BC Rugby Announces Teams for Las Vegas Invitational

Home BC Rugby Announces Teams for Las Vegas Invitational

BC Rugby – BC Rugby enters 8 teams into the largest rugby tournament in North America

Vancouver, BC – March 1, 2017: BC Rugby has entered eight representative teams to compete in the Las Vegas Invitational (LVI) tournament this Thursday March 2^nd to Saturday March 4^th. After winning 4 Cup victories at this tournament last year, the teams are hoping to repeat their success this week. This tournament will be an amazing opportunity to showcase the rugby talent in BC and to provide BC players with high-level competition.

Aaron Frisby, Head Coach of the NextGen 7s teams shares, “The women’s side has retained a number of players from last season’s undefeated side and are looking to become back to back champions at the Vancouver and Las Vegas tournaments. We have added a lot more pace to the squad this year with Kaitlyn Cumming and Natalie Teteris as well as some very skillful and experienced players in Jess Harvey and Allison MacCormick.

For the men, we will be looking to progress from last year’s semi-final berth in the Aces division in Las Vegas. It’s very much a brand new squad but we’ve found some very talented players from Kelowna to the Island that will all be looking to impress for higher honours. Aaron McLelland will be the marshal on the field and we also can’t wait to see what Jeff Lohse from Kelowna can do at this level on a 7s field.”

Darcy Patterson, Head Coach for the Elite Girls 7s program shares similar enthusiasm, “I’m thrilled to see how our teams perform and gel in Vegas as this is our buildup to the National Competition. We are looking to continue with the success of last year but know that hard work from every member of our group will get us there.

It will be exciting to see how our U16s do as this is the future of our program. They have a fantastic coach in Mandy Marchak whom we are very lucky to have.

This year we have a mix of veterans and new players so it will be a great experience for everyone – especially for the new players who will be exposed to this unique competitive environment for the first time.”

BC Rugby will be post the results from the tournament early next week. Everyone is encouraged to check the BC Rugby Twitter page for updates throughout the event.

BC Rugby Team Rosters for Las Vegas Invitational:

BC Rugby Men’s NextGen 7s
Competing in Men’s Aces 7s Division

Aaron McLelland – (UBCOB Ravens RFC) Gisborne, NZ
Ed Adams – (James Bay AA) Courtney
Gino Paolella – (Burnaby Lake RC) Langley
Iokimi Vunituraga – (Burnaby Lake RC) Suva, Fiji
Jason Gagnier – (Westshore RFC) Smithers
Jeff Lohse – (Kelowna Crows) Kelowna
Jordan Tait – (Abbotsford RFC) Mission
Kieren McAuley – (James Bay AA) Victoria
Nathan Stewart – (Castaway Wanderers/Williams Lake RFC) Williams Lake
Nathan Tough – (James Bay AA) Courtney
Tua Vaa – (Westshore RFC) Tsartlip First Nations

BC Rugby Women’s NextGen 7s
Competing in Women’s Open 7s Division

Allison MacCormick – (Capilano RFC) Orangeville, ON
Annie Arnott – (Burnaby Lake RFC) Vancouver
Chelsea Fowler – (Abbotsford RFC) Mission
Danielle Fearns – (SFU) Surrey
Elyssa Phillipson – (Abbotsford RFC) Aldergrove
Jess Harvey – (Burnaby Lake RC) Brampton, ON
Kaitlyn Cumming – (Kamloops RC) Calgary, AB
Mackenzie Fowler – (Abbotsford RFC) Mission
Meghan Wellis – (Abbotsford RFC) White Rock
Natalie Teteris – (Abbotsford RFC) Abbotsford

NextGen 7s Team Staff
Head Coach – Aaron Frisby
Women’s Team Assistant Coach – Emily Young
Team Manager – Melissa Ngawati
Team Doctor – Kevin Sommerfeldt

BC Rugby Elite Girls’ 7s – U18
Roster for 2 squads that will be divided into Gold (Elite) and Blue (Open) squads

Asia Franklin – (Cranbrook RC) Cranbrook
Berlyn Seselja – (Bayside RFC) South Surrey
Callie Harder – (Lillooet High School) Lillooet
Denise Roy – (Rugby Canada) Cowichan
Elizabeth Gotuaco – (Kamloops Rugby Club) Kamloops
Emma Feldinger – (Lake City Falcons – High School) Williams Lake
Faith Fitzpatcik – (Maple Ridge Bruins RC) Maple Ridge
Grace Campbell – (Kamloops Rugby Club) Kamloops
Hananah Scherr – (Charles Haye Secondary) Prince Rupert
Hunter Czeppel – (Abbotsford Rugby Club) Abbotsford
Jordyn Myers – (Abbotsford Rugby Club) Langley
Kally King – (Kamloops Rugby Club) Kamloops
Kashish Arya – (Abbotsford Rugby Club) Abbotsford
Kelsey White – (Castaway Wanderers) Victoria
Nicola Smith – (Bayside RFC) South Surrey
Payton Cochrane – (Castaway Wanderers) Victoria
Payton Yee – (United Rugby Club) Coquitlam
Shalaya Valenzuela – (Abbotsford Rugby Club) Abbotsford
Shaye Tudor – (Castaway Wanderers) Victoria
Shoshanah Seumanutafa – (Bayside RFC) South Surrey
Tanika Bonneville – (Bayside RFC) Bayside RFC
Tausani Levale – (Abbotsford Rugby Club) Abbotsford
Tayler Bailey – (Abbotsford Rugby Club) Abbotsford
Valerie Wideski – (Bayside RFC) Richmond
Vivianna Johnson – (Abbotsford Rugby Club) Mission

BC Rugby Elite Girls’ 7s – U16
Competing in U16 Girls JV 7s

Abigail Schulz – (Abbotsford Rugby Club) Abbotsford
Amelia Gordon – (Castaway Wanderers) Victoria
Chloe Hill-Huse – (Castaway Wanderers) Victoria
Maggie Mackinnon – (Crimson Tide) Sooke
Cynthia Martin – (Burnaby Lake RFC), Burnaby
Emily Meier – (Abbotsford Rugby Club) Abbotsford
Kira Peary – (Abbotsford Rugby Club) Abbotsford
Maelle Reed – (Castaway Wanderers) Victoria
Devon Riding – (United Rugby Club) Coquitlam
Halle Smith – (Kamloops Rugbly Club) Barrierre
Rachel Smith – (Earl Marriott) Surrey
Mikayla Sweeting – (Abbotsford Rugby Club) Abbotsford

Elite Girls 7s Team Staff
U18 Gold Team – Darcy Patterson
U18 Blue Team – Stuart McGee
U16 Head Coach – Mandy Marchak
Medical Staff: Morgan Sangster and Naomi Ogawa

BC Rugby Elite Boys’ 7s – U18 Gold
Competing in U18 Boys Elite 7s

Chris Small – (Capilano RFC/Sutherland Secondary School) North Vancouver
Connor Byron – (Abbotsford RFC/Yale Secondary School) Abbotsford
Conor Sinclair – (Shawnigan Lake School) Cranbook
Corben Bowen – (Abbotsford RFC/Sardis Secondary School) Chilliwack
Henry Davitt – (Capilano/Sutherland Secondary School) North Vancouver
Jack Scher – (St. George’s School) Vancouver
Jim Newman – (Castaway Wanderers) Victoria
Koro Korobasaga – (Burnaby Lake/Queen Elizabeth Secondary School) Surrey
Lachlan Kratz – (Castaway Wanderers/Oak Bay High School) Victoria
Max Radcliffe – (Bayside RFC) Surrey
Quinn Ngawati – (Westshore) Victoria
William McDougall-Percillier – (Cowichan RFC/Brentwood College School) Mill Bay

BC Rugby Elite Boys’ 7s – U18 Navy
Competing in High School Boys Open 7s

Colten Smith – (Cowichan RFC) Cowichan Bay
Dexter Macdonald – (Lord Byng Secondary School) Vancouver
Israel Bain – (Unaffiliated) Abbotsford
Jarvis Dashkewytch – (Brit Lions RC/South Delta Secondary School) Delta
Julian Foggitt – (Westshore RFC) Victoria
Keiran Marret-Hitch – (Cowichan RFC) Victoria
Quinton Brown – (Bayside RFC) White Rock
Ryan Agyagos – (Capilano RFC) North Vancouver
Sam Kahn – (Castaway Wanderers) Victoria
Sion Griffiths – (Cowichan RFC) Mill Bay
Ty Benson – (Cowichan RFC) Cobble Hill
Zephyr Melnyk – (Cowichan/Tsunami Rugby Academy) Gabriola Island

BC Rugby Elite Boys’ 7s – U16
Competing in U16 Boys JV 7s

Conner Palmer – (UBCOB Ravens RFC) Vancouver
Daniel Parkins – (Capilano RFC) North Vancouver
Ethan Turner – (Abbotsford RFC) Maple Ridge
Jacob Bourne – (UBCOB Ravens RFC) Vancouver
Joel Abdel-Barr – (Capilano RFC) West Vancouver
Joshua Elbourne – (James Bay AA) Victoria
Landon Clironomos – (UBCOB Ravens RFC) Burnaby
Matthew McDougall-Percillier – (Cowichan RFC) Mill Bay
Max Brittingham – (UBCOB Ravens RFC) Vancouver
Nathan Holm – (Capilano RFC) West Vancouver
Thomas Kirkwood – (UBCOB Ravens RFC) Vancouver
Torren Kaiser – (Cowichan RFC) Duncan

Elite Boys’ 7s Team Staff
Head Coach – Shane Thompson
Assistant Coaches – Jon Thiel, Greg Dixon and Harjun Gill
Athletic Therapist – Gareth Adams

About the Las Vegas Invitational Tournament
The Las Vegas Invitational — the largest rugby tournament in North America — will take place March 2 – 4, 2017 and will be played alongside the USA Sevens international rugby tournament held annually in Las Vegas. The LVI is considered the premier amateur rugby event in the United States, featuring athletes and match-ups across a wide-range of rugby divisions and age groups.

About BC Rugby NextGen 7s Programs
BC Rugby offers a provincial men’s and women’s program for players who have graduated from the Elite Youth age group and want to continue to develop their skills in the Sevens game. These teams will represent BC in the Las Vegas Invitational tournament as well as the Vancouver Rugby Festival in March 2017.

About BC Rugby Elite Youth 7s Programs
The BC Rugby Elite Girls’ 7s and Elite Boys’ 7s Programs are designed to help develop young athletes into the rugby players who will be best qualified to represent Canada with distinction at future Olympic Games and on the World Rugby 7s circuit.

The BC Rugby Elite Girls’ 7s Program is proudly supported by the Onni Group.
The BC Rugby Elite Boys’ 7s Program is proudly supported by Adera.

More information about BC Rugby

The British Columbia Rugby Union, commonly known as BC Rugby, is the governing body for Rugby in British Columbia and is a Provincial Union of Rugby Canada, the national governing body. Representing over 7,500 individuals registered through around 60 Member Clubs and Associations across the Province, BC Rugby leads and manages the sport with the aim to grow participation and develop excellence in all games of Rugby and in all facets of the sport.

Web: bcrugby.com

Twitter: twitter.com/bcrugbyunion

Facebook: facebook.com/bcrugbyunion

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For further information, please contact:

BC Rugby

Cassie Xiong

Marketing & Communications Manager
cxiong@bcrugby.com

Tel: +1- 604-737-3070