USA Falcon Women 7s On to Europe
USA Falcon Women 7s On to Europe
USA Rugby is send a women's Falcons and a men's Falcons team to the EAAST 7s series to be held in Europe.
The series features tournaments in Cognac, France this weekend, and Haguenau near the German border next weekend.
The Falcons are designed as a development program that gives newer players experience in international 7s. That is exactly what this lineup needs.
USA players who have not received a ton of time on the field in the SVNS World Series are on the roster, with former Life University Prusmack Award winner Su Adegoke, soccer crossover Jewel Boland, former UVA and ARPTC standout Summer Harris-Jones, former Life University Sorensen Award finalist Autumn LoCicero, PR7s crossover Alyssa Porter, and Dartmouth hockey crossover Hann Humphreys all on the team.
Withouth PR7s I Would Not be an Eagle: Porter>>
The EAAST 7s was inspired by former All Blacks Sevens player Teddy Stanaway and the name stands for "Endure, Advance, Achieve, Succeed, Toa"—a legacy left from a New Zealand Māori pioneer battalion in France after WWI. The USA Falcons will embrace the challenge with a slate of matches against other nations' development teams, including top tiered New Zealand, Australia, and the host nation, France.
Some younger players are on the squad including CRAA Premier 7s MVP of the final Katelyn Walker of Dartmouth, 2024 Prusmack Award winner Cameron Fields (Harvard), Dartmouth youngster Annie Henrich, and Denver Onyx player Tahna Wilfley (daughter of former men's Eagle Link Wilfley), who not that long ago was playing for EIRA at the National Youth 7s.
Interestingly, newly-named USA Men's Head Coach Zack Test is coaching this women's team. That's fairly easily explained—this was all planned before the coaching switch with the USA men was announced. Instead of moving Test to the men's team, USA Rugby just kept things as planned.
"This tournament is an important part of our program, giving essential playing time to athletes who haven’t seen as much game time during the World Series," said Test. "It’s a great opportunity for our pathway players to test themselves against elite international opponents. It’s a valuable chance to assess up-and-coming talent as we look ahead to LA28. We’re eager to see how these players respond to the challenge and continue progressing within our system."
International and touring sides are in the tournament, with, notably, New Zealand sending a team for both men and women.
EAAST 7s Cognac Day One Schedule (all times Eastern):
3:45AM Stade Rochelais vs Cook Islands (M)
4:09AM Italy vs Tropics 7s (M)
4:33AM USA Falcons vs Charente Barbarians (W)
4:57AM New Zealand vs Tropics 7s (W)
5:21AM USA Falcons vs China (M)
5:45AM New Zealand vs UBB 7s (M)
7:09AM USA Falcons vs Tropics 7s (W)
7:33AM New Zealand vs Charente Barbarians (W)
7:57AM Cook Islands vs Tropics 7s (M)
8:21AM Stade Rochlais vs Italy (M)
8:45AM New Zealand vs China (M)
9:15AM USA Falcons vs UBB 7s (M)
9:51AM Charente Barbarians vs Tropics 7s (W)
10:15AM USA Falcons vs New Zealand (W)
10:39AM Italy vs Cook Islands (M)
11:03AM Tropics 7s vs Stade Rochelais (M)
11:27AM China vs UBB 7s (M)
11:51AM New Zealand vs USA Falcons (M)
USA Women’s Falcons Sevens Roster | EAAST 7s Series: | |
Name | Club |
Su Adegoke | USA Sevens (Life U.) |
Jewel Boland | USA Sevens |
Ashley Cowdrey | Boston Banshees (Davenport) |
Cameron Fields | Harvard University |
Summer Harris-Jones | USA Sevens (Virginia) |
Annie Henrich | Dartmouth College |
Hann Humphreys | USA Sevens (Dartmouth) |
Autumn LoCicero | USA Sevens (Life U.) |
Alyssa Porter | USA Sevens |
Lilly Thomas | Central Washington University |
Sereana Vulaono | University of New Haven |
Katelyn Walker | Dartmouth College |
Tahna Wilfley | Denver Onyx (Denver East HS) |