Sammy Sullivan
American rugby player (born 1998)
Rugby player
 Sullivan at the 2024 Summer Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1998-05-22) May 22, 1998 (age 26) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 65 kg (143 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
Samantha "Sammy" Sullivan OLY (born May 22, 1998) is an American rugby sevens player. She competed for the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics, where the team earned a bronze medal.[1][2]
Originally from Fayetteville, North Carolina, Sullivan spent four years at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, where she played on the Women's Rugby team for three and a half seasons. Her spring 2020 7s season was canceled due to COVID-19. Sullivan played both 7s and 15s rugby as an Army Black Knight.[3]
Rugby career
College career
After graduating from Jack Britt High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Sullivan enrolled at West Point in the fall of 2016.[4] She joined the rugby program at the start of her freshman year and became a starter just three games in. Sullivan played 15s in the fall and 7s in the spring. During her time as a Black Knight, Sullivan earned many accolades, becoming a 3x NIRA 15s All-American (2017, 2018, 2019), 2019 Prusmack Award winner, 2019 Collegiate Rugby Championship Tournament MVP, and a HSBC All-Academic Team honors, (2019–20).[5] Sullivan became the first-ever rugby Army Athletic Association Award (AAA) recipient.[6]
National Sevens career
2022 saw Sullivan make her XVs USA Rugby debut in 2022 Pacific Four Series against Canada, her USA Sevens National Team debut during the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town,[7] and her World Rugby Series debut at Dubai Sevens in December. At the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens, the team lost to France in the bronze medal match and finished fourth overall.[8][9]
Sullivan totals seven total caps with USA Rugby, 6 (7s) and 1 (XVs).
At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sullivan was on the bronze medal-winning team for the United States.[2]
Premier Rugby Sevens
2021
Sullivan played in the inaugural Premier Rugby Sevens season, suiting up with the Southern Headliners. Sullivan and the Headliners went 3–1 at the Championship Tournament, falling 28–14 to the Loonies in the Finals.[10]
2023
Sullivan joined the Pittsburgh Steeltoes during the program's inaugural season.[11] Sullivan and the Steeltoes participated in two tournaments throughout the summer as they were eliminated from advancing to the championship.
Sullivan opened the season tallying one try in the Eastern Conference Kickoff in Austin, Texas. The Steeltoes placed third at the first tournament of the year after falling 21–19 to her former team, the Headliners in the first round. The Steeltoes edged the Texas Team, 22–0 to clinch third place.
The Steeltoes hosted the Eastern Conference Finals at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 23.[12] However, the Steeltoes struggled to pull ahead at their home tournament as they finished in fourth place. The Steeltoes lost to the New York Locals, 22–14 in the knockout stages and then 29–0 to Texas in the third-place matchup.[13]
Statistics
| Team | Season | GP | Tries | Points | Tackles | Carries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steeltoes | 2023 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 5 |
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "2024 Olympics: U.S. women's rugby sevens wins first bronze medal, stunning Australia with try as clock expires". CBSSports.com. July 30, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ "Sam Sullivan - 2019-20 - Women's Rugby". Army West Point. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
- ^ Sammy Sullivan | Player Profile | USA Eagles. USA Rugby National Teams. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
- ^ "1LT Samantha Sullivan :: WCAP". www.armywcap.com. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
- ^ "Sam Sullivan - 2019-20 - Women's Rugby". Army West Point. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
- ^ "USA names rosters for Sevens World Cup". Americas Rugby News. September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
- ^ Kortemeier, Todd (September 11, 2022). "U.S. Women Finish Fourth, Men 11th At Rugby World Cup Sevens". teamusa.org. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- ^ Cahill, Calder (September 11, 2022). "USA Women's Sevens fall just short of bronze at Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022". eagles.rugby. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- ^ "History". www.prsevens.com. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steeltoes Host First Eastern Conference Here For New Rugby League". Pittsburgh Magazine. July 20, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ 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 October 12, 2023.
