:30 a.m. ET Semifinals – Tuesday, Aug. 22 Finals – Saturday, Aug. 26