United_States_women's_national_rugby_sevens_team
United States women's national rugby sevens team
One of the "core teams" that competes in all rounds of the IRB Women's Sevens World Series
The United States women's national rugby sevens team competes in international rugby sevens competitions.[2] The team finished second at the 2015 USA Women's Sevens, after defeating Russia in the semifinals. They competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[3]
| Union | USA Rugby | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Eagles | ||
| Coach(es) | Emilie Bydwell[1] | ||
| Captain(s) | Abby Gustaitis & Kris Thomas | ||
| Top scorer | Alev Kelter (752) | ||
| Most tries | Alev Kelter (87) | ||
| |||
| World Cup Sevens | |||
| Appearances | 3 (First in 2009) | ||
| Best result | 3rd place (2009, 2013) | ||
| Official website | |||
| www | |||
(Source: US Women's Rugby Foundation and USA Rugby)
In 1996 the first assembly of a National Women's 7s team was formed. Emil Signes held tryouts to pick a team to compete in the first Women's International 7s tournament to be held during the Hong Kong 7s event. The team competed under the name ‘Atlantis’, the National 7s program created by Emil, and finished their tour undefeated. Many of these players went on to compete for the USA Women's 7s Team in the Hong Kong 7s Women's Division.
Under head coach Ric Suggit, the Eagles placed third at the 2013 Women's Sevens World Cup in Russia. They defeated Spain 10–5 in their final match, with tries coming from Emilie Bydwell and Vanesha McGee.[4]
In June 2019, the Eagles became just the fifth team to have won a World Series tournament, joining New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and England. In that same season, the Americans finished second in the overall standings, securing both their highest finish to date and automatic qualification to the 2020 Olympic Games.[5]
World Rugby Sevens Series
Season by season
| Season | Rank | Points | Events | Cups | Plates | Bowls* | Most tries | Most points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | 4th | 48 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2013–14 | 7th | 38 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 2014–15 | 5th | 76 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | 6th | 46 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | 6th | 62 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | 5th | 56 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19 | 2nd | 100 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Naya Tapper (18) | Alev Kelter (141) |
| 2019–20 | 5th | 66 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Alev Kelter (21) | Alev Kelter (171) |
| 2021 | Season cancelled due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic | |||||||
| 2021–22 | 6th | 56 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Jaz Gray (18) | |
| 2022–23 | 3rd | 108 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | 82 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | – | – | 37 | 1 | 5 | 3 | Naya Tapper (77) | Alev Kelter (624) |
* – At the start of the 2016–17 season, the plate was abandoned, with the bowl replaced by the Challenge Trophy.
Summer Olympics
| Olympic Games record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | L | D |
 2016 |
Quarterfinals | 5th | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
 2020 |
5th place match | 6th | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 0 Titles | 2/2 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 |
Rugby World Cup Sevens
| Rugby World Cup Sevens | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | L | D |
 2009 |
Semifinals |  |
5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
 2013 |
3rd place playoff | |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
 2018 |
Bronze Final | 4th | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
 2022 |
Bronze Final | 4th | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 0 Titles | 4/4 | 19 | 12 | 7 | 0 |
Rugby X Tournament
| Rugby X Tournament | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Position | Pld | W | L | D |
 2019 |
2nd | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Current squad
Squad named for the 2023 World Rugby HSBC Sevens Series in Vancouver from the 3–5 March.
| USA Women 7's | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Coach: Emilie Bydwell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–23 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Previous squads
Finish Tourney | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Plate (Fifth) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Sevens | — | 2017 | 2015 | |
| USA Sevens | — | 2013, 2015 & 2018 | — | 2014 & 2016 |
| China Sevens | — | – | 2013 | – |
| Amsterdam Sevens | — | — | — | 2013 & 2014 |
| São Paulo Sevens | — | — | — | — |
| Australia Sevens | — | 2017 | 2019 | – |
| Japan Sevens | — | – | 2019 | – |
| Canada Sevens | — | – | 2018 & 2019 | 2015 |
| France Sevens | 2019 | — | — | 2018 |
| Spain Sevens | 2022 (Malaga) | |||
| New Zealand Sevens | 2023 |
- Other Top Three Finishes
- 2005 NAWIRA Women's 7s – Champion
- 2008 NAWIRA Women's 7s – Champion
- 2015 NACRA Sevens – Champion
- 2015 Pan American Games – Silver
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- "Emilie Bydwell selected as Head Coach of USA Women's Sevens National Team". USA Rugby. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
- "IRB announces Women's Sevens World Series" (Press release). International Rugby Board. October 4, 2012. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
- Blaber, Junoir (2016-07-18). "USA Rugby Names 2016 U.S. Olympic Women's Rugby Team". rugbywrapup.com. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
- "Eagles claim third place victory with thrilling sudden death try". USA Rugby. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
- "U.S. women's rugby team earns first World Series title, Olympic spot". OlympicTalk | NBC Sports. 2019-06-17. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
