Gustaitis, seen here at Atlanta Festival 7s, captained Scion to victory Saturday. /// Photo: MarcelPhoto (see more) •
The Scion Sirens has existed as a stand-alone 7s club for years, but 2016 marks the first summer that it’s competing as a National Development Academy (NDA). The reigning Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) 7s champion won the region’s first qualifier in Wilmington, Del., last weekend, and showcased a familiar yet upgraded version of itself.
“Our focus has always been on player development, but as an NDA we do try to hold ourselves to a higher standard than in the past on developing the players both on and off the field,” Scion COO and coach Joanne Lui explained. “So there is more focus on group strength and conditioning, mental skills training, rugby IQ and skills training, and extras like nutrition and cooking classes, life skills like budgeting, financial responsibility, resume writing, etc.”
At present, approximately half of the academy players are local to Washington, D.C., while the remainder are collegiate or summer-only players. The squad that won the Wilmington 7s last weekend ranged from Rugby PA all-star Hannah Moran (Valkyries); to Quinnipiac University’s Maggie Myles, Notre Dame College’s Dana Briosos and recent international player Fumie Reyes from Hawaii; to Eagle Sara Parsons (Austin) and Girls High School All-American coach Farrah Douglas.
“However we have at least 22 high-level athletes competing for those top 12 spots, so week to week, many of them will likely change – especially when our USA Women’s National Team and Collegiate All-American players like Stacey Bridges, Emily Fulbrook, Kiki Morgan, Sam Pankey, Kimber Rozier and Alycia Washington return after the Super Series.”
The qualifier win lent insight into Scion’s depth, which overcame an always-tough MAC field. Former USA 7s pool player Abby Gustaitis served as captain and her leadership was crucial to the tournament win.
“As expected both Philly and NOVA were really tough teams to compete against, and we expect them to get better every week,” Lui reported. “Both teams tested our defense and made us work hard to slow their attack down and regain possession. MAC is the conference we choose to compete in because the consistently high level of competition and skill pushes every team to keep improving week after week, and it’s very likely there’s a different winner every qualifying week.
“Abby Gustaitis had a very strong showing with her physical running, game management and veteran leadership,” the coach added. “Maggie Myles had several key defensive tackles, and Sara Parsons in her first-ever competitive 7s tourney used her aggressive defense and hard, linear running to prove once again that 7s isn’t just meant for backs!”
There are three more stops on the MAC 7s series, contested on consecutive weekends in July. Teams accrue standings points at each event, and on July 23, the top-two standings leaders will receive automatic berths to club 7s nationals. Lui asserts, however, that while Scion has performance objectives and serves as a pipeline to the national team, its goals reach beyond club 7s nationals and its own organization.
“Of course we want to win, and winning nationals is a main goal, but we are focused on the athletes, player welfare, and giving them the tools and assistance they need to continue to develop their skills as rugby players and good people on and off the field in a sustainable manner,” Lui concluded. “Along with that, our goals are to ensure that by raising the level of competition for the conference in collaboration with the other MAC teams, the MAC teams all do better at nationals than we did last year.”
SCION ACADEMY ROSTER
MAC 7s Qualifier: Wilmington 7s
Dana Briosos
Niamh Byrne
Holly Cuozzo
Farrah Douglas
Abby Gustaitis
Hanna Moran
Maggie Myles
Sara Parsons
Michelle Perna
Fumie Reyes
Kali Taylor
Leigh Thierfelder