Women’s Eagles name 2016 Player Pool

USA Women’s Eagles head coach Pete Steinberg has named 49 players in his player pool for 2016, with less than half named – 21 in total – having previous experience at test level. The group includes 16 players still eligible for u20 rugby and only seven returnees from the 2014 World Cup.

Experienced front row starters Sarah Chobot, Katy Augustyn, and Hope Rogers head up the forward group, along with World Cup captain and no8 Kate Daley. Chobot led the team during the 2015 Women’s Super Series in Daley’s absence. Halfbacks Deven Owsiany and Kimberly Rozier return, while midfielder Sylvia Braaten is the only three quarter left from the team that traveled to France.

The group will be assessed during the National All-Star Competition in June, after which a team will be selected to prepare for the 2016 Women’s Super Series that includes matches against England, Canada, and France. Players currently involved with the Women’s Eagles 7s program were not considered but may be added at the conclusion of the Rio Olympics in August.

FORWARDS
Baylee Annis (Burlington), Katie Augustyn (Berkeley), Catie Benson (Life West), Stacey Bridges (Twin Cities), Elizabeth Cairns (Penn State), Sarah Chobot (Glendale), Kate Daley (Chicago North Shore), Yejadai Dunn (Dartmouth), Tiffany Faaee (NYRC), Frieda Fetu’u (Berkeley), Maxine Fonua (Berkeley), Jordan Gray (BYU), Bailey Johnson (Minnesota State), Molly Kinsella (Glendale), Joanna Kitlinski (Glendale), Eta Mailau (Vipers), Val McGuire (Norwich), Sam Pankey (DC Furies), Sara Parsons (UN Reno), Christiane Phiel (Chicago North Shore), Megan Pinson (Life West), Taylah Pipkin (Penn State), Jamila Reinhardt (Augusta), Hope Rogers (Penn State), Rachel Ryan (Glendale), Haley Schafer (Central Washington), Nicole Strasko (Life), Alycia Washington (Hartford), Frances Wehrwein (Berkeley)

BACKS
Rose Bernheim (Colorado Springs), Sylvia Braaten (Twin Cities), Ruth Bryson (Berkeley), Sarah Buonopane (Beantown), Bianca Dalal (San Diego), Tess Feury (Penn State), Megan Foster (Life West), Hannah Lockwood (San Diego), Jennifer Lui (Glendale), Saskia Morgan (Brown), Uzo Okoro (Brown), Erin Overcash (Glendale), Deven Owsiany (San Diego), Lauren Rhode (NYRC), Kimberly Rozier (DC Furies), Francis Sands (Norwich), Asinate Serevi (Central Washington), Jenn Sever (Life West), Kelsi Stockert (Seattle), Elizabeth Trujillo (San Diego)