USA Women’s Sevens co-captain Naya Tapper announced today that she will retire from the rugby pitch following the Olympic Games in Paris this month.
The Charlotte, North Carolina, native graduated from West Mecklenburg High School, where she earned All-American honors in track and field. She found rugby her freshman year at UNC-Chapel Hill, where former USA Rugby COO Johnathan Atkeison quickly recognized her talent. Soon after, attended a high performance camp with the USA Sevens, making her sevens series debut in Sao Paulo that same year, in 2016.
Tapper was selected to represent the USA at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, played the summer of 2021. She also played in the Lima 2018 PanAmerican Games and Rugby World Cup Sevens San Francisco 2018 and Cape Town 2022.
In 2022, Tapper was named co-captain alongside Lauren Doyle, leading the team to a third-place 2022-23 sevens series finish and automatic qualification to the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and gold at the Santiago 2023 PanAmerican Games.
During her time on the sevens series, Tapper became the first American woman to score 100 career tries on the series, and is current all-time try scorer for the USA women with 129 tries, garnering 645 total career points. Tapper’s chase down try-saving tackle against Ireland in Dubai Sevens 2021 was named the #1 play on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10 Plays.
Tapper made her USA Women’s Eagles XVs debut in July 2016 against Canada, and went on to play 12 test matches with the team, including at the Rugby World Cup Ireland 2017.
While Tapper’s work on-field will come to a close, she will remain close to rugby to help grow the sport around the world. Her namesake Naya Tapper Scholarship in partnership with OMBAC Rugby provides financial assistance to youth rugby players.
“I am getting ready to head into my second Olympics as co-captain, while at the same time planning my transition from the sport. These past couple of months have been a whirlwind of trying to make sure I enjoy these last moments with my team while also juggling the importance of performing to a gold medal standard at the Olympics and making sure I have a job after all this, to put it as simply as possible.
Through all this chaos, I’ve taken the time to look back on my career with amazement. This sport has transformed me into a superwoman on and off the field. I sometimes can’t believe the milestones I’ve been able to achieve in my 8 years with this team, and along with feelings of pride, there’s also tons of sadness knowing I’ll never be able to replicate this environment in any space I take in in the future. Because of that, I’m grateful for all the great and tough moments, the amazing women I’ve been able to play with, the organization I’ve been able to help build, the community I’ve been able to support and be a part of, the coaches I’ve been able to grow under, the people I’ve been able to inspire, and the sport I’ve been able to fall in love with over and over again.
I am so grateful for the past and present moments but also very excited for the new ventures I will take on in the future. Regardless of what space I pursue after rugby, you will still see my face off the pitch. Rugby is a part of me and that will never change.
Before I can officially say my goodbyes, I still have a job to finish in Paris. Let’s go get this gold!
Much love, Nayaonfiya”
“On behalf of the program and the broader USA rugby community, I want to thank Naya for the incredible contributions she has made to our team, and our sport over the last 8 years. Naya has solidified herself as one of the greats to play the game in this relatively new women’s professional era, combining power, pace, and determination to help drive the team to consistent top 4 performances.
Naya has played a critical role in so many firsts for this team - first World Series tournament win, first home tournament win, two top four Olympic qualifications, a PanAmerican Gold, and many more medal performances. Beyond her on field contributions Naya has served as a transformational leader and a key driver in the development of the culture that we have as a team, and the identity that we have as Highwomen. Naya embodies what it means to be a Highwoman through her strength of character, perseverance, and the love that she shows through her actions.
Naya has fought to better the environment for her teammates and the women that will follow by advocating for what players need and being brave enough to take a stand. We know that she will be extremely successful in whatever path she chooses next, but before that I am looking forward to going to work with her one more time and getting the job done with our team of Highwomen in Paris.”
