Four of the seven women’s teams competing in the Rugby Barbados World 7s tournament this weekend are U.S. based. Atlantis, Northeast Academy, Scion and the Titans are bringing squads with high school athletes through capped Eagles to the Caribbean fixture.
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TITANS
Nene Persinger
Summer Jones
Ariel Johnson
Cassidy Bargell
Alena Olsen
Mckenna Haz
Ciara Malone
Josie Ziluca
Brianna Vasquez
Richelle Stephens
Casey Karl
Julia Buescher
The Titans are a new touring 7s team that formed after coach Billy Nicholas started building a squad. Initially he wanted to bring a primarily Lindenwood squad, but with finals week in full throw, commitment wavered.
“That’s when I decided to take a few of the Lindenwood players along with a motley crew of players that I have either coached before or have really impressed me with their respective teams,” Nicholas explained.
Stephens and Casey Karl represent Lindenwood / Photo: Jackie Finlan
The team’s average age is 21, and at the young end are high schoolers Cassidy Bargell (Summit, Colo.) and Brianna Vasquez (South Bay, Calif.). At the top end experience wise are 7s Olympian Richelle Stephens and Josie Ziluca of the WPL’s San Diego Surfers.
Nicholas is focusing on “player growth and development, and creating high-level playing opportunities. The goal is to consistently have a mix of veterans along with younger players that are continuing to develop and challenge themselves.”
Nicholas indicated that the Titans will continue touring in the future, and the inaugural squad brings players from California, Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Virginia and British Columbia, Canada.
ATLANTIS
Claudia Braymer
Kaitlin Broughton
San Juanita Fetuuaho
Joy Jefferson
Bri Kim
Erica Legaspi
Darian Lovelace
Lou MahoneyJochebed Muflam
Julie Tordonato
Lauren Trout
Charlotte Wallace
Coached by Dana Creager, Atlantis has a vast array of players, ranging from Eagles and WPL players, to collegians – some well known, like Life University’s Broughton and Lovelace, and others new, like Princeton’s Charlotte Wallace. The athletes play their regular season rugby in nine different states: New York, Georgia, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, Arizona, New Jersey, Colorado and Illinois.
NORTHEAST
Tahlia Brody
Jess Davis
Sarah Levy
Emily Magee
Deanna Nash
Shamira Robles
Lisa Roselin (c)
Jenn Salomon
Kristen Siano
Paige Stathopoulus
Claire Stingley (vc)
Miranda Wakimoto
All 12 players competed at the New York 7s, on one of two sides. Fellow Academy teammates also feature on Scion. Ryszard Chadwick and Gary Heavner coach the squad, while New York’s Lisa Roselin serves as captain and Beantown’s Claire Stingley as vice captain. Lots of familiar faces, including five from the WPL national champion, New York.
USA 7s Eagle Saskia Morgan / Photo: Jackie Finlan
SCION
Jade McGrath
Emily Henrich
Nikki Snyder
Maggie Myles
Corinne Heavner
Lisa van Eerde
Lauren Rhode
Ilona Maher
Misha Green
Gael Yotts
Kiki Morgan
Nicole Wantlin
Coach Joanne Liu indicated that the team is young and inexperienced, but boasts the energy for a fun tournament. Leading the way are capped 7s Eagles Kiki Morgan (who just played in Dubai) and Nikki Snyder, and at the opposite end of the spectrum are high school seniors Emily Henrich and Nicole Wantlin. Also in the mix is NIRA championship MVP Ilona Maher and WPL championship member Misha Green.