For the next few days, the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center will be home to a group of USA Pathway players who are looking to represent the USA U18s at the Global Youth 7s tournament. USA U18 7s head coach Irene Gardner has invited 19 players to the SoCal hub and is vetting players for the year-end tour to New Zealand. 2025 marks the third-straight year in which the USA Pathways program will participate in the international tournament. [Vogel at Jr Pan Ams / c/o @usarugby]
There were several USA Pathway camps during the summer and the majority of the current camp attendees featured in those 7s and/or 15s assemblies. The exceptions are Dartmouth College’s Olivia Lyman, whose rugby roots begin with Colorado’s Summit High School; Sacramento’s Adi Mereseini Lagilagi, who’s older sister is an AIC All-American; and Eagle High School’s Kanani Watts, who was last seen tearing it up with EIRA overseas.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Vogel is the most experienced player in the group. The Pennsylvania native is in her second year at Life University and is the only camper who also competed with silver-medal-winning Team USA at the Junior Pan American Games this past summer. Vogel is one of five attendees currently playing rugby in college.
Once camp concludes, Gardner and staff will evaluate the players for selection to the New Zealand tour. The tournament occurs in Auckland from Dec. 19-21.
GLOBAL YOUTH 7s CAMP
Name – Current Club (Previous H.S. team)
Shawnee Asiata – Majestics, Utah
MacKenzie Aluise – Doylestown, Pa.
Tanner Avery – Raleigh Cobras, N.C.
Teagan Barth – Summit HS, Colo.
Madison Englin – Waverly-Shell Rock, Iowa
Olivia Frisby – Life Univ (Meridian HS, Idaho)
Lauren Huang – Brown Univ (Greenwich HS, Conn.)
Maddie Hubbell – Harvard (St. Joseph, Ohio)
Ariane Moeai – United, Utah
Adi Mereseini Lagilagi – Sacramento Amazons, Calif.
Giselle Long – Westside Revenge, Ind.
Olivia Lyman – Dartmouth (Summit HS, Colo.)
Tevi Rarick – Majestics, Utah
Chante Tuilevuka – Provo, Utah
Gianna Veetutu – Kent, Wash.
Bella Vogel – Life Univ (Knightmare, Pa.)
Lucy Walker – Denver East HS, Colo.
Kanani Watts – Eagle HS, Idaho
Zoe Zumbro – Belmont Shore, Calif.