Women 7s Team for Youth Olympics
Women 7s Team for Youth Olympics
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic Committee announced the 2014 U.S. Youth Olympic Team to compete at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games Monday, July 7.
Twelve women have been selected to represent the USA in China in Rugby Sevens, the first time the sport will feature at an Olympic Games since its inclusion on the Games Program in 2009. All players were born during 1996 or 1997.
Men’s and Women’s Eagles Sevens Assistant Coach Richie Walker was named head coach of the women’s Youth Olympic Games team and will be assisted by Team Leader Kellie Cavalier. Highlighting the women’s roster are selections from the 2013 and 2014 Regional All-Star Tournaments, the USA Rugby AIG Women’s Junior All-Americans’ 2014 regional camps, last year’s Stars and Stripes Camp, and multiple USA Rugby Academy camps powered by Serevi.
“I was very excited to talk to national coaches, club coaches, school coaches, parents, and even teammates of players I had to choose for the team that will compete at the Youth Olympic Games in China,” Walker said. “There were a lot of great girl rugby players to choose from, which is great for the sport in the U.S., but also made my job very hard as a selector.
“Some of the girls on the team, like Tess Feury and Richelle Stephens, have been invited to camps at the Olympic Training Center with Women’s Eagles Sevens Head Coach Ric Suggitt. There are some girls who are High School All-Americans, some are from some of the best teams in the nation who compete at nationals, and we have had girls who have played with great sevens clubs like Tiger Rugby, Atlantis, and Serevi Selects.”
The women’s team will follow the same timetable with Australia, Canada, China, Spain, and Tunisia. The team will arrive in China Aug. 12 and stay throughout the entirety of the 2014 Youth Olympic Games. Following the tournament, the teams will engage in a series of cultural events wrapped around Olympic ideals and support other American athletes in competition.
U.S. Youth Olympic Games Women's Rugby Sevens Team
| Name | Height | Weight (lbs) | Age (as of 7 July 2014) | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tess Feury | 5'6" | 140 | 18 | Denville, NJ |
| Haley Langan | 6'0" | 165 | 18 | South Burlington, VT |
| Appau Mailau | 5'7" | 162 | 17 | Salt Lake City, UT |
| Michel Navarro | 5'5" | 147 | 17 | Fallbrook, CA |
| Dana Olsen | 5'3" | 128 | 18 | Fort Collins, CO |
| Tiffany Person | 5'8" | 135 | 17 | Alexandria, VA |
| Emily Prentice | 5'7" | 135 | 16 | Kent, WA |
| Kat Ramage | 5'4" | 146 | 17 | Ledgewood, NJ |
| Becca Jane Rosko | 5'3" | 117 | 16 | Dillon, CO |
| Richelle Stephens | 5'7" | 135 | 17 | Fallbrook, CA |
| Danielle Walko-Siua | 5'0" | 125 | 18 | Hilo, HI |
| Whitney Wilson | 5'4" | 127 | 17 | Kingwood, TX |
See this video interview with USA player Emily Prentice.
