Naya Tapper

Naya Elena Tapper (born August 3, 1994) is an American rugby sevens player. She debuted for the United States rugby union team in 2016. She was selected for the squad to the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup in Ireland.[2][3][4]

Naya Tapper
Tapper in 2017.
Born (1994-08-03) August 3, 1994
Beaufort, South Carolina[1]
EducationWest Mecklenburg
(Charlotte, North Carolina)
Alma materUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight176 lb (80 kg)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2021-2023 Southern Headliners ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2016– United States 12
National sevens team(s)
Years Team Comps
2016– United States 7s
Medal record
Women's rugby sevens
Representing the  United States
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 2019 Lima Team competition
Websitenayatapper.com

Early life

Like most of her teammates Tapper began her rugby career while attending her first year of college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[5] She majored in Exercise and Sport Science with a minor in Spanish.[6] She was an All-American athlete at West Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, North Carolina.[7]

Rugby career

USA Sevens

Tapper made her rugby sevens debut at the 2016 São Paulo Women's Sevens.[8]

Tapper was among 12 women rugby players selected to represent Team USA at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.[9] She was selected to represent the United States at the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.[10][11]

Tapper was named a team captain in 2022, leading the USA Women's Sevens to a third place finish and automatic qualification for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.[12][13]

Tapper was the first USA Woman to reach 100 tries and is the all time leading try scorer for the USA Women's team.[14] Her chase down tackle that saved a try against Ireland at the 2021 Dubai Sevens was named the #1 Play on ESPN's SportCenter Top 10 plays.[15]

USA Fifteens

In 2016, Tapper was selected for the Eagles squad to compete at the Women's Rugby Super Series.[16] She was selected for the squad to the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup in Ireland where they would finish in fourth place.[2][3][4]

Premier Rugby Sevens

Tapper was named as one of the 10 initial ambassadors for Premier Rugby Sevens in 2021.[17] She was subsequently named captain of the Headliners women's team for the 2021 Championship in Memphis. The team would finish second to the Loonies despite winning in group play.[18]

Tapper was named to the 2022 roster for the Headliners as well, but did not make any appearances during the 2022 season.[19]

Tapper returned to the field for the Headliners in 2023, once again as captain. She would lead the team to series wins at the Eastern Conference Kickoff in Austin, as well as at the Eastern Conference Finals in Pittsburgh.[20][21] The Headliners would qualify for the Championship tournament in Washington, D.C. but would ultimately fall to New York Locals in the semi finals.[22] Tapper was named a finalist for the season long MVP but would ultimately lose out to fellow US teammate Alev Kelter.[23]

Personal life

Tapper has been involved with a number of non-profit initiatives around growing participation rates in rugby, particularly in the southern United States. She has been a board member of Memphis Inner City Rugby since 2021.[24]

References
  1. Naya Tapper | USA Rugby Eagle Profiles. usa.rugby. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  2. Wise, Chad (July 17, 2017). "Eagles announced for Women's Rugby World Cup 2017 in Ireland". USA Rugby. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  3. "Women Eagles Name World Cup Squad". www.thisisamericanrugby.com. July 17, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  4. "New caps in Women's Eagles World Cup squad". Americas Rugby News.com. July 20, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  5. "Team USA's Naya Tapper Is Proving Women Belong in Rugby". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  6. "Scholar Profile: Naya Tapper". The Carolina Covenant. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  7. Flynn, Ryan (March 20, 2015). "Spotlight Player of The Week: Naya Tapper". gifttimerugby.com. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  8. "Naya Tapper | Player Profile | USA Eagles". eagles.rugby. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  9. "Tokyo Olympics 101: Who's qualified for Team USA? | NBC Olympics". www.nbcolympics.com. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  10. "USA names rosters for Sevens World Cup". Americas Rugby News. September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  11. Cahill, Calder (September 1, 2022). "Women's Eagles Sevens target podium chase as roster is named for the Rugby World Cup Sevens". eagles.rugby. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  12. "Big Plays Secure 3rd in Cape Town for USA Women | Goff Rugby Report". www.goffrugbyreport.com. December 11, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  13. "U.S. women's rugby team qualifies for 2024 Paris Olympics as medal contender". NBC Sports. March 31, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  14. "Meet our Athletes". paritynow.co. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  15. Tabani, Aalina (December 4, 2021). "USA Women's Sevens finish fifth in second round of HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series | Latest Rugby News | USA Rugby". usa.rugby. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  16. Finlan, Jackie (June 15, 2016). "Tapper Veers Off Path, Reps USA". The Rugby Breakdown: Women's News. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  17. World, Rugby (May 19, 2021). "New professional sevens league in North America". Rugby World. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  18. News, Americas Rugby (October 10, 2021). "Premier Rugby Sevens crowns inaugural champions". Americas Rugby News. Retrieved September 23, 2023. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  19. "CARLIN ISLES AND NAYA TAPPER TO HEADLINE THE HEADLINERS | Premier Rugby Sevens". www.prsevens.com. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  20. "Record Crowd Sees Headliners and Team Triumph in Austin | Premier Rugby Sevens". www.prsevens.com. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  21. Santa, John (July 24, 2023). "Pittsburgh Steeltoes men's team wins Premier Rugby Sevens Eastern Conference final title, advances to PR7s Championships". Pittsburgh Union Progress. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  22. "Women's Northern Loonies and Men's SoCal Rhinos x Loggerheads win 2023 Premier Rugby Sevens Championships | Premier Rugby Sevens". www.prsevens.com. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  23. "Alev Kelter and Alasio Naduva Win 2023 Premier Rugby Sevens Most Value Player Awards | Premier Rugby Sevens". www.prsevens.com. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  24. "Our Team". Memphis Inner City Rugby. Retrieved September 23, 2023.


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