eagles.rugby — The USA Rugby Pan Am Games selection committee has finalized the women’s rugby 7s team that will represent Team USA for the first time ever at the 2025 Junior Pan American Games, August 16-17 in Asunción, Paraguay. The event will be broadcast live on the Panam Sports Channel. You can watch the games on their website or via their mobile app.

These selections were made off the back of a rigorous week-long camp held at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, the world-class training site for USA Rugby 7s programs. The camp featured intensive training sessions, tactical reviews and competitive scrimmages, all designed to assess each player’s skills and begin the crucial process of fostering a cohesive team unit. This immersive experience offered the athletes a valuable taste of high-performance training during a critical phase of team selection.

“We are beyond excited to announce the roster that will represent Team USA at the Junior Pan American Games for Rugby Sevens in August,” said head coach Irene Gardner. “These athletes have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to their own development over the past year in their college or club programs. This was showcased last week at the selections camp and at High Performance camps earlier this year.

“This group of players has harnessed the power of work ethic, resilience, and a true joy for the game,” she added. “Their collective experience at this early stage in their careers is remarkable and reflects an unwavering commitment to their development. They have embraced the journey and now have the opportunity to take another historic step for USA Rugby by becoming the first American rugby team to represent Team USA at the Junior Pan American Games.”

Coach Gardner emphasized the importance of this event for the athletes’ careers.

“Involvement in a multi-sport international event is significant in these athletes’ continued trajectory within the USA Rugby Pathway and Eagles teams,” she explained.

The selected athletes will participate in a pre-competition camp in Chula Vista from August 9-11, before traveling to Asunción, Paraguay, on August 12.

The selections were made by the Junior Pan Am Games Selection Committee: General Manager of High Performance Tamara Sheppard, Qualified 7s Female Athlete Representative Victoria Folayan, Qualified 7s Male Athlete Representative Brett Thompson, USA National Pathway Women’s 7s Team Head Coach Irene Gardner, and USA National Pathway Women’s Sevens Team Assistant Coach Benjamin Pinkelman.

The USA Men’s Sevens will not compete in the Junior Pan American Games this year with resources focused on residency preparation for 2026.

Kiyanah Edwards and Vasiti Turagavou captain the 12-person squad, and they bring experience from several overseas age grade tours and NCAA rugby programs in AIC and Dartmouth, respectively. The Big Green is the best-represented program on tour with four players, although Marley Larkin is an incoming freshman this fall. Non-traveling reserves Maddie Hubbell (St. Joseph Academy, Ohio) and Olivia Frisby (Meridian, Idaho) are also moving into the collegiate space this fall, heading to Harvard and Life, respectively.

Nine of  17 traveling and non-traveling players compete in NIRA during the regular season. Jayna Schalesky is the only Pan Am player in a collegiate club program, and Tahna Wilfley is the only player with professional club experience (WER Denver Onyx). Florinalaulaau Liufau graduated from the two-time-reigning HS club national champion Belmont Shore, and has been signed by the USA Women’s 7s program for the upcoming season.

As for high school programs, Utah’s Majestics have the most representatives with three: Larkin, Lionala Mayorga and (still in high school) Fane Tausinga. When adding in the five-person, non-traveling roster — which will be called upon if there are any injuries on tour — high school programs in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, New York (Upstate), Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Utah produced players for tour.

USA ROSTER – 2025 JR PANAM GAMES

Player — Current Team (HS team)
Paola Arredondo Almeida — Dartmouth College (Summit, CO)
Kiyanah Edwards (C) — American International College (Columbia Central, TN)
Kori Fields — Long Island Univ (St. Mary’s, CA)
Annie Henrich — Dartmouth College (Orchard Park, NY)
Marley Larkin — Dartmouth College (Majestics, UT)
Florinalaulaau Liufau — Belmont Shore, CA (USA 7s)
Lionala Mayorga — At Large (Davenport Univ, Majestics)
Jayna Schalesky — UC Santa Barbara
Fane Tausinga — Majestics, UT
Vasiti Turagavou (C) — Dartmouth College (Provo, UT)
Annabella Vogel — Life University (Knightmare, PA)
Tahna Wilfley — Denver Onyx (CO Gray Wolves)

Non-Traveling Reserves
Teagan Barth — Summit HS, CO
Katija Crawford — Dartmouth College (Pasefika, HI)
Chloe DeLeon — Army West Point (Noblesville, IN)
Olivia Frisby — Life University (Meridian, ID)
Madelyn Hubbell — Harvard University (St. Joseph Academy, OH)

SCHEDULE

SAT Aug 16 (all times Eastern)
9:36 a.m. v Paraguay
2:36 p.m. v Mexico
5:47 p.m. v Brazil

Watch live on the Panam Sports Channel, on their website, or via their mobile app.

STAFF

Irene Gardner | Head Coach
Ben Pinkelman | Assistant Coach
Jackie Rodriguez | Athletic Trainer
Kristin Zdanczewicz | Performance Coach
Maria Adams | Team Manager