Meg Gold was added to the Atavus Selects through its Emerging Residents camp. /// Photo courtesy Atavus •
Tomorrow, Friday, the North American Invitational (NAI) 7s kicks off in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a seven-team Girls U18 Elite Division will highlight the showcase. Previous articles (click for previews) have reviewed eight-state Atlantis, Westside Swarm-heavy Rocky Mountain Rebels, Land Park-fueled Rhino Academy, and the first-ever Community Olympic Development Program at Play Rugby USA. Filling out the elite division are the Atavus Selects, Canada’s Upright Rugby Rogues, and hometown favorites Utah Rugby Academy.
Upright Rugby is the only Canadian representative, but it’s a familiar entity in the states. The Ontario-based program is a regular fixture at the Las Vegas Invitational and played in last year’s New York 7s. The Upright 7s team is coming off a comprehensive win at last weekend’s Magnificent 7s.
Olivia Apps, Maddi Cohoon, Danni Grant, Taylour Hurd, Michaela Knowles and Tia Svoboda have played for the Ontario Storm and Canada’s junior Maple Leafs, making head coach Mark Smerdon’s job a little easier. Those who watched the Super Series less than a month ago will recognize the Svodoba name. The talented family sent Tia’s sisters, flankers Katie and Sara, to represent Canada at the senior and Maple Leaf levels. The trio will reunite at McMaster University, where Canada Women’s interim head coach, Shaun Allen, instructs.
We’ve documented the inaugural year of Utah Rugby Academy girls’ program, and this home fixture has the potential to be its most visible yet. Its top players are well known – Kat Stowers, Alex Sedrick, Charity Tenney – and they lead the Lions in performance and connectivity. With live-streaming, the wider public will be introduced to players like Seini Ieremia and Addilyn Sorensen, both of whom captained the Lions to a United World Games title in Austria and then attended the National All-Star Competition with the Women’s Junior All-Americans. The team is without Delaney Rakuita, who is currently in Emmitsburg, Md., with the U16 High School All-Americans.
Atavus Selects has brought 10 athletes to the NAI 7s, and Josie Ziluca out of San Diego is leading the charge. The players hail from five western states, and Washington’s Kent Crusaders contributed three players. All of these players are named from the Atavus system, i.e., have attended Atavus camps or played on its teams before.
Atavus Selects
Head coach: Josie Ziluca
Hannah Boekelman – Kent Crusaders, Wash.
Erin Eschbach – Kent Crusaders, Wash.
Sofia Fella
Meg Gold – Idaho Falls, Idaho
Taylor Gonzales – Palmer High School, Colo.Sophia Haley – Hopkins, Minn.
Sabrina Kim – Pleasanton Cavaliers, Calif.
Brianna Lopez – Brianna Lopez, Calif.
Mckenna Strong – Kent Crusaders, Wash.
Nicole Wantlin – Fullerton Lady Lions, Calif.
Games on field 1 will be live-streamed via www.nai7s.com and begin at 9:40 a.m. MST on Friday, July 29.
