Nia Toliver

Nia Toliver (born May 3, 1998) is an American rugby union player. She plays for the United States women's national rugby sevens team. She represented the United States at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where the USA women's sevens team finished sixth. She is often referred to as "American Lomu" for her running style. She began playing rugby in 2013 with the Inner-City Education Foundation (ICEF) program under the direction of former international player Stuart Krohn. She quickly became a standout athlete, earning selection to USA Rugby's Girls' High School All-American teams in both 7s and 15s by 2015. She toured Europe playing rugby with the ICEF team.

Career Following college, Toliver played in Japan's Taiyo Seimei Women's Sevens Series for Hokkaido Barbarians Diana, Nagato Blue Angels and Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix. In 2022, she was named MVP of the Shizuoka (Ecopa) and Hirosaki tournaments, scoring 16 tries in five matches at Ecopa, and contributed to titles for Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix and Nagato Blue Angels.

Toliver competed in women's rugby sevens at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, making on-field appearances in pool-stage wins against Japan on 29 July 2021 and Australia on 30 July 2021.

In 2024, Toliver rejoined the U.S. national sevens team and made her World Rugby Sevens Series debut in Dubai, part of the 2024-25 SVNS series. She scored a try in the USA's opening match against Great Britain and finished the tournament with six tries as USA finished fifth overall. In December 2024, she played as USA reached the final of the 2024 South Africa Sevens, her efforts including two tries in their 31-0 semi-final victory over Fiji. Across the Dubai and Cape Town legs, she totaled 13 tries. In April 2025, she was named HSBC SVNS Women's Rookie of the Year for the 2024-25 season and nominated for HSBC SVNS Women's Try of the Year for her try vs. Australia in Cape Town.

Style of play Her play has a combination of speed and power. When she was playing in New Zealand she earned the nickname of the "American Lomu" due to her thundering running style being compared to Jonah Lomu. Sports Illustrated High School Athlete of the Month, October 2015 Taiyo Seimei Women's Sevens Series MVP Shizuoka (Ecopa) tournament, 2022 Hirosaki tournament, 2022 HSBC SVNS Women's Rookie of the Year, 2025 season