On Monday it was announced that longtime USA Women’s 7s Rugby head coach, Ric Suggitt, was stepping down from the national team. After seeing great success this past season with the USA Women 7s finishing 5th in the Women’s World Rugby Sevens Series and an Olympic Qualification for Rio 2016 Olympics, the Women’s Rugby 7s team has been flying high.
Today, USA Rugby announced that Julie McCoy, founder of the American Rugby Pro Training Center and former Little Rock Rugby Club coach, will take over as the new head coach for the USA Women’s 7s team leading into the Olympics. In a press release by USA Rugby, it was discussed what provided the decision for this move:
“Coach McCoy has worked extensively with our elite as well as developing athletes. She has coached XVs, 7s, women, men, all-star, academy, club, u-23s, with a proven track record of delivering victories under pressure,” noted USA Rugby Director of Performance, Alex Magleby.
“More importantly, Jules is a positive role-model for young women, as a former Eagle athlete, practicing physician, coach, and entrepreneur. Her proven leadership will be welcomed by all in the Eagles Sevens family over the coming days as we build a cohesive team towards Rio.”
McCoy is not new to the Women’s National 7s program, as she was formerly head coach for the team from 2006-2009. During her previous tenure, she achieved wins in the Dubai 7s, Hong Kong 7s, and USA 7s, as well as a 4th place finish in the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens.
Recently, McCoy has been utilizing her skills to create one of the national development academies around the country, and dominating in tournaments. Out of her facility, that has only been been active since 2014, she has had multiple athletes capped for the USA National side, won the USA Rugby Club 7s Championships and came in second in the Elite City 7s tournament.
We want to wish Coach McCoy the best of luck in this endeavor