Alev Kelter

Leyla Alev Kelter (/ˈleɪlə əˈlɛv ˈkɛltər/ LAY-lə ə-LEV KEL-tər; born March 21, 1991) is an American rugby sevens and rugby union player.

Rugby career

She won a silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games as a member of the United States women's national rugby sevens team. She also made the squad at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil.

Kelter was named in the Eagles squad to the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup in Ireland.

In January 2022 the English rugby side Saracens Women announced that they had signed her for the rest of the 2021–22 Premier15s season. She was named in the Eagles squad for the 2022 Pacific Four Series in New Zealand. She was selected in the Eagles squad for the 2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

Kelter has also played for the Northern Loonies in Premier Rugby Sevens, and was part of the 2021 Inaugural Championship team and the 2023 Women's Championship. She won the Finals MVP in 2023.

Kelter won a bronze medal in rugby sevens at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Soccer and Ice hockey

Kelter played for the United States women's national under-16 soccer team and the United States women's national under-18 ice hockey team and later played both sports at the University of Wisconsin from 2009 to 2013.

Personal life

Born to Scott and Leyla Kelter, she has two brothers, Erol and Aydin and a twin sister, Derya, who also played soccer and ice hockey. Before she was nine, her family had moved four times because her father was a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force. Kelter attended Chugiak High School in Chugiak, Alaska. She graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from University of Wisconsin in 2015. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kelter got engaged to her partner, fellow Rugby player Kathryn Treder.