After finishing second at the Paris World Games earlier this month, the Atlantis U18 girls team will see most of its players from that tournament suit up for the North American Invitational 7s on August 4-5 in Salt Lake City.

As the 253rd squad to wear Atlantis jerseys and representing the program in its 162nd tournament, the runner-up group in Paris was young but experienced. All of its members except for Haley Harris (the 1,315th athlete to play for Atlantis) had competed with the select touring side before.

While the bulk of this strong, skilled, and athletic collection of players is returning for the NAI 7s, Atlantis is in fact fielding two girls teams -- one in the U18 elite division and one for the U16 girls -- next week.

Watch the 2017 North American Invitational 7s LIVE on FloRugby

The Paris World Games proved to be a good experience for the Atlantis team, as it also got to visit the French Rugby Federation's headquarters at Marcoussis, south of Paris, as well as the some more traditional cultural sights.

On the first day, Atlantis handily defeated India and France's Sarcelles in the pool round and put in a really strong performance against the Baby Paris Ladies. Ariana Ramsey (White Horse, PA) scored two tries, and Alex Pipkin (North Bay, MD) added one. In the semifinal, Atlantis easily took care of Switzerland 50-0. 

The final saw the Baby Paris Ladies and Atlantis reacquaint themselves with each other. This time it was the local squad that prevailed. Clara Lemal-Brown and Alex DiMarco touched down, with Pipkin converting one, but BPL scored the converted tries to win 21-12. Lemal-Brown, with 10 tries, was the leading try-scorer for Atlantis. Ramsey scored six.

Atlantis Roster for Paris:

Megan Bird, Oak Creek (WI)
Alex DiMarco, White Horse (PA)
Haley Harris, Valkyrie (CA)
Clara Lemal-Brown Hudson (Ohio)
Alex Pipkin, North Bay (MD)
Alie Ramage, Morris (NJ)
Ariana Ramsey, White Horse (PA)
Julia Riekena, Missoula (MT)
Dex Taylor, Valkyrie (CA)
Liz Wilson, West End (VA)

For the NAI 7s, the Elite and Open squads will be mixed in training, giving the chance for younger players to train their way onto the elite squad.

Among the leaders for Atlantis is Megan Bird, one of the four players who were on the first Atlantis girls team to compete back in 2015. She is set to play for Davenport University this fall. 

"The trip to Paris was my first time traveling out of the country, and the experience was absolutely amazing," Bird said. "I did not know what to expect going into this trip, but between the exceptional teammates I got to take the pitch with and the French team that welcomed us to practice with them, I could not have asked for a better time."

Lemal-Brown is set to enter her senior year Wooster High School in Ohio. She only started playing rugby in the spring of 2016, with the Syracuse Silverhawks in New York, and now plays for Hudson. She is also a Celtic Elite player and High School All-American prospect.

"Going to Paris combined my two loves of traveling and playing rugby," Lemal-Brown said. "The shared experience we had as a team brought us together in a unique and very special way. Having so much time to talk, explore, train, and just be together in a foreign country solidified us as a unit on and off the pitch. It was also great to be able to talk with the coaches one-on-one during downtime and to get to know them as people."

Ramage is another of Atlantis' original players and is a HS All-American.

"The trip to Paris was my sixth Atlantis tour and my first international tour," she said. "I'd have to say it topped all the other tremendously. Between touring the city with my teammates to making friends with the French and Swiss teams to playing some of the highest level high school rugby, the tour was truly unforgettable."

Atlantis Squads for NAI 7s

First Name	Last Name	Home Team
Megan	Bird	Oak Creek, WI
McKenzie	Borchers	Kingwood, TX
Kate	Buzby	San Diego Aztecs, CA
Clara	Lemal-Brown	Hudson HS, OH
Allie	Mennella	Morris, NJ
Alex	Pipkin	North Bay, MD
Alie	Ramage	Morris, NJ
Ariana	Ramsey	White Horse, PA
Kayla	Reighn	Doylestown, PA
Kaitlyn	Schwarting	North Bay, MD
Kaitlyn (Kai)	Brandt-Templeton	West End, VA
Julia	Golik	Kingwood, TX
Tiyanna	Hooker	South Jersey
Noelle	Lewis	Fairfax Police Youth, VA
Sophia	Linder	White Horse, PA
Sofia	Mancini	Moon Area, PA
Nina	Mason	Doylestown, PA
Madeleine	Maurice	North Bay, MD
Matalasi	Morrissette	West End, VA
Talosia	Morrissette	West End, VA
Dasia	Recio	Kingwood, TX
Jordan	Roe	Conestoga, PA
Sydney	Smith	North Bay, MD
Cheyenne	Staab	Liberty North, MO

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