The Atlantis Rugby Corporation and APEX Academy have named its Girls U19 squads for the Las Vegas Invitational (Feb. 12-13). Twenty-four players will be split into two squads - one in the eight-team Serevi High School Girls Elite 7s Division, the other in the 24-team High School Girls Open Division. When included with the Atlantis U16s, the player pool represents 10 states and one Canadian province.

Oklahoma rugby and swimming standout Neariah Persinger and Coloradoans Meg Rose, Jodi Losch and Rachel Fitch all played for Atlantis at the New York 7s in November and return for Vegas. Persinger, who shone at the American Pro Rugby Training Center (APRTC™) in Little Rock also represented the Atlantis Senior Women in Tobago in December. Sacramento Amazons' young powerhouse Mele Tausinga and former HSAA Dana Alimena (Doylestown, PA) also return to the squad for their second Las Vegas trip with the Teal, having featured on the original Atlantis team in 2014. Tausinga will be joined by high school teammates Mary Jane Pasioles and freshman standout Haungatau Malieti, while Doylestown and RugbyPA standout Sophia Pryz reunites with Alimena for her first Atlantis adventure.

Kealakehe High School rugby and volleyball star Nika Paogofie-Buyten, who has spent time in Chula Vista at the Olympic Training Center, will travel from the big island to join the squad, and Cegep Heritage College (Gatineau, QC) winger Lia Hoyte travels south across the border to join the team she played against in November (Atlantis’ only loss was to Team Quebec) on Randall’s Island. Also heading from the Great Northeast is 15s HSAA candidate Caitria Sands (Essex, VT).

Kianna ‘Coco’ Saffings (Dixon, CA) who helped anchor the Serevi Cup-winning APEX side in Seattle last August is back and brings fellow northern Californians Ariana Lewis (Rancho Cordova Lancers) and Tiegan MacDonald and Loren Roundtree of the Pleasanton Cavaliers with her. ICEF’s Domonique Bellinger was also in Seattle (Women’s Club 7s Nationals) and travels north with Annakaren Pedraza and Johanna Pasutin from the Fullerton Lady Lions program in Southern California. The Fullerton duo is hoping to follow in former Lion Hannah Gauthreaux who played for APEX last LVI before a stint at the APRTC™ with Julie McCoy, a finals appearance with Old Blue in Seattle and Atlantis in Tobago, and a Division II ACRA National Championship.

Also earning their number from Emperor Emil Signes will be Grace Kiraly (Penn, IN), Kaleina Paula (Chaparral, CO), Ifeoma Agali (North KC, MO), Molly Polendy (Denton, TX) and NJ Blaze’s Melanie Marotta (Morris, NJ). Kiraly, along with Sands and Fitch, was in Greeley this past summer with the HSAA Program while Marotta was a Youth Olympic alternate for China. Polendey, now located in Texas, featured on last year's Kent Crusaders squad and was selected to the NIT DI All-Tournament team. Young rising stars Paula and Agali bring raw power and speed waiting to be polished in the Entertainment Capital of the World.

“We have a great mix of experience and youth, speed and power,” said APEX Director and Atlantis Coach Karl Barth. “We are really looking forward to putting a great product out on the pitch and competing in two really challenging brackets. I think that women’s rugby sevens looks good going forward with the talent that will be on display in Vegas Elite and Open divisions.”

The teams will be coached by Barth (APEX, Atlantis, Summit, and former USA) and Billy Nicholas (Old Blue, Lindenwood, APEX, Atlantis) and managed by former USA College All-American and U20 standout MacKenzie Lewis, who is also the current Mesa State coach. Robby Courtney (University of Northern Colorado) will serve as U19 trainer.

“I’m looking forward to continue to work with Atlantis program to serve the U19 girls in the elite and open brackets, which is critical for both age grade rugby and talent identification,” stated Nicholas. “The opportunity to work with Karl and this talented group of athletes is one I’m very excited about.”

ATLANTIS GIRLS U19 POOL

Ifeoma Agali (North Kansas City, MO)
Dana Alimena (Doylestown, PA)
Domonique Bellinger (ICEF, CA)
Rachel Fitch (Summit, CO)
Lia Hoyte (Gatineua, QC)
Grace Kiraly (Penn, IN)
Ariana Lewis (Rancho Cordova, CA)
Jodi Losch (Summit, CO)
Tiegan MacDonald (Pleasanton Cavaliers, CA)
Haungatau Malieti (Sacramento Amazons, CA)
Melanie Marotta (Morris, NJ)
Nika Paogofie-Buyten (Kealakehe, HI)
Mary Jane Pasioles (Sacramento Amazons, CA)
Johanna Pasutin (Fullerton, CA)
Kaleina Paula (Chaparral, CO)
Annakaren Pedraza (Fullerton, CA)
Neariah Persinger (Broken Arrow, OK)
Molly Polendey (Denton, TX)
Sophia Pryz (Doylestown, PA)
Meg Rose (Summit, CO)
Loren Roundtree (Pleasanton Cavaliers, CA)
Caitria Sands (Essex, VT)
Kianna Saffings (Dixon, CA)
Mele Tausinga (Sacramento Amazons, CA)

Coach: Karl Barth

Coach: Billy Nicholas

Begun in 1986 as an Eastern U.S. venture, short for "Atlantic Sevens," Atlantis quickly became a nationwide enterprise. Their color (aquamarine), their logo, and the Roman numerals on their jerseys were all inspired by the Atlantis legend. The Atlantis women first played in 1992, and last year, the first-ever Atlantis High School Girls team finished second at the LVI.

APEX was formed in 2013 to provide higher-level training and playing opportunities to high school girls in the United States. Based out of Colorado the team has a pool of athletes who are assisted in nutrition, mental skills, tactics, skill development, speed and strength training. On the pitch the squad posted a Plate victory in Las Vegas and a Serevi Cup title in Seattle in 2014. 

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