USA Rugby Women’s 7s Team Head Coach Emilie Bydwell has selected 12 players to represent Team USA at the 2023 Pan American Games. The quadrennial tournament takes place Oct. 20-Nov. 5 in Santiago, Chile, and rugby is one of 60 sports on the docket. The 7s matches will begin Friday, Nov. 3, and all games will be live-streamed on Pan American Games website, www.santiago2023.org. [Lead photo: Alex Ho @hoiho_photo]
“The Pan American Games is an important tournament for us,” Bydwell said. “We are able to use this competition to look at different combinations off the back of the Fiji Invitational in late September, train behaviors that we have been developing throughout the preseason but most importantly cultivate the habits of winning that we need to refine throughout the season.
“This is a long year,” the coach continued, “but we will be treating every competition as an opportunity to win a gold medal and find our best with the players we have selected for that event. Further, being present in the moment enables us to maximize both our on-field development and our culture; we are looking forward to seizing the opportunity to do this in Santiago.”
Steph Rovetti / Photo: Alex Ho @hoiho_photo
Nine of the 14 players who traveled to Fiji last month will travel to Chile, including returning captains Lauren Doyle and Naya Tapper. Nicole Heavirland, Nana Fa’avesi and Steph Rovetti have replaced Kayla Canett, Jaz Gray, Summer Harris-Jones, Alev Kelter and Kristen Thomas.
On Nov. 3, Team USA will play Colombia, Jamaica and Paraguay in Pool A, while Canada, Brazil, Chile and Mexico do battle in Pool B. Knockouts begin 9 a.m. ET the following morning.
USA Women’s Sevens Roster | 2023 PanAmerican Games
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| 1. Cheta Emba | Prop/Hooker |
| 2. Ilona Maher | Center |
| 4. Nicole Heavirland | Hooker/Scrumhalf |
| 6. Alena Olsen | Scrumhalf |
| 7. Naya Tapper (C) | Wing |
| 9. Nana Fa’avesi | Hooker/Prop |
| 10. Steph Rovetti | Flyhalf/Wing |
| 12. Kristi Kirshe | Prop/Hooker |
| 17. Spiff Sedrick | Center |
| 21. Ariana Ramsey | Scrumhalf/Wing |
| 22. Sammy Sullivan | Prop/Wing |
| 23. Lauren Doyle (C) | Wing |
USA Women’s Sevens Traveling Staff
Head Coach | Emilie Bydwell
Assistant Coach | Zack Test
Strength & Conditioning | Trey Ford
Athletic Trainer | Nicole Titmas
Team Manager | Liz Strohecker
USA Women’s Sevens 2023 PanAm Games Schedule
Friday, November 3
Pool A
v. Jamaica | 9 a.m. ET
v. Colombia | 2 p.m. ET
v. Paraguay | 5:20 p.m. ET
Saturday, November 4
Knockouts begin at 9 a.m. ET
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