USA Women’s High Performance Pathways concludes sevens development camp in Chula Vista

Mon, Feb 7, 2022, 6:36 PM
AT
by Aalina Tabani

USA Rugby High Performance Pathways held a sevens development camp this past week, Jan 28 to Feb 3, to help further develop players between the ages of 18-22. Led by Katie Dowty as Head Coach, the camp featured 18 athletes who worked on positional skills, group training sessions and film review – all to end in a series of scrimmages for players to showcase their learnings.

Following camp, Head Coach Katie Dowty said:

“The growth of this group was exceptional. As incredibly talented individual players, the next step is often learning to play with those around us. The challenge posed throughout camp was: how do we ‘win off the ball’ to create and capitalize on opportunities together? By the end of camp they were clearly seeing, communicating and adapting to the pictures in front of them and playing some very dynamic and creative rugby.

“It's great to see players at this age stretching their skill sets, expanding their vision and taking chances that might take the USA to the next level in coming years. I am excited to see them apply their learnings back home in their upcoming seasons. We are also hopeful to see this age group compete against equivalent Canadian development teams later in the year.”

Camps such as these are invaluable for the development of the next generation. When opportunities to join the senior national team setup are available, players must have a well-developed skill set and deep understanding of rugby knowledge in order to transition appropriately and make an impact at the international level. With more opportunities for elite level competition in Premier Rugby Sevens, ongoing collegiate and club championship events, it is hugely important to have a touchpoint with senior national team coaches and staff to continue development under the right guidance.

Only two years remain until the Olympic Games Paris 2024 with Los Angeles 2028 approaching quickly as well. The prospect of a home Olympics creates an exciting goal for players of this exact age group who will strive to help the United States bring home a medal and continue the growth of women’s rugby nationwide. 

Women’s HP Pathways 7s Development Camp Roster 

*Players rotated through multiple positions during camp. 

PLAYER NAME CLUB
Kiani Akina Harvard University
Vivian Aragon Las Vegas Strong
Codi Butt United States Military Academy
Kate Buzby Life University
Autumn Czaplicki West Chester University
Tessa Hann Central Washington University
Maddie Hughes Queen's University of Charlotte
Sarah Layne Air Force Academy
Remi Lemal-Brown University of Vermont
Salome Lewis At-Large Hawaii
Autumn LoCicero Life University
Alycia Namosimalua Rhinos Rugby Academy
Leila Opeti Life West
Ella Slaby Bowdoin College
Kat Storey Quinnipiac University
Liz Tafuna East Palo Alto RFC
PK Vincze Harvard University
Katelyn Walker Eagle High School

Women’s HP Pathways 7s Development Camp Staff 

Katie Dowty Lead Coach
Hannah Stolba Coach
Josie Ziluca Coach
Josh Schnell S&C
Liz Strohecker Manager
Jill Ayres Athletic Trainer
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