The USA sevens high performance pathways invited 16 young players to a U23s camp in Chula Vista this week.
The annual camp continues to bring USA prospects into the national team environment, and will act as a key indicator for squad selection to the upcoming RugbyTown 7s and PanAm Games in October.
Many selected invites are continuing their journey from last year’s camp and runner up result in Glendale, bringing repetitive experience and assembly time to a core of sevens prospects.
High Performance Pathways Manager Ben Pinkelman said, “This year, we are looking to add a competitive element in the camp to reflect the national team setup with a week-long camp to compete for a spot on the U23s teams team at the 2023 RugbyTown 7s, led by Colton Cariaga.”
This camp and RugbyTown 7s will help players compete for invitations to the PanAm Games camp in October, with an opportunity to be named to the Team USA roster in Santiago. High Performance scouts had an eye on last weekend’s USA Club 7s Championships, in preparation for camp invites ahead of the PanAm Games.
Some familiar names make up the U23s camp roster, including seven returning from last year’s camp and two from 2021. Ryan Santos and Sam Walsh, who are in residency with the USA Sevens, have participated in the U23s camp for the last two years and two years ago, respectively. Jake Broselle, the younger brother of USA Eagle Ben Broselle, joins from the University of Arizona, while USA Women’s Eagle Meya Bizer’s brother, Orrin Bizer, also earned an invite to the camp. Will Chevalier, who made his USA Sevens debut in Hong Kong last October, returns to compete for a shot at his second U23s RugbyTown 7s roster. 2023 Rudy Scholz Award winner and Men’s D1A National Champion, Lewis Gray also joins the camp roster, off a notable season with the US Naval Academy.
Players have earned their opportunity in the pathways program through various means. Ulu Niutupuivaha and Tucker Trickey earned their U23s spot after standout performances in the PR7s. Scouts will continue to monitor athletes at RugbyTown Sevens and take Club Championship performances into account as they finalize the PanAm Games roster.
Chevalier, the Law siblings, Noah Brown, EJ Freeman, Hanu Koi, and Dalton Musselman return from the 2022 U23s camps, and Bizer and Peyton Wall return from 2021.
| Name |
|---|
| Orrin Bizer |
| Jake Broselle |
| Lewis Gray |
| Eric Wills |
| Peyton Wall |
| Alejandro Tapia |
| Darius Law |
| Donovan Law |
| EJ Freeman |
| Dalton Musselman |
| Ulu Niutupuivaha |
| Sean Nolan |
| Hanu Koi |
| Tucker Trickey |
| Will Chevalier |
| Noah Brown |
| Ryan Santos |
| Sam Walsh |
Colton Cariaga | Head Coach
David Fee | Team Manager
Lucas Baistrocchi | Strength & Conditioning
Friday, August 25
Wild Dogs | 1:10 pm MT
Cannibals | 4:10 pm MT
Infantry Rugby | 7:30 pm MT
Saturday, August 26
NAV 7s | 1:30 pm MT
Knockouts begin at 5:05 pm MT
Sunday, August 27
Knockouts continue
