USA Wheelchair Rugby

The 2023 USA Wheelchair Rugy staff and training squad

USA Wheelchair Rugby is pleased to announce the 16 athletes who have been selected to the National Training Squad for 2023. The players were chosen from a group of 37 athletes who attended a team selection camp at Lakeshore Foundation, U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site March 13-19.

Head coach Joe Delagrave said, “We are excited for the year and proud of the players we have named to the 2023 USAWR National Team. We have depth in each classification and are looking forward to preparing for a successful 2023.”

The Lakeshore National Adapted Sport Organization is the National Governing Body for USA Wheelchair Rugby. Team members and staff travel from across the country to Birmingham for training camps and competitions. The team will compete in two international competitions this year: the International Wheelchair Rugby Cup in Paris, France October 13-21 and the Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile November 17-26.

For more information, usawr.org, and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

2023 USA Wheelchair Rugby Training Squad

Sarah Adam (3.0), Naperville, IL
Chuck Aoki (3.0), Minneapolis, MN
Travis Baker (1.5), Hamilton, OH
Clayton Brackett (2.5), Birmingham, AL
Jeff Butler (0.5), Ft. Wayne, IN
Marty Ewing (2.0), Schererville, IN
Montrerius Hucherson (3.5), Tallassee, AL
Brad Hudspeth (1.0), Stilwell, KS
Joe Jackson (1.0), Maricopa, AZ
Chris Fleace (0.5), Tucson, AZ
Lee Fredette (1.0), East Moriches, NY
Eric Newby (2.0), Nashville, IL
Josh O’Neill (1.5), Denver, CO
Zion Redington (3.5), Birmingham, AL
Mason Symons (2.0), Hershey, PA
Talon Teague (3.0) Kansas City, MO

Staff

Joe Delagrave,  Interim Head Coach
Mike Klonowski, Interim Assistant Coach
Meme Earnest-Stanley, ATC
Chuck French, Equipment and Bench Staff
Amy Claire McMurtrie, Dietician
Jim Murdock, ATC/Medical Coordinator
Heather Rennerfeldt, Support Staff
Meagan Rowe, High Performance Manager
Meg Smith, Sports Psychology Provider


About

Wheelchair rugby player reaches for ball

As the home of USA Wheelchair Rugby, membership is open to all applicable groups including: amateur athletes, coaches, trainers, managers, administrators or officials.

What is Wheelchair Rugby?

Wheelchair Rugby is a sport with roots grounded in wheelchair basketball and ice hockey and was developed by three Canadians from Winnipeg, Manitoba as an opportunity for athletes with quadriplegia to compete. The sport was originally called Murderball due to the aggressive nature of the game. It was introduced to the United States in 1979 at a demonstration at Southwest Minnesota State University. In 1981, Brad Mikkelsen, with the aid of the University of North Dakota’s Disabled Student Services, formed the first team, the Wallbangers, and changed the game’s name from Murderball to quad rugby. Today it is called wheelchair rugby.

In 1988, the United States Quad Rugby Association, now the United States Wheelchair Rugby Association (USWRA), was formed to help regulate and promote the sport on both a national and international level. There are now more than 40 organized teams in the United States with many others in the developmental stage. In addition to the teams in the U.S., there are at least 29 international teams with 20 more in the development stage. Wheelchair rugby is one of the fastest growing wheelchair sports in the world.


Forms and Documents

USA Wheelchair Rugby is committed to providing an equal opportunity to amateur athletes, coaches, trainers, managers, administrators, and officials to participate in amateur athletic competition, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation or national origin and with fair notice and opportunity for a hearing before declaring any such individual ineligible to participate.

Lee Fredette has submitted a declaration of candidacy to serve on the Athlete Advisory Council (AAC) during the 2021-2024 term.