For Immediate Release, Submitted by USA Rugby… July 18, 2016
LAFAYETTE, CO. – USA Rugby has announced the 12 athletes and eight staff members who will represent Team USA in the first Rugby Sevens competition at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
“It is an exciting time for USA Rugby and I am very honored to name the first USA Women’s Sevens rugby team to compete in the Olympics,” said Head Coach Richie Walker.” Most of the players that I have selected have a considerable amount of experience. Every player has played on the Sevens World Series and some players have played 15s for the USA, as well.”
This will also mark the first time women’s rugby will be played at the Olympics, with all matches to be played at Deodoro Stadium Aug. 6-8. Head Coach Richie Walker’s team includes veterans such as Texas native Jillion Potter, Kelly Griffin of California and Victoria Folayan of Massachusetts, while Richelle Stephens – the youngest player in the squad – has already represented her country on the Olympic stage at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games.
“There has been a significant acceleration in work-rate, efficiency, and execution over the last couple of months,” said USA Rugby High Performance Director Alex Magleby. “Richie and staff have brought a lot of clarity and connectedness to camp. We can’t wait for the team to finally be rewarded with the opportunity to perform to our potential on this stage.”
Four athletes hail from the Golden State, where Olympic hopefuls train at the United States Olympic Committee’s Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., and a total of nine states are represented in the team (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Texas, Virginia).
Several athletes, like Alev Kelter and Jessica Javelet, have worn Team USA jerseys in other sports, but never at an Olympic Games. Six – Lauren Doyle, Joanne Fa’avesi, Griffin, Kathryn Johnson, Kelter, and Stephens – won silver in Rugby Sevens at last year’s Pan American Games in Toronto, while Carmen Farmer, Doyle, Fa’avesi, Griffin, Kelter, and Stephens were members of the Women’s Eagles Sevens team that clinched U.S. qualification for Rio at the 2015 NACRA Sevens Championships.
In addition to silver medals from Toronto 2015, Folayan, Griffin, and Johnson carry bronze medals from World Rugby’s Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013, as does Potter. Originally named to the World Cup Sevens squad, Bui Baravilala was unable to compete in Moscow due to injury and replaced by Ryan Carlyle. Both players are nominated for the Rio team.
When asked about his decisions on the final roster, Walker replied, “I have selected a group of girls with a wide variety of playing styles and I am excited to see them all come together and play for each other in Rio.”
The captain for Team USA will be named at a later date.
Based on past results on the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series, Team USA was drawn into Pool A with Australia, Colombia, and Fiji for the Games. In 116 matches played since the Series began in 2012 – the fifth-most of any country – the U.S. has accumulated a 53-percent win rate with 61 victories and three draws. In 2015-16, the U.S. hosted one of the Series’ five stops in Atlanta – host of the 1996 Olympic Games – and ended the season ranked sixth behind Australia, New Zealand, Canada, England, and France, respectively.
The OTC in Chula Vista will continue to host Walker and the Olympic team until July 26, when they travel to Florida for a week-long training camp. The team departs Florida for Brazil Aug. 29, before the Opening Ceremony Friday, Aug. 5. The Rugby Sevens competition kicks off Saturday, Aug. 6, at 10 a.m. ET, with the U.S.’s first game scheduled for noon ET.
A full broadcast schedule for the Rugby Sevens competition will be announced by NBC at a later date.
All nominations to the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team are pending approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee.
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About USA Rugby
Established in 1975, USA Rugby is the governing body for the sport of rugby in America and a Full Sport Member of the United States Olympic Committee. Currently headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, USA Rugby is charged with developing the game on all levels and has more than 100,000 active members, with more than 35,000 playing collegiate rugby and 35,000 playing senior club rugby. USA Rugby oversees four national teams, multiple collegiate and high school All-American sides, and an emerging Olympic development pathway for elite athletes. It also hosts more than 30 national playoff and championship events each year as a service to its members. In October 2009, the International Olympic Committee announced Rugby Sevens (the seven-a-side version of the game) will appear in the 2016 Olympic Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro. Visit www.usarugby.org for more information.
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Further Information:
Nick Sero | Manager, Communications and Digital Media | USA Rugby | nsero@usarugby.org
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