Alyssa Cunningham

Wisconsin native Alyssa Cunningham played in Women’s Elite Rugby during it’s inaugural 2025 season. She represented the New York Exiles for her entire WER career.

Aly Cunningham was signed by the New York Exiles part-way through WER’s inaugural season. She earned her WER debut when she was named in the NY Exiles reserves for their Round 9 clash with the TC Gemini. She played rugby at college level for the Sacred Heart University Pioneers, graduating in 2025. She was awarded the 2025 Prusmack Award, and was nominated for the 2024/25 MA Sorensen Award.

NARDB Player #1,600

Blake Pereda

Florida native Blake Pereda played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the Miami Sharks for his entire MLR career.

A personal trainor by profession, Pereda has represented the Miami Tridents in the ARP where he was part of the team that claimed the 2024 National Championship. Pereda has played with numerous 7s teams around the USA including the Tennessee Elite. He has also attended a handful of Miami Sharks tryouts, and has been knocking on the door for some time. On 6th June, 2025, the Miami Sharks announced the signing of Blake Pereda for the final game of the regular season and their player run. With the Trade/Signing deadline for the 2025 season being April 28th, this signing must have been done months ago and only announced in June, or it is as injury coverage.

NARDB Player #1,599

Colleen Murphy

Front row Colleen Murphy played in Women’s Elite Rugby during it’s inaugural 2025 season. She represented the Chicago Tempest for her entire WER career.

Signed as a Reserve player of the 2025 season, Colleen Murphy earned her WER debut when she was named in the Chicago Tempest reserves for their Round 9 clash with the Boston Banshees. She has previously played with Chicago North Shore in the WPL, also serving as the Community Agent of the club.

NARDB Player #1,598

PK Vincze

Colorado native PK Vincze played in Women’s Elite Rugby during it’s inaugural 2025 season. She represented the Boston Banshees for her entire WER career.

Signed by the Boston Banshees part-way through the 2025 season, PK Vincze earned her WER debut when she was named in the Boston Banshees reserves for their Round 9 clash with the Chicago Tempest. She was signed by the Banshees following her graduation from Harvard, where she represented the Women’s Rugby team. Vincze was a regular at USA U20 camps in her freshman year. In her debut WER season, Vincze earned 1 start in 2 appearances, scoring a conversion for her first Pro points.

NARDB Player #1,597

Cassie Depner

Pennsylvania native Cassie Depner played in Women’s Elite Rugby during it’s inaugural 2025 season. She represented the Boston Banshees for her entire WER career.

Signed by the Boston Banshees part-way through the 2025 season, Cassie Depner earned her WER debut when she was named in the Boston Banshees reserves for their Round 9 clash with the Chicago Tempest. Depner attended Dartmouth College, representing the Women’s Rugby team through her time there and graduated in 2025.

NARDB Player #1,596

Sia Meni

California native Sia Meni played in Women’s Elite Rugby during it’s inaugural 2025 season. She represented the Boston Banshees for her entire WER career.

Signed by the Boston Banshees part-way through the 2025 season, Asialeata ‘Sia’ Meni earned her WER debut when she was named in the Boston Banshees reserves for their Round 8 clash with the Bay Breakers. Of Samoan heritage, Sia Meni attended Dartmouth College, representing the Women’s Rugby team while there and graduating in 2025. She was a MA Sorensen Award nominee in both her Junior and Senior years.

NARDB Player #1,595

Jett Hayward

California native Jett Hayward played in Women’s Elite Rugby during it’s inaugural 2025 season. She represented the Bay Breakers for her entire WER career.

Named as a reserve player for the 2025 season, Jett Hayward earned her WER debut when she was named in the Bay Breakers reserves for their Round 8 clash with the Boston Banshees. Hayward has previously played with the Life West Gladiatrix in the WPL, and has played in New Zealand between 2024-2025, representing the Tasman Mako in the Farah Palmer Championship in 2024, and the Matatū in Super Rugby Aupiki in 2025, when they finished as runners-up. Hayward is a capped USA Eagle, earning her test debut for the USA against Spain in 2023.

NARDB Player #1,594

Joanna Fa’avesi

California native Joanna Fa’avesi played in Women’s Elite Rugby during it’s inaugural 2025 season. She represented the Denver Onyx for her entire WER career.

Joanna Fa’avesi, known as ‘Nana’ earned her WER debut when she was named in the Denver Onyx reserves for their Round 8 clash with the Twin Cities Gemini. She has played club rugby with the Sacramento Amazons, and has been involved in the national team setup since 2014. She earned her debut as Eagle #259 on the Sevens circuit in Dubai in 2014, and has represented the USA at two 7s World Cups (2018 & 2022) as well as two Olympic Games (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020/1). Fa’avesi earned her 15s debut against France in 2016 and has 6 test caps to her name.

NARDB Player #1,593

Julia Buescher

California native Julia Buescher played in Women’s Elite Rugby during it’s inaugural 2025 season. She represented the Denver Onyx for her entire WER career.

Named as a reserve player for the 2025 season, Julia Buescher earned her WER debut when she was named in the Denver Onyx reserves for their Round 7 clash with the Boston Banshees. Buescher has previously worked as the account executive for MLR’s San Diego Legion, and has represented the Legion’s Women’s side when they competed in the Rugby Tens Championship in 2024. Buescher has also represented the San Diego Surfers in the WPL before their withdrawal in 2022.

NARDB Player #1,592

Nikki Lynch

California native Nikki Lynch played in Women’s Elite Rugby during it’s inaugural 2025 season. She represented the Boston Banshees for her entire WER career.

Nikki Lynch was signed by the Banshees part-way through WER’s inaugural season. She earned her WER debut when she was named in the Boston Banshees reserves for their Round 7 clash with the Denver Onyx. Lynch was signed following her graduation from Brown University, where she represented the Women’s Rugby team and was named Forward of the Year and nominated for the MA Sorensen award in 2025. She has also represented the USA Falcons on tour in South America in 2024.

Away from rugby, Lynch has represented the Czech Republic National Field Hockey Team.

NARDB Player #1,591