The USA Women’s 7s Team has named its squad for Vancouver (March 3-5), the fifth tournament on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. The Eagles will face Brazil, Canada and Ireland in Pool C, and look for its fifth-straight podium placement this season. Games will live-stream on Peacock. [Lead photo: Alex Ho, hoiho.net]
The USA is currently tied for second place in the standings with Australia (62 points), having won bronze or silver medals in the all four HSBC tournaments in 2022-23.
“We had a lot to build off from our Hamilton and Sydney performances and are looking forward to seeing how the work we’ve done in these training blocks translates back into competition,” USA Women’s 7s head coach Emilie Bydwell told USA Rugby. “We are excited to welcome back Alev Kelter, who has been working very diligently in our residency program off the back of her 15s World Cup campaign. She adds great energy as a power runner but is also an excellent pass, kick and turnover threat. Ari Ramsey will get her first taste of the World Series following an appearance at the 2021 Olympic Games. She adds elite speed to our already incredibly dynamic team that the opposition will need to respect and solve for.”
Kelter’s back. / Photo: Alex Ho (hoiho.net)
Kelter and Ramsey represent the spectrum of experience, and they replace Spiff Sedrick and Joanne Fa’avesi from the previous tour. Sedrick is running with Rhinos this weekend at the Los Angeles Invitational 7s and Fa’avesi has picked up with the California Grizzlies. (Sarah Levy was also called up last tour after Jaz Gray sustained an injury in Hamilton). Naya Tapper and Lauren Doyle are co-captaining the USA in Canada and combine for 64 HSBC tournament appearances.
“We are incredibly proud of the work that our team has done over the last four tournaments and acknowledge that it requires all 22 residents pulling in the same direction, whether they feature on the series or not,” Bydwell explained, “because it creates a competitive and challenging training environment that has been a major contributor to our ability to deliver consistent performances under pressure this season.”
The first two rounds of pool play occur Friday, March 3, and the third on Saturday, March 4. Knockouts straddle Saturday and Sunday. There are two more series stops after Vancouver: Hong Kong (March 31-April 2) and Toulouse (May 12-14). The top-four teams in the series standings then automatically qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
USA Women’s 7s Roster | HSBC Vancouver 7s
| Name | Position | HSBC Tournaments |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cheta Emba (she/her) | Prop/Hooker | 25 |
| 2. Ilona Maher | Center/Prop | 20 |
| 3. Kayla Canett | Flyhalf/Scrumhalf | 17 |
| 4. Nicole Heavirland | Hooker/Scrumhalf | 31 |
| 6. Alena Olsen | Scrumhalf | 12 |
| 7. Naya Tapper (C) | Wing/Prop | 29 |
| 11. Kristen Thomas | Hooker/Prop | 35 |
| 12. Kristi Kirshe (she/her) | Center/Prop | 16 |
| 15. Alev Kelter | Center/Flyhalf | 36 |
| 21. Ariana Ramsey | Scrumhalf/Wing | 0 |
| 22. Sammy Sullivan | Prop | 3 |
| 23. Lauren Doyle (C) | Wing | 35 |
USA Women’s Sevens Traveling Staff
Head Coach | Emilie Bydwell (she/her)
Athletic Trainer | Nicole Titmas (she/her)
Strength & Conditioning | Trey Ford
Sports Psychologist | Peter Haberl (he/him)
USA’s SCHEDULE (Times ET)
Friday, March 3
2:08 p.m. Brazil
8:20 p.m. ET Canada
Saturday, March 4
2:50 p.m. Ireland
6:28 p.m. Knockouts begin
Sunday, March 5
12 p.m. Knockouts continue