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USA Pathways Realign & Announce Schedule

  • 06 Jun 2025
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uSA 7s rugby

eagles.rugby — USA Rugby High Performance (HP) announced a realigned Women’s Pathways program with an exciting agenda of camps and competition upcoming for 2025. [lead photo: Alex Ho @hoiho_photo]

With long-term eyes on the LA 2028 Olympics and 2033 Rugby World Cup, both on home soil, USA Rugby High Performance is hyper focused on a robust player pathway to cultivate talent on multiple levels and with multiple partners across the country. With the restructure, coaching and leadership has grown with aligned objectives through the broader Women’s High Performance Pathway.

Primary USA Rugby Women’s HP Staff

Tamara Sheppard – General Manager, USA Rugby HP
Sione Fukofuka – Head Coach, USA 15s
Emilie Bydwell – Head Coach, USA 7s
Orlando Pulou – Head Coach, U23 15s
Katie Dowty – Head Coach, U20 15s
Sue Whitwell – Head Coach, U18 15s
Irene Gardner – Head Coach, 7s Pathway
Kelly Griffin – Assistant Coach, 7s Pathway & U18 15s
Kristin Zdanczewicz – Lead Performance Coach, Women’s Pathway
Martha Daines – Head of Player Systems and Development

“This restructure of the pathway leadership is to ensure we have a clear focus on talent development through all stages,” Sheppard said. “As we build towards pinnacle events like the Olympic games and Rugby World Cup, this alignment expands on the work our 7s program has been successfully undertaking with Emilie Bydwell’s leadership. Ultimately ensuring the gateways to our elite women’s teams are aligned to see the best talent thrive in both forms of the game.”

This spring, High Performance Women’s Pathways have been focused on identifying new talent through targeted scouting combines with 10 Regional Talent Identification camps held across the country (more programming is expected through the end of 2025). Almost 500 newly identified athletes have attended the nationwide camps, adding to the central database of athletes to follow and foster. All pathway athletes will have the opportunity to grow their profile with USA Rugby selectors this year through a mixed schedule of development camps and competitions. Beyond the hosted events, USA Rugby continues to scout community competitions including Girls’ High School Nationals Championships, Great Northwest Challenge, NAI 7s and USA Club 7s Nationals.

The U20/U23 Talent Development camp will be hosted for athletes who have already been in the pathway and are closer to stepping into the USA National Team environments. While the U20/U23 Talent Verification camp is designed for players newer to the pathway

Headlining the camp and competition calendar, The USA Sevens Pathway program will also be selecting a U21 team to compete in the Junior Pan American Games, opening the opportunity for aspiring Olympians to compete under the Team USA banner in Paraguay this August.

Players throughout the rugby community, across all levels of play, who are interested in beginning their USA Eagles journey and catching the eye of USA Rugby scouts, are encouraged to put their name forth via the USA Rugby Pathways Player Identification Form.

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