2017 Team USA Members
Six D.C. Divas Selected for USA Football 2017 Women’s National Team
By Neal Rozendaal
Six members of the D.C. Divas are among the 45 players that have been selected to participate on the 2017 United States National Team as part of the third IFAF Women’s World Championship Tournament. The six Divas chosen are quarterback Allyson Hamlin, wide receiver Ashley Whisonant, offensive linemen Rachel Huhn and Becky Worsham, defensive back Callie Brownson, and linebacker Tia Watkins. The D.C. Divas are just the second team (after the Chicago Force) to have six players participate on a single U.S. National Team at the Women’s World Championship.
The 2017 IFAF Women’s World Championship is the premier international women’s football competition in the world. National teams from six countries will gather in Langley, British Columbia, Canada, just outside of Vancouver, to participate in the 2017 WWC Tournament.
The field at the 2017 IFAF Women’s World Championship includes three countries with substantial international experience and three countries making their debut at the World Championship. The six countries participating in the 2017 IFAF Women’s World Championship are:
• Team USA, which won the gold medal in 2010 and 2013
• Team Canada, the host nation, which won the silver medal in 2010 and 2013
• Team Finland, which won the bronze medal in 2010 and 2013 and won the gold medal at the 2015 IFAF Women’s European Championship
• Team Great Britain, which won the silver medal at the 2015 IFAF Women’s European Championship
• Team Australia, making their international debut as the first nation to represent the Oceania region at the IFAF Women’s World Championship
• Team Mexico, also making their international debut as the third North American team in the field
This year, the IFAF Women’s World Championship Tournament matchups will be based on the seedings of the participating countries. As the two-time defending gold medal winners, top-seeded Team USA will square off against sixth-seeded Mexico on June 24 to open the tournament. On June 27, Team USA will face the loser of the June 24 matchup between third-seeded Finland and fourth-seeded Great Britain.
Based on the results of those games, teams will be slotted into one of the three placement games held on June 30. Gold medal, bronze medal, and fifth place games will be staged on the final day of this tournament, which promises to showcase the global reach of women’s football.
Representing the D.C. Divas on Team USA are:
• Quarterback Allyson Hamlin, an 11-time All-American who has thrown for over 15,000 yards in her career
• Wide receiver Ashley Whisonant, the MVP of the 2015 national championship game who has over 4,000 receiving yards and 64 receiving touchdowns in her career
• Offensive lineman Becky Worsham, a gold medal winner at the 2013 IFAF Women’s World Championships who was named to the All-Star team at the conclusion of that tournament
• Offensive lineman Rachel Huhn, a ten-year veteran on the Divas’ offensive line who started for the Divas’ 2015 and 2016 national championship teams
• Defensive back Callie Brownson, a gold medal winner at the 2013 IFAF Women’s World Championships who ranks third in Divas history in career interceptions
• Linebacker Tia Watkins, a team captain and All-American in her first two seasons with the Divas who shattered the franchise record with 89.5 tackles in 2016
We wish all six of these Divas the best of luck, and we will be cheering for the red, white, and blue in their quest to bring home a third straight gold medal!