Ta'ape named to US U18 Team; to compete in New Zealand December 14-15
AUCKLAND, New Zealand – While many American International College students will soon head home for the winter break, men's rugby star Demitrius Ta'ape is in New Zealand, as he was selected to the United States U18 Sevens Rugby team that will compete in the Global Youth Sevens in Auckland on December 14-15.
Per the Global Youth Sevens website, "the purpose of the tournament is to deliver a high level professional event that's both an entertaining spectacle, and a platform for players to showcase their talents on the world stage." The tournament has lived up to that, historically featuring teams from the USA, Canada, Japan, Fiji, Samoa, and others; in total, over 100 national sides have been represented through the years.
"It has always been a mindset more than a goal to make the USA team," Ta'ape said of the opportunity to put on the Team USA kit. Of his time with the Yellow Jackets, he noted, "AIC has prepared me more than I have ever been prepared. I'm looking forward to winning and working with my brothers and my family at AIC."
"We're extremely excited for his opportunity to travel the world and play rugby at this level, all while representing the Red, White, and Blue. Looking forward to watching him play and compete on the big stage," Director of Rugby T Fletcher said.
The United States will face the Asian Dragons at 11:20 p.m. EST on December 14, and then kick off on the following day at 5:00 p.m. EST against Iron Armour and 7:00 p.m. EST against Pakuranaga. For those interested in watching via live stream, information on how to do so is also on the Global Youth Sevens website or by clicking here.
Ta'ape joins a number of Yellow Jackets rugby players and coaches that have represented their nations. Recently, Fletcher captained the USA Rugby South women's team, while Ivana Kiripati was named to the Ireland U20 team earlier this year. Recent AIC Hall of Fame inductee Jessica Davis also was capped several times by Team USA.