CHULA VISTA, Calif. - The first Men's Eagles Sevens High Performance Camp of the 2015-16 cycle has begun at the United States Olympic Committee's Olympic Training Center.
Eleven young athletes traveled to southern California to join 11 residency players and members of the World-Class Athlete Program, as Eagles Head Coach Mike Friday and Assistant Coach Chris Brown look to prepare for the 2015-16 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
Captain Madison Hughes returned from school commitments at Dartmouth College Wednesday, while several players invited to camp will be in form due to several summer sevens tournaments. The residents not in attendance include five selected to the Rugby World Cup 2015 squad, named earlier this week.
Will Holder and Ben Leatigaga were in the Elite City Sevens Cup Final in Malvern, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 30. The combined Armed Forces side defeated San Diego earlier in the tournament, a team that included Pat Blair, Nic Edwards, and Stephen Tomasin.
Martin Iosefo was a revelation for the Eagles during the 2014-15 Series, making his international debut and appearing in six legs of the international competition. The University of Montana student also helped the U.S. qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Summer Games at the 2015 NACRA Sevens Championships in Cary, N.C.
Iosefo will not only see familiar faces in the OTC residents, but also the three players that played alongside him as AIG Men's Collegiate All-Americans at the August Serevi RugbyTown Sevens tournament in Glendale, Colo. Alex Faison-Donahoe, Seth Halliman, and Ian Luciano wore the MCAA kit, falling one match short of a second consecutive Bowl championship at Infinity Park.
Connecting the age-grade programs to the national team will be AIG Men's Junior All-American Sevens Head Coach Paul Holmes. The Tiger Rugby academy director - with the help of Brown and Friday - will put 12 under-20 athletes to the test in the first MJAA-specific sevens camp.
Cecil Rich attended the first Junior and Collegiate Stars and Stripes Camp presented by WellDog at Cal Maritime University, the first national team assembly for many athletes, while several players from College 7s National Champion Lindenwood University will also try their hand at the infamous 'YAKA YARD' in Chula Vista.
The 2015-16 Series kicks off in December, with additional High Performance Camps scheduled prior to the opening round in Sydney.
Men's Eagles Sevens High Performance Camp | Sept. 1-5
Nate Augspurger - Northeast Academy
Perry Baker - Men's Eagles Sevens / Tiger Rugby
Garrett Bender - Men's Eagles Sevens
Pat Blair - Men's Eagles Sevens / ATAVUS
Colton Cariaga - Life NDA
Aaron Davis - Tiger Rugby
Nic Edwards - Men's Eagles Sevens
Alex Faison-Donahoe - AIG Men's Collegiate All-American
Seth Halliman - AIG Men's Collegiate All-Americans
Will Holder - World-Class Athlete Program (Army)
Madison Hughes - Men's Eagles Sevens
Martin Iosefo - AIG Men's Collegiate All-Americans / Tiger Rugby
Carlin Isles - Men's Eagles Sevens
Ian Luciano - AIG Men's Collegiate All-American
Peter Malcolm
Jack McAuliffe - World-Class Athlete Program (Navy)
Gannon Moore - Denver Sevens
Ben Leatigaga - World-Class Athlete Program (Army)
Mattie Tago
Stephen Tomasin - Men's Eagles Sevens
Maka Unufe - Men's Eagles Sevens
Anthony Welmers - World-Class Athlete Program (Army)
Men's Eagles High Performance Camp | Invited but unavailable
Moto Filikitonga
Ahmad Harajly
Jobe Motokana
Ben Pinkelman
Men's Eagles Sevens High Performance Camp | Injured
Matai Leuta
Chris Turori
AIG Men's Junior All-American Sevens Camp | Aug. 31 - Sept. 3
Malon Al-Jiboori - Lindenwood University
Ian Crilly - University of Arizona
William Fifita - Rangeview High School / Rocky Mountain Rebels
Travis Heer - Lindenwood University
Michael Islava - Life University
Kyle Makaiwi - Utah Valley University
Deion Mikesell - Lindenwood University
Conner Mooneyham - Life University
Cecil Rich - Wheeling Jesuit University
Cristian Rodriguez - Lindenwood University
Austin Taefu - Tempe Rugby Club
Dante Weeks
