Sylvia Braaten

Last updated
Sylvia Braaten
Date of birth (1985-07-05) July 5, 1985 (age 39)
Height1.72 m (5 ft 7+12 in)
Weight70 kg (150 lb; 11 st 0 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2011–2019 United States 14 (0)
Coaching career
YearsTeam
2025– Twin Cities Gemini (Head Coach)

Sylvia Braaten (born July 5, 1985) is an American rugby union coach and former player. She competed for the United States at the 2014 and 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup's.

Contents

Early career

Braaten played basketball, tennis and soccer in high school. She graduated from Marquette University where she discovered rugby. [1] [2] She represented the United States development teams in the under-19s and under-23s. [3]

Rugby career

Braaten made her debut for the United States in 2011. [2] She was a member of the Eagles squad that participated at the 2014 Rugby World Cup in France. [4] [5]

In 2016, She was part of The Serevi Selects team that played at the Bayleys Coral Coast 7s tournament in Fiji. [6] Later that year she was signed by BiPro as the brand's fifth professional rugby player. [7] She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

Braaten was named in the Eagles squad for the 2017 Rugby World Cup in Ireland. [8] [9] She was cited for contact with the eye area in the Eagles pool match against England at the World Cup. [10] [4]

Coaching

She was appointed as the Assistant Coach, and the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the U.S. Women's Under-20s side in 2019. [11] [9] In 2025, she was announced as the Head Coach for the Twin Cities Gemini for the inaugural season of the Women's Elite Rugby competition. [12] [13]

References

  1. Luehr, Robb (3 September 2011). "Braaten discovers new love in rugby". Journal Times.com. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  2. 1 2 Strickler, Colton (2020-11-13). "DNVR Rugby Podcast: USA Eagles Nick James and Sylvia Braaten - DNVR Sports". thednvr.com. Retrieved 2025-03-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. "Coaches". University of Minnesota Womens Rugby Club. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  4. 1 2 "Harvard Women's Rugby Adds Sylvia Braaten to Coaching Staff". djcoilrugby. 2019-07-19. Retrieved 2025-03-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. Young, Wendy (2014-07-08). "USA Rugby Women's Eagles' World Cup squad announced". YSCRugby – Women's Rugby News. Retrieved 2017-09-21.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. "Serevi Selects in Fiji". The Rugby Breakdown: Women's News. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  7. Satzinger, Jack (9 December 2016). "Press Releases: BiPro Signs Sylvia Braaten, The Brand's Fifth Professional Rugby Player". www.biprousa.com. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  8. "New caps in Women's Eagles World Cup squad". Americas Rugby News.com. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. 1 2 Tabani, Aalina (2020-02-07). "2020 Performance Squad announced for Women's National Team XVs". eagles.rugby. Retrieved 2025-03-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. rugbybworldcup.com (2017-08-18). "Womens Rugby World Cup 2017". www.rwcwomens.com. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  11. Tabani, Aalina (2019-04-25). "USA Rugby names staff for Women's Under-20 and Collegiate All-American programs". eagles.rugby. Retrieved 2025-03-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. "Women's Elite Rugby (WER) Announces 2025 Head Coaches for Inaugural Season". Women's Elite Rugby. 2024-10-24. Retrieved 2025-03-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. "Spotlight on Sylvia Braaten: Leading the Charge for Women's Rugby in the Twin Cities". Twin Cities Amazons Rugby. 2024-10-26. Retrieved 2025-03-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)