Northeastern women’s club rugby team won the DI-AA 15s national title Dec. 4 in Houston, Texas. The final face-off against the University of Colorado at Boulder resulted in a 44-10 win.
“We all went in knowing exactly what we wanted out of the weekend,” said Mira Mahmoud, a second-year biochemistry major who plays wing. “The best thing is, we all knew we wanted to win, but more than that, we want to play a clean game always, which is really fun because everyone’s out there not only to win but to play their best.”
The Maddogs are now back-to-back national champions after winning the DI club 7s championship April 27, 15-12, beating the University of Iowa.
Rugby 7s games differ from the fall season 15s: They are played with seven players on the field rather than 15, and matches last 14 minutes rather than 80.
The team was established at Northeastern in 1995 and has grown and improved since, switching its membership from the Collegiate Rugby Association of America to National Collegiate Rugby in the spring of 2024. Further, the team introduced the 7s program in 2017 and won its first DI 7s national championship in 2023.
“We’ve seen the rise of women’s rugby, but I think we’re all very invested in continuing that and getting it out to more people and having it be more recognized in sports,” said Kyra Grimes, a graduate student cultural anthropology and data science double major who served as the 15s forwards captain in the fall semester.
Grimes, who joined the team at the start of her second year, had no prior rugby experience but played soccer for 15 years.
“My friends were like, ‘You’re an aggressive person. You should probably play an aggressive sport,’ and so then I did it and honestly haven’t looked back since,” Grimes said. “I love being a part of this team. I love hitting my friends.”
The team is player-run and has a board that decides which teams it will play and where and which strategies to use on the field. There are also four coaches on staff who help train new players and conduct practices focused on learning to pass and fall safely.
“Our community is very diverse, it’s very accepting,” said Isabella Hernandez, a second-year health science major who plays center. “People put it on the fact that we have no cuts, but I don’t think that’s the case. I think it’s because our coaches [and] our teammates are just so incredibly welcoming that you kind of get hooked, and you don’t want to leave.”
The team is made up of 60 members, who are split into A and B sides following tryouts, but everyone is given the opportunity to continue to participate throughout the season. Northeastern women’s rugby makes it clear that everyone, “despite skill level, experience and identity,” is welcome to join the family.
“On and off the field, we are a community,” said Hernandez. “We’re there for each other, and whether it’s your biggest high or biggest low, you always have people to have your back or to feel supported.”
According to the players, quality time spent with their teammates, especially traveling together, are their fondest team memories.
“I think the opportunity to travel with our teammates is so fun. It’s time spent together that is irreplaceable,” said Alex Peterson, a senior computer science and media arts combined major and the 15s backs captain.
The strong bond among players only makes the team that much more successful, and the wins that much more satisfying. Setting them apart from other sports teams, the close friendships made among the Maddogs translate into their performance on the field, pushing the players to work hard and play hard with their teammates.
“[It’s] motivating to be a part of something that’s so successful, and to actually contribute to that,” Mahmoud said. “And then again, tying that into the social aspect, like really win with a community that you feel comfortable with.”
After graduation, the commitment to and support from the rugby community does not go away.
On Nov. 1, the team beat The University of Connecticut in the 15s Conference Championship, securing a spot in the Quarterfinals. This game also marked the 30th anniversary of the Northeastern women’s rugby team, drawing in generations of Maddogs for support and a celebratory banquet following the game. Team members past and present met, shared stories and bonded over their love for Northeastern women’s rugby.
“This is why I’m here,” Mahmoud said. “I’m playing for me, but I’m playing for the Maddogs, the ones who I’m sitting next to but also the ones who I can’t see, the ones who I’ve never met.”
Thinking ahead to 7s in the spring, Hernandez is excited to show up for the team as a “vet.”
“I got to meet six generations of my family, and just seeing them all, hearing their stories and how these really big traditions were formed on the team, made me take a step back and be like, ‘Wow, I am a part of something bigger,’” Hernandez said. “I really want to be a part of and leave my own mark on the team as well, because they have been such a big impact on my life that I want to do the same for the new rookies.”
The team is not ready to give up its win streak this spring season.
“I’m excited to go back to back to back again,” Mahmoud said. “I really think we’re capable of it. We’re a great team. I really think we’re able to rise to the occasion when it calls for it.”
