Born in Beaufort, South Carolina, and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Naya Tapper has played rugby professionally since 2016. After earning All-American track and field honors in high school, she began her rugby career at UNC-Chapel Hill where she starred from 2012-2016, while also receiving her bachelors in Exercise and Sports Science and fluency in Spanish.

As a professional, Naya is currently an Olympian and Co-Captain of the USA Women’s Rugby team, training full time to pursue her 2nd Olympics in Paris. She has become the All-Time leading try scorer for USA Women’s Eagles as well as the first women in USA Rugby 7’s history to score 100 tries. Highlights of her career include participation in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, 2 Rugby 7’s World cups, and one Rugby 15’s World cup. She was also recognized by Sports Center for her #1 spot on their Top 10 and was featured on Project Runway for their Olympic episode.

Off the field, Naya is an influencer, public speaker, and a beacon of her community. She has spoken in Panels for KPMG, United, and Team USA about her journey as an Olympic athlete and the growth and application of her leadership skills. She has guest coached for Princeton University Women’s Team, Rhinos Academy Youth Players, and Memphis Inner City Rugby (MICR) to improve her coaching skills while also giving back to the rugby community through the youth. Naya created The Naya Tapper Scholarship in partnership with the OMBAC youth rugby club to provide financial assistance to those in need in the San Diego area and is going on year 2 with the scholarship.