Women’s National Team Rugby Program to Host Combined Camp in Florida

from USA Rugby:

The Women’s National Team (WNT) program will host its first ever fully combined camp, which brings the Under-20 Women, USA ‘A’ Developmental side and the Senior WNT to one location – the National Training Center (NTC) in Clermont, Fla., from Thursday, Feb. 26 – Sunday, March 1.

“The three 15s Women’s National Team programs have operated as separate entities for a long time and we felt it was important to bring the programs together physically, as well as in concept. While the coaching staffs have been communicating for a number of years, the athletes have not trained together and we felt it would be a real benefit to the players to bring the programs together in a single camp,” USA Rugby Women’s High Performance Manager Alex Williams said. “We hope that giving the athletes at all levels the chance to interact with each other will help to demystify the process and the pathway for the younger players and give the older players the opportunity to mentor the younger players.”

The Senior National Team and USA ‘A’ programs will train closely together under the guidance of coaches Kathy Flores and Martha Daines, to ensure that the key principles and skills are consistent throughout the programs. These two programs are working with a pool of 55 athletes and will be looking to select players for the upcoming Developmental and Test matches against Canada in Glendale in late June, as well as the Nations Cup in Canada in August.

“This is the first time we’ve actually been able to have both the Eagles and Eagle ‘A’ squad train at the same time and same facility. The idea is to keep those players who could be viable for selection for the next World Cup training with the same concepts and approach so any transition can be made easily,” said Kathy Flores, Women’s National Team Head Coach. “The Eagles will be concentrating on problem-solving around the field, with particular direction to how we are attacking our set pieces and slow ball recycle. We are looking for our outcome to be players that are better equipped to handle the fast-paced pressures of international rugby and able to make appropriate adjustments to ensure success on the field.”

Additionally, under the direction of Coach Bryn Chivers, the Under-20 program will evaluate a pool of 52 athletes and will be looking to select players for summer competition at the Under-23 National All-Star Championships (NASC) and the U-20 Nations Cup in England.

A scrimmage between the Senior Women’s Eagles and the USA ‘A’ Developmental side will bring the weekend to a close and give the coaches a chance to evaluate different combinations of players.

“The upcoming camp is going to be a great opportunity for the Eagle ‘A’ squad. Having both teams at the same venue will allow these players to spend some time working with the Eagles players and staff and some time working as a separate team. As a result, they will not only be exposed to the intensity and pressure they might experience playing in international matches in the future, but also will have the opportunity to develop and improve some specific skills and techniques that will help them be successful in these matches,” said Martha Daines, USA ‘A’ Head Coach.

USA Women’s Eagle and USA ‘A’ Developmental Athletes attending the camp include:

USA Under-20 Women’s Camp

Sadie Anderson Penn State
Candace Barley Maryville, TN
BrieAnna Barto Summit, CO
Tara Burke Fallbrook, CA
Hannah Bushey Essex, VT
Stephanie Chubb U of Virginia
Jennifer Cooperrider Stanford
Lauren Danielsen Summit, CO
Gina Deihl Hoke, TN
Asia Donaldson Santa Monica Women
Brandi Dunkinsell U of Oregon
Jozy Gessner Summit, CO
Ashley Graves Lady Bird Johnson HS, TX
Katherine Gray Texas Tech
Kelsey Harter Chico
Katie Hathaway Norwich
Lisa Henneman Seattle Women
Katy Hodson Colorado
Brittany Houston UW Milwaukee
Katie Humphreys Kent, WA
Ima Isang Oakridge, TN
Mallory Ives ColoradoState
Nicole James Texas A&M
Katie Johnson Hopkins, MN
Erika Lane Chico
Brook LeGate Maryville, TN
Erin LeGate Maryville, TN
Mackenzie Lewis Chaparral, CO
Shawne Manning NYRC U19
Blaine Martin Brown
Jade McLaughlin U of New Mexico
Sophia Nolan Armstrong, MN
Kelsey Ploof Noblesville, IN
Kayla Orvik Army
Maggie Reidy UW Milwaukee
Brittany Rose Westchester East, PA
Adrianne Rubiaco Mother Lod
e, CA
Victoria Saiz U of New Mexico
Seymira Salamy Penn State
Catherine Scanlon Summit, CO
Alicia Seda Norwich
Jessica Sexauer Army
Rachel Sommer West Linn, OR
Colleen Tjosvold TwinCity Amazons
Lorena TotuCenter Essex, VT
Ashley Urbia-Kirchmaier U of Northern Michigan
Michelle Un Brown
Lane Wagner Traverse City, MI
Erica Wheeler U of Illinois
Brooke Williams Minnesota Valkeries
Brittany Woodard Virginia State