USA Sevens Women’s International Schedule, USA Women’s National Team Roster & Invitational Schedule

Since it harder than heck to find any information about the Women’s International 7s on the USA Sevens website or on USA Rugby, Monty, my newest Guest Blogger and member of the YSC team has hunted down the USA Women’s Roster. Just remember that you saw it first on YSC! Also, don’t forget to read Monty’s interview with Lauren Shaughnessey, one the 7s Eagles, read it here.

Also below is the Women’s International Schedule and the Invitational Schedule is posted as well. I will be at USA 7s this again this year (with my sweet media credentials!) so I will be posting live scores again!

UPDATE (2/11): Just heard that they are working on getting the Women’s International matches streamed on the web, if you are not at USA Sevens, tune in to the USA Rugby Ustream channel to watch! Make sure to check back here for LIVE score updates.

U.S. Women’s Sevens Teams Set for International Invitational Sevens Tournament

BOULDER, Colo. – The recently named U.S. Women’s Sevens Team coach, Ric Suggitt, has announced his pool of players for the USA Rugby Women’s International Invitational Sevens Tournament in Las Vegas.

“With 24 players invited to this event, it gives me a great opportunity to see a lot of the national talent and will be a great base to start from. We will field two squads in Las Vegas – USA White (first team) and USA Blue (second team),” Suggitt said. “With input from Alex Williams, Kathy Flores, Bryn Chivers and the previous coaching staff, there are a lot of new names on the list, but we know both teams will be very competitive.”

Hosted by USA Rugby, and held in conjunction with the Las Vegas Invitational leading up to the Men’s IRB World Series USA Sevens, the Women’s International Invitational will hold pool play and early knockout stages on Friday, Feb. 12, before taking a day off on Saturday and finishing with the final on Sunday afternoon (kickoff 5:06 p.m.) in the Sam Boyd Stadium (see attached schedule and tournament information form). All Friday matches will be webcast live via UStream. (www.ustream.tv/usarugby).

The field of competitors for the 2010 Women’s International Invitational includes USA White, France, China, USA Blue, Germany and the Canadian National University sides, all competing for the trophy.

“I am very pleased with the number and quality of Women’s National Sevens Teams participating in the event this year, given that it is year one of the Sevens World Cup cycle and there is a 15s Women’s Rugby World Cup later this year,” said Alex Williams, Women’s High Performance Manager. “Each of these countries is committed to building their women’s sevens program, particularly in light of the Olympic decision, and it means we will see a lot of young, talented women rugby players on the pitch in Las Vegas.”

“In addition to an entire day of world-class rugby on Friday, it’s great for fans to have the opportunity to watch the International Women’s final on Sunday afternoon in the stadium, prior to the IRB Men’s Finals,” she added.

All of the invited teams should prove tough competition. France were Plate Semifinalists at the inaugural women’s event at the 2009 Sevens World Cup. China first gained international notice at the USA’s International Invitational Tournament in 2007 and then won the Bowl at the Sevens World Cup last March.

Germany is a team on the rise, while Canadian Universities will showcase the best young players from North of the border. All teams are expected to bring a lot more competition to the table now that Sevens is an Olympic sport.

“As we begin our quest for the 2016 Olympics we have cast a wide net and we will use these first two years to build a solid foundation. We looked at 60 plus athletes for this first event of 2010 and we’re excited to begin our journey alongside one of the major IRB tournaments,” Suggitt added.

For more information on the U.S. Women’s Sevens Team, please visit www.usarugby.org/goto/women_sevens. For more information on the USA Sevens event in Las Vegas, please visit www.usasevens.com.

USA Blue & White Roster
Jeanna Beard (Severn River)
Ida Bernstein (Keystone)
Elizabeth Black (NOVA)
Tanya Carlson (Chicago North Shore)
Dani Cicuto (Navy)
Katie Dowty (Beantown)
Chastity Dunnaville (Navy)
Jenna Flateman (New York)
Kelly Griffin (Berkeley)
Lisa Henneman (PSU)
Cade Hildreth (NOVA)
Lauren Hoeck (NOVA)
Bisi Ibrahim (Stanford)
Jennifer Lui (Chicago North Shore)
Tyra McGrady (Indiana University)
San Juanita Moreno (ORSU)
Christiane Pheil (PSU)
Jessica Sexauer (Army)
Lauren Shaughnessy (Emerald City)
Melissa Smit (Belmont Shore)
Elizabeth Trujilo (Navy)
JoAnne Ward (Albany)
Brittany Woodard (DC Furies)
Annie Zeigler (PSU)