Rugby may not be entirely mainstream, but U.S. women’s Olympic rugby team may have just made that mentality a thing of the past. The extraordinary team, including Olympic veteran and captain Naya Tapper, Ariana Ramsey and Kristen Thomas, made history on Tuesday, earning Team USA its first medal in women’s rugby sevens as they took home the bronze. The historic victory pushes fans to get to know the sport better and gives it the attention (and funding) it deserves stateside.
Get to know Ramsey, Tapper and Thomas below.
Ariana Ramsey
According to Team USA, Ramsey is from Philadelphia and is 24. Her rugby career started in high school when she opted to try it after participating in competitive cheerleading since she was 10. According to her website, she was invited to play with Team USA in 2020, and the rest is history. Before her Olympic bronze win, Ramsey played for notable rugby teams like the Whitehorse Rugby and Atlantis Rugby.
Naya Tapper
Tapper is one of the biggest names in American rugby, making her debut at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, USA Today reported. The 29-year-old is now captain of Team USA and holds the record for most tries in U.S. women’s rugby sevens history. Tapper’s commitment to rugby goes beyond the field; she’s a rugby mentor and Memphis Inner City Rugby board member. The South Carolinian also appeared as a model on an episode of Project Runway that highlighted athletes set to compete in the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.
Kristen Thomas
Thomas is a powerhouse on the field, returning to Team USA for her second Olympics. According to the Human Rights Campaign, the 31-year-old started playing rugby during her freshman year of college, having grown up participating in track and field and basketball. She made her USA women’s team debut at the 2015 São Paulo women’s sevens. She enjoys carpentry, sewing, baking, rollerskating, and playing video games when not dominating the field.
