USA star Ariana Ramsey makes history with ground-breaking award nomination

USA flyer Ariana Ramsey has already made HSBC SVNS Series history this week, before a ball has been kicked or a try scored at the World Championship finale in Bordeaux. Ramsey has become the first woman from the USA to receive a nomination for World Rugby’s Sevens Player of the Year.

Maddison Levi and Jorja Miller round out the trio in the running for the sport’s top individual award. They are both looking to become two-time recipients, with the winner set to be announced as part of the HSBC SVNS Awards 2026 on Sunday at Stade Atlantique. 

Michaela Brake and Charlotte Caslick are the only two-time winners, while France’s Anne-Cecile Ciofani is the only Player of the Year not from Australia or New Zealand. With Ramsey in the mix after a career-best season, Ciofani’s exclusive club could potentially double in size. 

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USA coaches told Ramsey that she had been nominated for the World Rugby honour ahead of the semi-finals at SVNS Valladolid last Sunday. But the other American players didn’t find out till later that day, before the big dance against Australia at Estadio Jose-Zorilla. 

Ramesey was overcome with a lot of emotions after being told of the news, crying at a table with no one else around. But the 26-year-old didn’t know she’s the first USA player ever to be nominated for Women’s Player of the Year before speaking with RugbyPass on Thursday. 

It’s the latest in a growing list of Ramsey’s honours, accolades and ground-breaking achievements. 

“That’s absolutely amazing. I feel like in this sport I have been breaking barriers, even being the first woman at Dartmouth [College] to go to the Olympics in rugby and then we’re the first team to win a bronze medal… I’m the first women’s rugby athlete in the USA to be signed by Nike,” Ramsey said. 

“I just feel like I’m breaking down barriers and it’s just really paying off in terms of the career I want to have and how I want to finish as a player. I’m just doing it piece by piece, every day I’m working towards what I want to achieve, whether it be on the rugby field, whether it be building my brand and getting sponsorships. I’m always working and it shows. 

“It fuels me even more and I do feel myself getting satisfied… but I’m still playing my best because I want to be consistent.  

“Off the field I think it’s motivating me a lot in regular life. Eventually I want to build a major business and I’m just going to apply what I’m doing now to that.” 

The USA had stunned Australia during the pool stage, before meeting the SVNS giants for a second time in the Cup Final. Ramsey got on the scoresheet with a runaway effort just before half-time, but the Aussies were too good in the end, winning 27-14. 

Australia lead the SVNS World Championship race heading into the season finale, knowing a Cup Final win this weekend will guarantee them the circuit’s top prize. New Zealand are second on the standings, while the USA – who have beaten those two other sides this season – are third. 

“We definitely thought we were going to win the final. We’ve beaten Australia in big moments so it’s just a matter of, can we all be on the same page and who’s willing to work the hardest,” Ramsey explained. 

“Australia has been in the final before so I think that mindset was a little bit in my head. It’s like, okay this is our first final, they’ve been here before, they know how to perform under these high-pressure moments. 

“We definitely thought we were gonna win, I just don’t think we played the game that we really thought we could… we might have had a little bit of complacency, I don’t know what it was but I doin’t think we played our best game in the final. 

“Now we know for next time when we make it again this weekend, we knew what level of energy we need to bring and the level of focus and execution.” 

The USA will face North American rivals Canada in a Pool C showdown in Bordeaux, while Spain and Great Britain have also been drawn in the group. There’s a lot to play for on June 5 to 7, with the USA and Canada still mathematically a chance of winning the World Championship. 

Spain are currently ranked eighth on the standings, and they’ll need to hold that spot to earn core status for the 2026/26 SVNS 1 campaign. Great Britain are last, meaning they need results to go their way if they are to retain their place in the first division next season. 

“When we think about the year, we always have a plan,” 

“We want to peak towards the end. Our goal is to win the entire tournament, this stop, it’s just again going to be a matter of managing fatigue and being able to push through after the work we just did last week. 

“That’s our biggest challenge this weekend.”