The USA Eagles won’t be the only Americans competing inside AT&T Park next week, as three athletes – Karmin Macedo (Notre Dame College / Fallbrook), Ariana Lewis (Lindenwood / Rancho Cordova), Adriana Mendoza (ORSU / Valley Panthers) – were named to Mexico’s Rugby World Cup Sevens (RWC 7s) team. The trio have the unique opportunity of making history for Mexico while also enjoying the experience in front of a hometown crowd. [Rugby Oregon photo]
Mendoza is the youngest of the three at 19 and the second-youngest on the squad (Zoe Tuyu is 18). She was born in Tecoman, Colima, and travels from McMinnville, Ore., to visit family at least once per year. Mendoza picked up rugby during sophomore year of high school and booted up with the Valley Panthers and Rugby Oregon Red Hawks. Last year she enrolled at Chemeketa Community College and is currently studying social services, while also assistant coaching her high school team, the current varsity state champion. Playing wise, Mendoza stays active with ORSU, and its depth of talent and experience is something for which the teenager is grateful, especially considering her international opportunities ahead.
Mendoza (far right / Mendoza Facebook photo
In December 2017, on her birthday in fact, an ORSU teammate connected Mendoza with Mexico women’s 7s head coach Robin MacDowell. The two conversed, Mendoza sent film, MacDowell extended an invitation to camp in Mexico City, and she’s been in the player pool ever since. Mendoza joined the RWC 7s long camp on June 12 and then traveled to Cancun for a tournament days later. The squad remained on site for an extra week of training.
“We went to a beach with dunes and sprinted the hill 30 times – not only sprinted but we carried each other up, crawled and ran backwards,” Mendoza recalled. “[MacDowell] always says that he does not pick the team but that the team picks itself. Each and every girl selected for certain tournaments deserves their spot. We usually train in Mexico City with crazy altitude, climate, and pollution. It’s tears me up thinking about how hard all of us work and how much all of us want this.”
Mendoza Facebook photo
The 2018 RWC 7s marks Mexico women’s debut at the quadrennial tournament, and the significance is not lost on anyone within program.
“It’s an honor to have been selected to the first-ever women’s Mexico 7s Rugby World Cup team. This is and will be in the history book for Mexico forever. We are helping the game grow in Mexico and we are a huge example for so many young kids all over Mexico,” Mendoza enthused. “It fills me with joy because I know how happy this makes my family. I know I’m making my mom proud and I know I’m setting a great example for my siblings to follow.”
Mendoza explained that the player pool runs quite young and she finds inspiration in all her teammates, but especially Michelle Farah.
“She is not one of our current captains but she is a leader. I love her passion for the game and for the team,” Mendoza beamed. “Whenever I have issues, I feel like I can go to her and talk to her about it and she’ll help me solve it. She is a great example to follow.”
Rugby Mexico photo
Mendoza had equally glowing feedback for head coach MacDowell.
“[He] is a great coach. I’ve learned so much from him,” she continued. “If we’re having a tough time or game, he always finds a way to keep us motivated. You can tell that he loves this team so much. He does so much for us and sacrifices so much for us. I don’t think any of us could ask for a better coach.”
Training continues, and Mexico is currently in Canada for a pair of run-outs against the 7s series power.
“We are so thankful that Canada gave us the opportunity to play against them, them being the number three team in the world and us being a new team to the international level. We really appreciate them for helping us prepare,” Mendoza thanked the top-notch squad. “[Yesterday] was full of new rugby experiences and learning, and we will get to do more of that Thursday, as we will play them once more before facing New Zealand at the World Cup.”
Facing the Black Ferns in the first round is a tall order, but as Mendoza stated, “You have to play the best to be the best.” The RWC 7s is structured differently than the typical 7s tournament. There are no pools or re-seeding. Instead, the Round of 16 games will send the winners into the Cup quarterfinals, and the losers will funnel into the Challenge quarterfinals. See more: https://www.rwcsevens.com/schedule.
As for Mendoza, after San Francisco she will remain in camp and accompany the team to the Central American and Caribbean Games in August, returning to Oregon on August 5. It will no doubt be a summer to remember, and hopefully the first of many to come.
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