GHSAA 7s co-captain Julia Riekena at the 2017 LVI /// Photo: Jackie Finlan
The Girls’ High School All-American (GHSAA) 7s, Powered by Atavus, are competing at the Tropical 7s on Friday-Saturday, April 14-15 in Orlando, Fla. Twelve players from every corner of the U.S. compose the USA squad, which will highlight the girls’ high school division along with the Canada U18 7s team.
Captaining the squad are Summit High School’s Cassidy Bargell (Colorado) and Missoula Vixens’ Julia Riekena (Montana). Both players helped the GHSAAs to a runner-up finish at the U18 European 7s Championship in France last September. More recently, Riekena represented Atavus in the LVI’s high school elite division, while Bargell booted up for the USA Falcons in both Las Vegas and Vancouver.
The duo leads a team rich in experience. Sacramento Amazons’ Maryjane Pasioles was also in Vancouver in March as the only other high schooler on the USA Falcons 7s team. South Bay’s Brianna Vasquez was on the very first GHSAA 7s team at the 2015 LVI and has remained a wily finisher for the age-grade program. Both have 15s All-American caps and will reunite with Bargell and Riekena, all four of whom helped the GHSAA West U18s to two wins against B.C. last summer.
There will also be returners from the GHSAA U16 and U18 East teams that won four games in Maryland last summer against Quebec. U16 captain Alex DiMarco (White Horse, Pa.) and U18 East captain Emily Henrich (Orchard Park, N.Y.) will earn their first 7s appearances, and rejoin Naomi Colin (Fallbrook, Calif.), Leilani Mendoza (South Bay, Calif.) and Salote Tausinga (Sacramento Amazons, Calif.) from the Maryland assembly.
The remaining three players will earn their first GHSAA appearances but are familiar entities within the Atavus system. Marion Sellier (Pleasanton, Calif.) was electric for the Atavus all-stars in Las Vegas and helps drive the Cavaliers’ stingy attack back home. The speedy Kiarah Mosley hails from the Lady Jays in Missouri and is a standout in the fall 7s league and on Mid-America’s 15s team. Skylar Waller comes out of South Bay, which has the most representation on this GHSAA 7s team, and performed well at the winter USA Rugby Academy resident camp.
Click here for more information on the Tropical 7s.
Girls’ High School All-American 7s
Tropical 7s • April 14-15 • Orlando, Fla.
Cassidy Bargell (c) – Summit High School, Colo.
Naomi Colin – Fallbrook, Calif.
Alex DiMarco – White Horse, Pa.
Emily Henrich – Orchard Park, N.Y.
Leilani Mendoza – South Bay, Calif.
Kiarah Mosley – Liberty/KC United, Mo.
Maryjane Pasioles – Sacramento, Calif.
Julia Riekena (c) – Missoula, Mont.
Marion Sellier – Pleasanton, Calif.
Salote Tausinga – Sacramento, Calif.
Brianna Vasquez – South Bay, Calif.
Skylar Waller – South Bay, Calif.