The USA Women’s Falcons Sevens squad have travelled to France prepared to take the field in the two-part EAAST 7’s series in Cognac and Haguenau, from May 31 to June 1 and June 7 & 8 respectively, presenting a valuable learning opportunity for emerging sevens talent to compete at international level.
The USA Falcons, which acts as the official development platform for emerging USA Eagles to gain further international experience and for some to raise their hand for national squad selection. The traveling squad 13 of the top identified talent, where seven of the players selected have already earned International caps with USA Sevens and the additional six having been identified as top collegiate and WER standouts.
EAAST, which was inspired by former All Blacks Sevens player Teddy Stanaway, stands for "Endure, Advance, Achieve, Succeed, Toa"—a legacy left from a New Zealand Māori pioneer battalion in France after WWI. The USA Falcons will embrace the challenge with a slate of matches against other nations' development teams, including top tiered New Zealand, Australia, and the host nation, France.
Speaking on the opportunity ahead, Women’s 7s Falcons Head Coach, Zach Test commented, "This tournament is an important part of our program, giving essential playing time to athletes who haven’t seen as much game time during the World Series. It’s a great opportunity for our pathway players to test themselves against elite international opponents.”
The Falcons' participation in the EAAST 7s Series underscores USA Rugby's dedication to nurturing emerging talent. This competition provides crucial international exposure and a platform for athletes to showcase their abilities to national coaches, with the goal of earning future selection to the USA Sevens program.
Test continued, “It’s a valuable chance to assess up-and-coming talent as we look ahead to LA28. We’re eager to see how these players respond to the challenge and continue progressing within our system."
Fixtures and results for the USA Women's Falcons EAAST7s team will be available on the tournament organizer's social media channels, @EAAST7s. Please note that there will be no live stream of the event and a match schedule has yet to be confirmed.
| Name | Club |
|---|---|
| Su Adegoke | USA Sevens |
| Jewel Boland | USA Sevens |
| Ashley Cowdrey | Boston Banshees |
| Cameron Fields | Harvard University |
| Summer Harris-Jones | USA Sevens |
| Annie Henrich | Dartmouth College |
| Hann Humphreys | USA Sevens |
| Autumn LoCicero | USA Sevens |
| Alyssa Porter | USA Sevens |
| Lilly Thomas | Central Washington University |
| Sereana Vulaono | University of New Haven |
| Katelyn Walker | Dartmouth College |
| Tahna Wilfley | Denver Onyx |
Zach Test | Head Coach
Irene Gardner | Assistant Coach
Jackie Rodriguez | Athletic Trainer
Maria Adams | Manager
