Next up for the Women Eagles 15s Program is a a Red/White intra-squad match to be held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on Saturday, November 22, 2008, as the headline match at the U19 Invitational NASC.

Head Coach Kathy Flores said, "while not a Test match, this event is an opportunity to play with and against the other top women rugby players in the country, to continue to develop skills under pressure, and to showcase talent to the WNT coaches and to the U19 athletes who aspire to become Eagles. "

Flores wants to assemble "the top 44 available players at the moment and create a structure for them to create their own game plan and compete as teams. The match will provide a needed arena to improve the skills and speed of decision-making necessary for us to be competitive at the international level. With just 2 years until the next World Cup, our players need time together to improve their skills and also understand and anticipate their teammates' decision-making process to improve our support play. The coaching staff is excited about the opportunity to watch the players problem solve, giving us insight into the areas we feel we may excel at and those we need to concentrate on in the future."

The 44 athletes invited to attend:

1. Stacy Baker, Prop, Philadelphia
2. Jaime Burke, Prop, Beantown
3. Farrah Douglas, Prop, Chicago North Shore
4. Sharyn Wacht, Prop, Beantown
5. Angie Marfisi, Prop, Philadelphia
6. Kristin Aliberto, Prop, Philadelphia
7. Lisa Butts, Hooker, Davis Women
8. Meredith Hegg, Hooker, Philadelphia
9. Rachel Primo, Hooker, NOVA
10. Adetayo (Tayo) Mafe, Hooker/Flanker, Michigan State University
11. Sarah Walsh, Lock, Chicago North Shore
12. Christina Hobson, Lock/8, New York
13. Jenny Menke, Lock MN Valykyries
14. Kati McCormick, Lock, UWI - Milwaukee
15. Anneke Brand, Lock, Texas Tech
16. Stacey Bridges, Lock/Prop, Texas A & M
17. Kristin Zdanczewizc, Flanker, MN Valykyries
18. Beckett Royce, Flanker, ORSU
19. Mel Denham, Flanker, Beantown
20. Victoria Folayan, Flanker, Berkeley All-Blues
21. Allyson Hemstreet, Flanker Berkeley All-Blues
22. Brea Hughes, Lock/8 At-large
23. Kate Daley, 8
24. Liz Dilley, Flanker/8 Washington Furies
25. Jossy Tseng, Scrumhalf, Berkeley All-Blues
26. Katy Hertel, Scrumhalf, MN Valkyries
27. Wendy Young, Scrumhalf, Austin Valkyries
28. Ramey Marshall, Scrumalf, ORSU
29. Kristin Baja, Flyhalf, New York
30. Mel Kanuk, Flyhalf/Center, DC Furies
31. Brenna Costello, Flyhalf, Atlanta
32. Hannah Stolba, Flyhalf, MN Valkyries
33. Emilie Bydwell, Center, Beantown
34. Lynelle Kugler, Center, Glendale
35. Elise Myer, Center, NOVA
36. San Juanita Moreno, Center, ORSU
37. Vanesha McGee, Wing, Philadelphia
38. Nathalie Marchino, Wing, Berkeley All-Blues
39. Desiree Markovich, Wing, MN Valkyries
40. Katie Dowty, Wing, Beantown
41. Ashley English, Fullback, Berkeley All-Blues
42. Ashley Kmiecik, Fullback, Emerald City Mudhens
43. Sara Leary, Fullback
44. Claire Gregorich, Fullback, Glendale

10.10.08 - Current Eagle Kristen Baja discusses what being an Eagle means to her. This series of videos, shot during the Women Eagles' recent Nations Cup tour to England, shows a personal side to our hard-working Women Eagles.

Members of the Women's National 7s Team at the Bronxville Camp.

from USA Rugby.com
BOULDER, Colo. - Following the footwork and skills camp in Little Rock over the weekend, USA Women's Sevens Team Coach Julie McCoy has named her final squad set to compete at the upcoming Rugby World Cup Sevens Qualifier in the Bahamas on October 25-26.

The team of 12 athletes, plus two traveling reserves was chosen from an initial pool of 21 athletes who assembled at the Greater Little Rock Inc. Rugby Complex to undergo fitness testing September 26-28. Saturday's work was spent on attack, and the players spent Sunday working on defensive footwork and tracking drills with USA Defensive Specialist Coach Peter Baggetta. The weekend culminated in four seven-minute scrimmages used for selection purposes.

"Overall, I thought the squad fitness was good, although there is room for improvement, as the numbers are non-peaking," Coach McCoy said. "We are working hard together on the principles of Sevens, practicing the fundamentals and adding pressure to the group."

"So far the athletes are showing great mental strength and responding to the challenge with great maturity and poise. I also have a great staff and consider myself a very lucky coach to have such great support," she added.

Upon final evaluations from the Women's Sevens coaching staff, the following players were named to represent the USA at the NAWIRA (North America West Indies Rugby Association) regional World Cup Qualifier:

• Kirsten Ahrendt (Keystone RFC)
• Ida Bernstein (Keystone RFC)
• Ellie Karvoski (Little Rock RFC)
• Phaidra Knight (New York RFC)
• Pam Kosanke (Chicago North Shore RFC)
• Teena Mastrangelo (Chicago North Shore RFC)
• Christy Ringgenberg - Captain (Minnesota Valkyries RFC)
• Ines Rodriguez (Keystone RFC)
• Jen Sinkler (Keystone RFC)
• Lindsey Stephenson (At-Large)
• Jess Watkins (Stanford University)
• Kelly White (Belmont Shore RFC)

Reserves: Tyshawn Henry (New York RFC) and Melissa McKibben (Kansas City RFC)

Also present at the camp were: Amy Daniels (Beantown RFC), Yancy Graf (Beantown RFC), Alison Price - inj. (New York RFC), Jenn Starkey - inj. (NOVA RFC), Donna Thomas - inj. (Little Rock RFC), and non-traveling reserves Lauren Rosso (Keystone RFC) and Heidi Whitman (Austin RFC)

USA Women's Staff includes: Head Coach Julie McCoy, assistant coaches Chris Ryan and Drew Fautley, Team Manager Sadeana Green, General Manager Tristan Lewis and physios Dr. Lisa Bartoli and Michael Moses.

The team next assembles in Miami, Fla. from October 18-22, before heading to the Bahamas for the Sevens WC Qualifier on October 23. The USA Women must finish among the top two places out of their North American and Caribbean competition to qualify for the Rugby World Cup Sevens.

Given the team qualifies, the U.S. Women will train together in Little Rock starting in mid-January and spanning through the end of February before McCoy names the final squad for the IRB Rugby World Cup Sevens, which will be held in Dubai from March 5-7.

9.2.08 - National 7s head coach Julie McCoy has announced the practice squad leading up to the 2009 Seven's World Cup. Following the National All-Star Sevens Championships, the final selections for the squad of 20 players plus 11 reserves will now continue on the road to the 2009 World Cup.

McCoy said, "these players have been selected to represent the US in the next World Cup. This elite squad will now practice and play together through the World Cup. We won't be looking any further for additional athletes. All Non traveling reserves will be expected to participate in the training and skills programs outside the camps, readying themselves for duty in the event players in the Practice Squad are dropped."

"The squad includes 3 developmental players, who are just out of the collegiate program or the developmental program. These players are included as we look forward to the next World Cup cycle."

All 20 players have already pledged their full commitment to attending every training camp scheduled to be held over the months leading into the Sevens RWC in Dubai next March.

"So far, the process has been very encouraging, as we've been fortunate to get 20 athletes to commit to taking a month away from personal obligations such as work and school to dedicate themselves fully to training. I'm very pleased at the number of athletes who have stepped up to the challenge and fully committed to winning the World Cup. Everyone is focused on the task at hand and I'm confident we can make enough progress needed to return from Dubai with the Cup," McCoy added.

McCoy has also named a handful of non-training reserves to this pool. These are players who were on the cusp of being in the top 20, and have committed to training along the same lines as the practice squad.

"The non-training reserves will train along with the 20 person pool at the same time," McCoy explained. "If we should have needs such as filling in for an athlete who should sustain a significant injury that would require 3-6 months off of training, or if a player initially chosen to the practice squad lacks progress in her fitness testing, we may bring up a player from the non-traveling reserves selections."

McCoy also is working with the USA Board of Directors and the City of Little Rock to ensure that players will not have to pay out-of-pocket for their upcoming travel and board expenses. Additionally, a stipend will assist players with other expenses.

"Giving the USA Women's Sevens Team the chance to compete and even win the Sevens World Cup is a top priority for USA Rugby and the Board of Directors and we're thankful for their provision of full (financial) support of these plans," Coach McCoy said."

Also released was a provisional schedule for the squad which, given that the team qualifies, culiminates in the final squad's participation in the Seven's World Cup in Dubai, U.A.E in March 2009.

Congratulations to the following players selected for the Women's National Team Sevens Player Pool:

View the World Cup Practice Squad.

Provisional WNT Sevens Calendar

• Sept. 4-7: US 7s Practice Camp, Bronxville NY
• Sept. 26-28: US 7s Footwork/Skills Camp, Little Rock, AR
  Fitness testing held to determine squad for the Qualifier. (12 players plus 2 travelling reserves)
• Oct. 18-22: US WC Qualifying Assembly, Miami, FL
• Oct. 23-27: US WC Qualifier, Nassau, Bahamas
• Nov. 22-Dec. 1: Dubai Sevens, Dubai, U.A.E
• Jan. 16-18: Little Rock Camp - Full squad testing/skills camp
• Jan. 30-Feb. 9: Little Rock Residency Program, full squad
• Feb. 9-16: USA 7s, San Diego, CA
  2 full squads to compete
• Feb 16-23: Little Rock Residency training
  WC Squad of 12 plus 2 travelling reserves selected during this week
• March 1-9: World Cup 2009, Dubai, U.A.E

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Canada and USA women primed for qualifier
Canada Women's Sevens coach Natascha Wesch has charged her players with winning the NAWIRA regional qualifier for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009, which takes place in the Bahamas on 25-26 October. Read more from the IRB.

England to host Women's RWC 2010
The International Rugby Board has announced that England will host Women's Rugby World Cup 2010. The prestigious tournament, which was last held in Edmonton, Canada in 2006, will be staged in London. Read more from the IRB.