eagles.rugby — With the upcoming Junior Pan American Games taking place in Asunción, Paraguay later this summer, the USA Women’s Rugby Junior National Teams have assembled top junior talent for a training camp at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.
Coaches have identified a talented pool of emerging Under-21 athletes from across the nation, all vying for a spot on the final roster that will represent the United States at the Junior PanAm Games August 9-23.
The week-long camp featured rigorous training sessions, tactical reviews, and competitive scrimmages designed to assess each player’s skills and begin the process of fostering a cohesive team unit. Set at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, the training site for USA Rugby sevens programs, the world-class facilities offer players a taste of high performance training during this critical phase of team selection.
Head coach, Irene Gardner commented:
“This week we welcomed 37 athletes ages 16-20 to the first Women’s Sevens Pathway camp of 2025. The roster included some players who have been part of our Sevens Pathway for the last 1-2 years, while others were invited through ID’d from a 15’s Pathways event, a 2025 Regional Talent ID camp, or at a collegiate or high school competition this year.
About half of the athletes were at their first Sevens camp and doing incredibly well which reinforces the purpose of our Women’s Pathway Talent Identification strategies for 2025.
“Our aim was to verify our talent pool while developing core skills needed at the high performance level for Sevens. Secondarily, it also serves as a selection event for the Junior Pan American Games which will be held in August in Paraguay. As coaches, we have been very impressed with the progress of the athletes over the week going from technical skill development, to physical testing, into scrimmages.
“I am ecstatic about the growth of these young athletes in just a few days of camp. Not only are we seeing a rapid progression of skill as they bring attention to small details, we are witnessing a growth in game understanding as they are eager to learn. It is very exciting for the future of women’s sevens as we continue to build our player pool.”
Following the conclusion of the camp, coaching staff will evaluate player performances to select the final squad that will represent USA Rugby at the Junior Pan American Games for its debut in the competition.
U21 PAN-AM GAMES CAMP ROSTER
Player — Current team (HS team, if applicable)
Paola Arrendondo Almeida — Dartmouth (Summit HS, CO)
Shawnee Asiata — Majestics, UT
Teagan Barth — Summit HS, CO
Katija Crawford — Dartmouth College (Pasefika, HI)
Chloe De Leon — Army West Point (Noblesville, IN)
Genie Dickens — Brown Univ. (Raleigh Redhawks, NC)
Kiyanah Edwards — AIC, MA (Columbia Central HS, TN)
Ella Elordi — Eagle HS, ID
Kori Fields — Long Island University (St. Mary’s, CA)
Olivia Frisby — Meridian, ID (Life Univ commit)
Annie Henrich — Dartmouth College (Orchard Park, NY)
Alyssa Hine — Rocky Mountain, ID (BYU commit)
Madelyn Hubbell — St. Joseph Academy, OH (Harvard commit)
Annie Huettel — Princeton Univ. (North Bay, MD)
Ella Huntley — Appleby College/Rochester RFC (Sacred Heart Univ commit)
Marley Larkin — Majestics, UT (Dartmouth commit)
Nalu Liufau — Belmont Shore, CA (Lindenwood commit)
Nila Lolesio-Pua — Belmont Shore, CA
Giselle Long — West Side Revenge, IN
Lionala Mayorga — At Large (Majestics, UT)
Margaret McPherson — Long Island Univ (Rhinos)
Sara McRae — Try Time Rugby Club, CA
Eleva Kalei Moala — San Mateo Wolverines, CA
Ariane Moeai — United Rugby, UT
Nakato Myers — Raleigh Cobras, NC
Mia Oh — Belmont Shore, CA
Khalea Pahulu — Belmont Shore, CA (Lindenwood commit)
Sydney-Rae Pua — Belmont Shore, CA
Hailey Russer — Summit HS, CO
Jayna Schalesky — UC Santa Barbara
Mia Taylor — UC San Diego (Belmont HS, MA)
Fane Tausinga — Majestics, UT
Ana Tuitavake — Portland Grackles, OR
Vasiti Turagavou — Dartmouth (Provo, UT)
Bella Vogel — Life University (Knightmare, PA)
Tahna Wilfley — Denver Onyx, CO (CO Gray Wolves)
Zoe Zumbro — Belmont Shore, CA