USA Rugby Release
David Fee and Colton Cariaga have been named head coaches for USA Rugby’s Men’s Under-18 and Under-23 Sevens Junior National Teams.
Fee has been embedded in the high-performance pathway for many years, both as a coach and an Eagle. Capped with the Men’s National Team XVs in 2002, Fee went on to make 28 test appearances and compete in Rugby World Cup 2003.
As a sevens player, he logged 10 tournaments in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and appeared in Rugby World Cup Sevens 2005.
Alongside his playing experience, Fee has held coaching roles at Indiana University and Brother Rice High School. He led Indiana to a 2017 semifinal appearance in Sevens and Brother Rice to a Tier 2 National Championship in 2013. In the last two years, Fee was part of the support staff for the 2018 Boys Youth Olympic Team as well as the 2019 Men’s PanAm Games team.
Taking over for Steve Lewis, Cariaga is an accomplished collegiate coach for Life University. Not only has he led the program to two D1A National Championships in 2018 and 2019, but he’s also seen three of his players become Eagles in Alex Maughan, Cody Melphy and Harley Wheeler, with another 28 earning All-American honors.
A former USA Falcon and Collegiate All-American himself, Cariaga brings valuable experience to guide the next generation of U23 players.
Coach Fee said:
“I am incredibly excited to lead this program, to have a direct impact on our Boys U18 Sevens will be both challenging and rewarding.
“The more opportunities to allow these young men to compete in high pressure/high-performance environments and competitions will be incredibly valuable for their development, both now and in the future. There are so many in the American youth landscape who have done an outstanding job of identifying talent and I look forward to working with all of them.”
Coach Cariaga said:
“I’m honored and excited to take on this role. Most ambitious young rugby players have the dream of representing their country and historically this team has been a stepping stone to the Eagles. I look forward to examining the best talent at the U23 level, providing a comprehensive experience for the athletes, and preparing a team to compete at the highest level possible.”
General Manager of National Team Pathways, JD Stephenson said:
“I’d like to thank Coach Steve Lewis for his time and commitment to the U23 program. Coach Lewis laid a foundation for continued success which this new cycle will follow.
“Both Coach Cariaga & Coach Fee have extensive domestic and international coaching backgrounds working with our nation’s best players. We’re excited to have them be a part of our pathways program and help us discover, develop, and inspire tomorrow’s Eagles.”
For more questions about USA Rugby’s Junior National Teams, contact JD Stephenson – General Manager of High-Performance Pathways at jstephenson@usa.rugby.
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