Tucson rugby player hopes Team USA U18 experience leads to 2028 Olympics | News

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – The U.S. Women’s Rugby Sevens team took the Paris Olympics by storm. 

The Eagles won their first Olympic medal ever and went viral on TikTok thanks to social media star Ilona Maher. 

While they competed in Paris, a rugby player from Tucson represented Team USA in Wales. 

“I find myself wanting to be that Olympian, wanting to be that Rugby World Cup winner,” Aleksandria Gabbard said.

Aleksandria Gabbard is one step closer to tackling her goal. The Marana High grad recently represented Team USA on the U18 Women’s Rugby team.

“We played in a tournament in Wales against the Netherlands, Wales and Scotland,” she said. “It was inspiring to collaborate and network with such teammates that are as driven as me,” she said.

That drive began when she was seven years old. In a decade, the sport has taken Gabbard all over the world.

In February, it took her to San Clemente, California to try out for the U18 squad. She was the only female rugby player from Arizona to make the team. 

“Seeing all that hard work pay off and getting me to another level of the game was a super proud moment for myself,” Gabbard said. 

“Well I get to be double proud,” Angela Wagner-Gabbard said. “I’m her mother but also her coach.”

Wagner-Gabbard coaches Aleksandria’s high school team, the Tucson Thunderbirds. It’s part of the Marana Youth Rugby Club.

She proudly watched Gabbard represent the stars and stripes, at the same time the U.S. Olympic team competed in Paris. The women won bronze, landing on the podium for the first time. 

They were hundreds of miles apart, competing in different types of competition. However, they did have one thing in common. They wore the same Team USA kit. 

“We didn’t figure out we had the same kit until we were in the airport coming back,” Gabbard said. “It really is an inspiration, saying we are those future Olympians. We’re what makes USA Rugby, USA Rugby.”

Gabbard said she hopes Team USA’s success in Paris inspires more girls to try the sport. 

“Once people see ‘oh this is an Olympic sport and we’re actually good at this’, more people will want to join the U.S. Rugby team,” she said.

“It’s inspirational what these women did in the Olympics because it shows girls what they can do,” Wagner-Gabbard said. 

Girls like Aleksandria Gabbard. 

“After this USA camp, there has been a lot of self-reflection,” Gabbard said. “I have these skills, but I need to develop them even more. With that mindset, I think there is potential for Olympics in the future and the Rugby World Cup.”

As a member of the U18 team, Gabbard is in the player pool for LA 2028 and World Cup 2033. 

In the meantime, she is preparing for her freshman year at NAU. She plans to spend one year there before going to the U.S. Naval Academy. She plans to play rugby there while studying aerospace engineering. 

If you have children ages 5 through high school, boys or girls, interested in playing rugby, they can contact Marana Youth Rugby Club for more information:

Email [email protected]

Visit the Marana Raptors Youth Rugby Club on Facebook