VANCOUVER (USA Rugby Release) – The USA Rugby Girls High School All-Americans powered by ATAVUS are in British Columbia, Canada, this week for their first competitive rugby of the year at the Vancouver Rugby Festival.

The USA Falcons women are also in town for the sevens competition while the Men's Eagles Sevens take to the stadium pitch at BC Place for HSBC Canada Sevens, held March 12-13. The Festival matches will be played at Gerald McGavin Rugby Center at the University of British Columbia Thursday, March 10, and Friday, March 11.

GHSAA Assistant Coach and capped World Cup Eagle Emilie Bydwell will coach the team in the U18 Girls Division, in which pool matches against BC, BC Development, Edmonton Gold, and Rugby WA Loggers will be played Thursday.

Lily Durbin and Mata Hingano have been a part of the women's national team pathway for several years, attending Stars and Stripes Camps and 2015 touring parties of the inaugural GHSAA teams. Both were part of the first GHSAA sevens team that won last year's Las Vegas Invitational – and Durbin returned to Las Vegas with ATAVUS' senior side in the Elite Women's division – and will captain the team in Vancouver this weekend.

"Lily and Mata lead in different ways and we feel that the combination of the two of them is perfect to lead the group of athletes we have here," Bydwell said.

Eleven of the 12 young women selected attended one of the GHSAA regional camps, held this winter in Casa Grande, Ariz., and Clermont, Fla., while several carry multiple years of Stars and Stripes Camp experience into the team. Five girls play rugby in California, with eight states in total represented.

Following the team's performance at Vancouver Rugby Festival, the GHSAA staff will convene to discuss selections for additional tours throughout the year, including 15s matches against Quebec and British Columbia sides in the summer. A sevens tournament in Europe is also on the horizon.

"We want to develop a strong pool for [the Europe] event," Bydwell said. "We believe we can compete there and the Vancouver event is the first step to that. We wanted to select a well-balanced squad that offers power, speed, work rate, and playmaking ability. We will provide the athletes with a framework through which they can express themselves and their athleticism. It will be exciting to watch.

"Finally, we are selecting athletes that have the potential to fast track through the age grades. We want to provide these athletes with competitive opportunities that prepare them for elite competition."

Ifeoma Agali - North Kansas City SNOW Girls Rugby (Missouri) 
Cassidy Bargell - Summit High School (Colorado) 
Kayla Canett - Fallbrook High School (California) 
Lilly Durbin - Fallbrook High School (California) 
Giovanna Ferguson-Lewis - Play Rugby USA (New York) 
Bayleigh Gable - Grandville Girls Rugby (Michigan) 
Kathleen Gearhart - Penn High School (Indiana) 
Atumata Hingano - Danville Oaks High School (California) 
Lolohea Makaafi - Kent Crusaders Girls Rugby (Washington) 
Daisy Manoa - Danville Oaks High School (California) 
Julie Riekena - Missoula Valley Vixens (Montana) 
Brianna Vasquez - South Bay Spartans Girls Rugby (California)