The USA Men’s U23 Sevens are back in Glendale, CO this week for the annual RugbyTown 7s, a benchmark tournament on the rugby calendar where the squad of USA prospects have the opportunity to face off against current and former Olympians from all around the world.
Sweetened by a $10,000 championship prize, the three-day tournament of top-tier rugby has long been a proven pathway for players looking to put their hand up for USA Sevens residency, and this year the 2023 PanAm Games in Chile. The Men’s U23 Sevens first kick off against Wild Dogs, Friday, August 25 at 3:10pm ET, watch live on the RugbyTown 7s website.
Head Coach Colton Cariaga on the return to RugbyTown where the 2022 reached the Cup Final, “Our outlook as coaches is to continually support each individual to execute their roles and the team to perform at their collective best. In speaking with the players, it's abundantly clear they have the utmost desire to win.”
This year’s roster sees a collection of familiar names, with half the players returning from the 2022 RugbyTown selection, nine following up a Coral Coast 7s appearance in December and six named to the Falcons squad in Los Angeles for the LAI this spring. Orrin Bizer and Jake Broselle, younger siblings to current USA National Team representatives, Meya and Ben, will take on RugbyTown with Bizer coming off a Prusmack Award winning 2023, while 2023 Rudy Scholz Award winner, Lewis Gray will pull on a USA shirt for the first time.
Cariaga noted on the development of a core squad, “We've been building this squad for years really. Nine have returned from previous U23 Sevens squads, many of whom were written up on a white board several years ago. Over the past year, the Senior National Team have gotten the core group together into Chula Vista, and over to Fiji and LA for as much training and competitive exposure as possible. As for the newer faces, they've really had to do something exceptional this season to break into the squad and so for them it's a well-deserved opportunity.”
Since finishing runner up last year in Glendale, three of the rostered players have debuted on the HSBC SVSN series, with Noah Brown, Will Chevalier and Ryan Santos all earning their first USA Sevens cap during last year’s circuit. With the first rate competition expected at Infinity Park this weekend, the experience and assembly time for this familiar group will mesh well as we can expect another strong showing against some of the world’s best.
| NAME | COLLEGE/CLUB |
|---|---|
| 1. Orrin Bizer | Life U / Locals PR7s |
| 2. Jake Broselle | Univ. of Arizona |
| 3. Noah Brown | Indiana University / Loonies PR7s |
| 4. Will Chevalier | Indiana University / Headliners PR7s |
| 5. EJ Freeman | Univ. of Arizona |
| 6. Lewis Gray | US Naval Academy / Steeltoes PR7s |
| 7. Kahanu Koi | AIC / Loonies PR7s |
| 8. Donovan Law | Life U |
| 9. Darius Law | Life U |
| 10. Uluamu Niutupuivaha | Loonies PR7s |
| 11. Ryan Santos | Harvard / Loonies PR7s |
| 12. Tucker Trickey | GCU / Loggerheads PR7s |
| 13. Sam Walsh | UC - Berkeley / Headliners PR7s |
| 14. Eric Wills | US Air Force Academy |
Colton Cariaga | Head Coach
Ben Pinkelman | Assistant Coach
Lucas Baistrocchi | Strength & Conditioning
Ethan Pougnet | Analyst
David Fee | Team Manager
Lori Seiler | Athletic Trainer
vs Wild Dogs, 3:10PM ET
vs Cannibals, 6:10PM ET
vs Infantry Rugby, 9:30PM ET
vs NAV 7s, 3:30PM ET
Knockouts begin 7:05PM ET
