Ohio native Essence Bell played in Women’s Elite Rugby during the 2026 season. She represented the Twin Cities Gemini for their entire WER career.
A crossover athlete from the gridiron, Essence Bell attended Tiffin University and represented the Women’s Club Rugby team while there. She has also played with the Ohio Elite, Columbus Squirrels, Omaha Goats, and Fort Miami rugby clubs. Bell was included on the TC Gemini roster for their 2026 WER campaign.
NARDB Player #1,729
Idaho native Sydney Davis played in Women’s Elite Rugby during the 2026 season. She represented the Denver Onyx for her entire WER career.
Born and raised in Ketchum, ID, Sydney ‘Spud’ Davis attended Stanford University between 2022-2026 and represented the Stanford Women’s rugby team while there. She was nominated for the 2026 MA Sorensen Award. Davis was included on the Denver Onyx roster for their 2026 WER season in early 2026.
NARDB Player #1,715
Indiana native Jazmyne Spear played in Women’s Elite Rugby during the 2026 season. She represented the Chicago Tempest for her entire WER career.
A native of Indianapolis, IN, Jazmyne Spear is a co-founder of the Circle City Tempests Women’s Rugby Club, and serves as the Head Coach of the North Central High School Girls’ Rugby team. Now a tempest player twice over, Spear was included in the Chicago Tempest WER roster for their 2026 campaign.
NARDB Player #1,706
Indiana native Hunter Moreland played in Women’s Elite Rugby during the 2026 season. She represented the Chicago Tempest for her entire WER career.
A native of Osceola, IN, Hunter Moreland attended Davenport University from 2013-2018, representing the Panthers each year, and was named a Collegiate DII All-American in 2016. Moreland plays her club rugby with Chicago North Shore, and was included in the WER squad for the Chicago Tempest’s 2026 campaign in early 2026.
NARDB Player #1,704
Irish-born back row Candela Mangiardi-Querol played in Women’s Elite Rugby during the 2026 season. She represented the Chicago Tempest for her entire WER career.
Candela Mangiardi-Querol was born in Malahide in County Dublin, Ireland, before moving to Charlotte, North Carolina. She played club rugby with the Charlotte Cardinals and attended Eckerd College in Florida before committing to Queen’s University of Charlotte in 2023. Mangiardi-Querol played with the Royal from 2023-2025 and also represented the South Reapers U23 side at the USA Rugby All-Star Championship in mid-2025. In 2026, She was included on the Chicago Tempest’s WER roster for their 2026 campaign.
NARDB Player #1,703
Texas native Josie Fischer played in Women’s Elite Rugby during the 2026 season. She represented the Chicago Tempest for her entire WER career.
A native of San Antonio, TX, Fischer began playing rugby with the Dallas Harlequins before attending Tulane University where she played with their Women’s Rugby side while also serving as Secretary, President, Social Chair, Captain through her time there. Fischer has also played with the Hartford Harpooners and Gorilla Rugby invitational sides. As well as Tulane, Fischer is a graduate of the SMU Dedman School of Law, and is currently an Assistant State’s Attorney for Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in Illinois.
Having moved from Texas to Illinois in late 2025, Fischer joined Chicago North Shore Rugby Club, and was included on the Chicago Tempest WER roster in April 2026.
NARDB Player #1,700
Michigan native Maddie Bowers played in Women’s Elite Rugby during the 2026 season. She represented the Chicago Tempest for her entire WER career.
A native of Ann Arbor, MI, Maddie Bowers attended the University of Michigan where she represented the women’s rugby team, helping them to back-to-back D1 Championships in 2022 & 2023. Also in 2023, Bowers was named Player of the Year for the Big 10 conference, and was selected as a Collegiate All-American in 2024. Following her graduation in 2025, Bowers was included on the 2026 WER roster for the Chicago Tempest
NARDB Player #1,699
New Hampshire native Emma Wright played in Women’s Elite Rugby during the 2026 season. She represented the Boston Banshees for her entire WER career.
A native of Manchester, NH, Emma Wright picked up rugby as a freshman at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI. She represented the Hawks while at RWU, helping the team to a pair of NCR National Sevens titles in 2022 & 2023, Captaining the side in 2023. Wright also plays club rugby with Amoskeag RFC, and has represented the New England Independents U23 side.
Emma Wright was included on the Boston Banshees forster ahead of their 2026 WER campaign.
NARDB Player #1,686
New Hampshire native Molly McAlevey played in Women’s Elite Rugby during the 2026 season. She represented the Boston Banshees for her entire WER career.
Molly McAlevey picked up rugby while enrolled at Northeastern University in Boston, and represented the Huskies for her entire time at NU, with great success. She was named a Collegiate All-American in 2024 before helping the Huskies to a National 7s Championship in 2025. That same year, McAlevey toured England with the NCR All-Americans during the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, before returning to Northeastern to help the Huskies to a National 15s title in December. For her efforts, McAlevey was named NCR Women’s NCR D1-AA Finals MVP in December 2025, before being awarded NCR D1-AA Player of the Year in January 2026.
Having also played club rugby with Beantown RFC while in Boston, Molly McAlevey was drafted to the Boston Banshees for their 2026 WER season.
NARDB Player #1,684
Krista Matsumura played in Women’s Elite Rugby during the 2026 season. She represented the Bay Breakers for her entire WER career.
California native Matsumura took up rugby at the University of Nevada – Reno, playing with the women’s rugby side during her time there. When she returned to California, she joined the Berkeley All Blues and represented the USA U23s on their tour of Canada in 2022. She was included on the Bay Breakers roster for the 2026 WER season on late April, 2026.
NARDB Player #1,672
