Tess Feury (born March 15, 1996)[1] is an American rugby union player. She competed for the United States at the 2017 and 2021 Rugby World Cup's. She has played for the Leicester Tigers in the Premiership Women's Rugby competition, and will play for the New York Exiles in the inaugural season of the Women's Elite Rugby competition.
Early life and family
Feury was raised in Denville, New Jersey by Tom and KJ Feury.[2] She grew up playing rugby; her father was introduced to the sport when he attended Rutgers University. He started an flag rugby team, the Denville Dawgs,[3] to allow his sons and daughter to play rugby.[4][5] She has two brothers who played rugby at Pennsylvania State University and Middlebury College, and her mother also served as the president of Rugby New Jersey for several years.[6][7] Feury attended Villa Walsh Academy, where she played varsity soccer and ran track and field, and graduated in 2014.[1][7]
In 2018, Feury graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor's in nursing.[8] Feury has worked as a Pediatric Intensive Care Nurse at Morristown Medical Center.
Rugby career
Youth and collegiate
While in high school, Feury played rugby sevens for the New Jersey Blaze, which won the high school girls championship in 2013, for the Atlantis rugby team, and for the Morris Rugby girl's high school team.[3][9]
She was selected for the USA Rugby High School All-American team in sevens and fifteens rugby in 2013, 2014, and 2015, and trained with the United Sates national women's sevens team in Chula Vista, California.[10]
Feury captained and played scrum-half for the 4th-place finishing United States Girls team at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China.[3] She was named the High School Rugby Player of the Year in 2014.[9]
From 2014 to 2018, Feury played fullback and outside center for the Pennsylvania State University women's rugby team.[11] The team won three national championships during that time, and Feury was a four-time Collegiate All-American.[12] She was named the Big 10 Rugby Freshman of the Year in 2015, as well as the Most Valuable Player of the championship game in 2015.[8][13]
U.S. National Team
She made her debut for the United States in 2016 against England at the Women's Super Series in Salt Lake City, Utah.[12] She was selected for the Eagles 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup squad.[14][15] From 2016 to 2018, she was named to the USA Rugby Club Sevens National Championships All-Tournament Team.[2]
In 2022, she was named in the Eagles squad for the Pacific Four Series in New Zealand.[16][17] She was selected in the Eagles squad for the 2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.[18][19][20]
Feury was named in the Eagles traveling squad for the 2023 Pacific Four Series.[21][22]
Professional leagues
She signed with the Leicester Tigers for the 2023–24 Premiership Women's Rugby season.[23][24] Feury will play with the New York Exiles in the 2025 Women's Elite Rugby season.[25][26]
References
- ^ a b Finlan, Jackie (2014-08-13). "Inside Look at Girls Olympic Squad". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
- ^ a b Jones, Maya. "USA rugby player on the front lines of a pandemic". ESPN. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
- ^ a b c Havsy, Jane (15 August 2014). "Morris Rugby duo to represent U.S. at Youth Olympics". Daily Record. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
- ^ Jackson-Gibson, Adele (2016-06-10). "How rugby prodigy Tess Feury found the game so young". Excelle Sports. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
- ^ Lefton, Clara (22 April 2015). "Tess Feury: Rugby Brings One Family Together". www.usasevenscrc.com. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
- ^ Havsy, Jane. "Healthcare work, rugby keeps Feury family together, even through coronavirus pandemic". Daily Record. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
- ^ a b Havsy, Jane. "'20 Questions' with USA Rugby fullback Tess Feury of Denville". Daily Record. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
- ^ a b "Nursing student balances academics with rugby to compete in 2017 World Cup". Penn State University. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
- ^ a b "2014 Girls High School Player of the Year". Goff Rugby Report. 2015-01-07. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
- ^ Goff, Alex (2014-07-31). "Aircraft Carter Solutions Player of the Week - Tess Feury". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
- ^ "Nursing student balances academics with rugby to compete in 2017 World Cup | Penn State University". Penn State University News. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
- ^ a b Sears, Steve (November 15, 2020). "NJ Starz: Tess Feury". Mount Olive Life. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
- ^ "Tess Feury | Player Profile". USA Eagles. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
- ^ "Opening Kick". www.thisisamericanrugby.com. 25 July 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
- ^ Wise, Chad (17 July 2017). "Eagles announced for Women's Rugby World Cup 2017 in Ireland". USA Rugby. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
- ^ "Eagles name Pacific Four traveling squad". Americas Rugby News. 2022-05-10. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
- ^ Cahill, Calder (2022-05-09). "USA Women's Eagles traveling roster named for Pacific Four Series 2022". USA Rugby. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
- ^ Cahill, Calder (2022-09-14). "USA Women's Eagles Rugby World Cup roster named as the official countdown to New Zealand begins". eagles.rugby. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
- ^ "Kate Zackary leads Eagles squad to Rugby World Cup". Americas Rugby News. 2022-09-16. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
- ^ Mockford, Sarah (2022-10-09). "USA Women's Rugby World Cup Squad 2022 – USA 10-22 Italy". Rugby World. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
- ^ "Eagles name traveling squad for Spain series". Americas Rugby News. 2023-03-01. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
- ^ Dean, Taylor (2023-02-28). "World Rugby Pacific Four Series returns for 2023 with USA Women's Eagles Traveling Roster and Schedule Confirmed". eagles.rugby. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
- ^ Buckley, Stanley (2023-06-27). "Three new Future Leicester Residents". Leicester Tigers. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ Aloia, Andrew (2024-02-06). "Leicester Tigers: Tess Feury on juggling a rugby career with nursing". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ "175 Players Sign WER Pro Contracts". The Rugby Breakdown. 2025-02-19. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
- ^ Lane, Ro (2025-02-18). "New York Exiles Announce 2025 Athlete Roster". Women's Elite Rugby. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
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