Photo: Alex Ho, hoiho.com
USA RUGBY – USA High Performance Pathways recently hosted a talent identification camp for 27 Women’s U18, U20 and U23 age players. The camp ran from July 29 to August 5 at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Glendale, Colo.
Camp was held to verify talent and develop players who were identified by the following means:
- Attendance at a Talent ID Day held earlier this year
- Scouting by the Eagle Eye Scout Network
- Referrals from National Development Programs and coaches
- The open player nomination process.
“After a long break from national pathway camps, it was great to see players from all over the country work toward a shared goal of learning and improving their rugby knowledge and skills,” said Martha Daines, Manager of Women’s High Performance Pathways.
“The staff did a great job working together to provide the environment, challenges and questions that help players thrive and develop. I am certain that a number of these players will contribute to the success of our national teams in the next Olympic and World Cup cycles.
“It’s important to note as well that over half of the players who attended are brand new to the women’s HP Pathway—a great indicator of the importance of the EESN, the NDPs, and the Talent ID days to our ability to see players from a wide range of regions.
“Our job now is to work to provide or find more opportunities for development for all of the deserving players we are beginning to see.”
Following camp, players may be invited to participate in further U18, U20 or U23 development opportunities for 7s, 15s or both. Fall development opportunities for HP Pathway players will include regional development days in targeted areas of the country and virtual development for the larger player pool. Camps for U20 and U18 15s players are planned for late December. These camps will be for a larger group of players, including those younger players that we were unable to bring to this summer’s 7s camp.
For questions about the USA U18, U20 and U23 programs, please contact Martha Daines at mdaines@usa.rugby.
PLAYER – Current team (Former or future team)
• Demi Allen – Lindenwood Univ. (ARPTC, AR)
• Ubaida Ahmed – Raleigh, NC (Ft. Hunt, VA)
• Simone Bautista – Los Alamitos HS, CA
• Jess Burt – Lander Univ. (South Burlington, VT)
• Nyah Cordero – Dartmouth (Rocky Mountain, ID)
• Aly Cunningham – Catholic Memorial, WI (Sacred Heart Univ commit)
• Bianca Curtis – Belmont Shore, CA (Grand Canyon Univ commit)
• Amaya De La Cruz – Grand Canyon Univ (Land Park Harlequins, CA)
• Samantha Els – Stanford Univ (South Africa)
• Irie Farley – Kahuku Raiders (Lindenwood)
• Hattie Greenwood – Fort Collins Hammers, CO
• Jayla Hampton – Lindenwood Univ. (Freedom Prep, TN)
• Tessa Hann – Central Washington Univ (Arapahoe, CO)
• Kamia Kruse – Broken Arrow, OK (Queens Univ of Charlotte commit)
• Autumn LoCicero – Life Univ. (Kenmore, NY)
• Abigail Nichols – Central Washington Univ (Centennial, ID)
• Kayla Pemasa – Life University (Kahului, HI)
• Ava Procter – Dartmouth (Lake Oswego, OR)
• Sadie Schier – Kent Crusaders (Dartmouth commit)
• Puni Skipps – Lindenwood Univ. (South Bay Spartans, CA)
• Ella Slaby – Minneapolis, MN / Shanghai (Bowdoin College commit)
• Juliet Stone – Raleigh Cobras (Queens Univ. commit)
• Kat Storey – Quinnipiac Univ (Downingtown, PA)
• Liz Tafuna – ARPTC (United)
• Lilly Thomas – United (Central Washington Univ commit)
• Kerena Tinoisamoa – Tri-City Thunder (Central Washington Univ commit)
• Lome Unga – Kahuku Raiders, HI
• PK Vincze – Harvard Univ (Summit Tigers, CO)