Seattle, Wash. — The Seattle Seawolves have added former Utah State Linebacker, Suliasi “Suli” Tamaivena, and former University of New Mexico football and rugby player, Sitiveni “Siti” Tamaivena, to their 2020 extended roster.
The twin, Fijian brothers from Renton, Washington grew up with the game of rugby thanks to their father, Levi Tamaivena, who played professionally
in Fiji for the national sevens team before they called Washington home. Playing in the backyard turned into starting their rugby careers in high
school with the Eastside Lions, all while suiting up for Juanita High School’s football program. “I started rugby in high school and instantly
fell in love but unfortunately we realized football would help us in the long run, so we decided to go back to football,” said Siti. As expected,
football scholarships were offered to both Suli and Siti from Mt. San Antonio College where they spent their first three years. Further opportunities
continued to knock on the gridiron, but this time at different universities so the brothers parted ways.
Suli finished his collegiate football career at the Utah State University while Siti headed to the University of New Mexico to become a Lobo in both
football and rugby. After ending on high notes at their respective schools, both brothers moved back to their home state with their families –
and quickly picked up rugby again. They joined the Westside Ronins, a local sevens-only club, this past summer and helped the team qualify for
its first-ever Club 7s National Championship seed out of the Pacific Northwest alongside newly signed Seawolf, Jope Motokana. A strong summer back
on the pitch caught the eyes of the Major League Rugby community and the chance to chase professional athletic careers through their first love.
“I’m looking forward to performing with other players who are just as driven as I am on the top platform for North American rugby,” said Suli. “We
both chose the Seawolves because Seattle is our hometown and we are very proud of where we come from.” Meanwhile Siti is equally excited, ready
to “help the team in any way I can, playing a game I truly love.”
The Seattle Seawolves have assembled for the 2020 season, kicking off with an exhibition match on January 16 at Starfire Stadium versus the Vancouver Island Crimson Tide at 7:00 pm PST. Full season, half season, and single game tickets can be purchased at
www.seattleseawolves.com
.
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