18 USA 7s players given full-time contacts
USA Rugby has handed Women’s Eagles Sevens Olympic Residency contracts for 2014 at the Olympic Training Centre to 18 players.
Published by Alison Donnelly, January 8th, 2014
3 minute read
The players have accepted contracts to train at the OTC full-time and utilisethe high performance facilities offered by the United States Olympic Committee.
“As we head towards the Pan Am Games in 2015 and Olympic qualification we are continuing to develop the USA Rugby/USOC residency program at the Olympic Training Center in San Diego,” USA Rugby Chief Executive Officer and President of Rugby Operations Nigel Melville said. “We appreciate the support that the USOC are providing for us and will continue to build competitive men’s and women’s Eagles Sevens teams during the next 12 months.
USA finished fourth in the inaugural IRB Women’s Sevens World Series last year and finished each of the four legs of the Series (Dubai, Houston, Guangzhou, Amsterdam) in the top seven.
Despite a bronze-medal run at the IRB Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 in Moscow, Russia, the Eagles’ Residency squad has a number of changes for 2014.
Head coach Ric Suggitt has brought in a younger set of players who have come from the High Performance Pathway, as well as a few crossover athletes. Not included are faces such as Vanesha McGee and Nathalie Marchino, who were influential players last season.
“As we prepare for this year, we must always remember the good work the previous players in Residency put into the program,” Suggitt said. “They helped establish the foundation and now it is up to the new group to shape this and make it even better.
“We have some brand new players like Jessica Javelet who are completely new to rugby who will add a new dimension to how we train and play. From our All-American program, we have players like Megan Bonny and Rebekah Siebach who have added speed and size. All are still very new to sevens but they are learning very quickly.”
Women's Eagles Sevens | 2014 Residency SquadMegan BonnyEmilie BydwellRyan CarlyleLorrie CliffordLauren DoyleVictoria FolayanKelly GriffinJessica JaveletKathryn JohnsonHannah LockwoodHannah LopezDana MeschisiDeven OwsianyJillion PotterRebekah SiebachLiz SowersShaina TurleyAmelia Villines
Women's Eagles Sevens | Coaching StaffRic Suggitt - Head CoachRichie Walker - SkillsJarrod Siegmund - Strength and ConditioningNicole Titmus - PhysiotherapistJo-Anne Kos - Manager/Analyst
Women's Eagles Sevens | Remaining 2013-14 IRB Women's Sevens World Series DatesAtlanta 7s - Feb. 15-16WSWS - Brazil - Feb. 21-22Guangzhou Sevens - Apr. 5-6Amsterdam Sevens - May 16-17