Former U.S. Women’s Rugby 7s Olympic team captain Abby Gustaitis joined the Navy women’s rugby staff as an assistant coach in August of 2023.
Gustaitis has been involved in the sport of rugby for over 13 years as a player, coach and analyst.
In just her first season with the program, Gustaitis led the Mids to one of their top 7s seasons in team history with an 11-3 record. After picking up a pair of wins at the 7s on the Hudson and placing eighth in the Tropical 7s, Navy continued its dominance at the Emperor 7s. The Mids won the title for the third-consecutive year and the fourth time since 2019. Navy placed first in the group A pool with a 3-1 record and claimed victories over Penn State (31-0), West Chester (24-5) and Princeton (22-17).
The Mids then placed second at the Frostburg 7s tournament with a 3-1 record. Navy won its first three matches against Mount St. Mary’s No. 2 team (40-0), West Chester’s No. 1 team (17-12) and Penn State’s No. 2 team (33-5) before dropping a close match to Penn State’s No. 1 team in the title match.
The Mids capped off their 7s campaign with a third-place showing at the 7s Collegiate Championship. Navy qualified for the semifinals by beating Virginia Tech (19-5) and Penn State (12-7). The Mids later rallied from a 10-point deficit in the third-place match to claim a 14-10 victory over American International College.
Gustaitis began competing in rugby while attending the University of Maryland and immediately caught the attention of the national team. Gustaitis was invited to train full time with the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2015 and made her debut later that year for the 15s side. In 2016, she earned a roster spot with the Scion Rugby Academy in Washington, D.C. In her first season with Scion, she captained the team to the National Clubs 7s Championship.
Gustaitis’ first opportunity to compete in a World Cup came in 2017 when she earned a spot on the USA Women’s 15s squad. She guided the U.S. to a fourth-place finish at the Women’s Rugby World Cup in Dublin, Ireland.
Gustaitis switched primarily to rugby 7s competition to achieve her dream of playing in the Olympics. She garnered an opportunity to compete for the U.S. at the 7s World Cup in San Francisco, Calif., in 2018, where she led the U.S. to a fourth-place finish. Gustaitis also was a member of the U.S. squad that placed second at the 2019 Pan American Games. Team USA advanced to the championship bracket after defeating Trinidad and Tobago (55-0), Argentina (49-0) and Colombia (38-0) in the pool stage. The U.S. defeated Brazil (33-19) in the semifinals before dropping a hard-fought match against Canada (24-10) in the gold medal match. Gustaitis helped the USA to its first-ever gold medal win in the HSBC Women’s Sevens World Series in Biarritz, France later that year and backed it up with another tournament victory on home soil in Colorado.
Gustaitis not only achieved a roster spot on Team USA for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but she was also named a team captain. Under her leadership, the U.S. went undefeated in pool play, which included a 14-12 victory against Australia. The U.S. would go on to place sixth overall in the medal playoffs.
After returning from the Olympics, Gustaitis received a position as a color commentator for World Rugby and a sideline reporter and analyst for NBC Sports.
Along with coaching, she continues to play professional rugby for the Southern Headliners. The team is a member of the Premier Rugby 7s, which is the first professional rugby 7s league in North America. Gustaitis was part of a squad that won the 2022 Premier Rugby 7s Championship and the 2023 Premier Rugby 7s East Division title where she was named MVP. Additionally, she continues to play for Scion Rugby Academy and aided the club to another National Clubs 7s Championship in 2022.
A native of Baltimore, MD., Gustaitis attended the University of Maryland, College Park and graduated with a degree in physiology and neurobiology in 2013.
