At the 2025 Beast of the East tournament in Rhode Island, the Marist University women’s rugby team walked into their hotel to meet their coaches with a big surprise waiting for them. Signs and decorations greeted them, saying that they made it to Nationals for the second consecutive semester.
“We found out five or six days before the Beach of the East tournament in Rhode Island,” said head coach Maren Millard. “We wanted to keep it quiet from the team, so we didn’t share it with them…we wanted to give them a special moment since they work so hard.”
The team was ecstatic upon finding out the news after all the effort they put into the season to make it back to Nationals.
“Our coaches surprised us as soon as we got off the bus and into the hotel with all these decorations,” said Reese Merkel, a senior and former president of the club. “A lot of the people on our team were kind of crying because they were so excited.”
“We were freaking out. Honestly, it was just like cloud-nine,” said Serafina Reinsdorf, a junior and current president of the club. “We didn’t care what happened at the end of the day. We just were thinking to ourselves, ‘I cannot believe we’re here.’”
Marist University has 23 Division I sports and 19 club sports. Out of the 42 teams, the women’s rugby team is currently one of the top teams at the university between the Division I and club level.
The team was established in the fall of 1996, and this past year was something out of the ordinary. In spring 2025, the team went to Nationals and captured the Bronze medal in the 7s tournament for the first time in program history. They returned to Nationals in the fall with the 15s following their coaches’ surprise; they made it to the Sweet 16 and placed third in the region, a remarkable accomplishment for the club considering the trials and tribulations the team endured in recent years.
Millard, a Marist grad and rugby coach since 2003, used two words to describe her team: “resilient and feisty.”
“We’re not a power and size style of team, we’re more of a fast and quick and versatile team,” Millard said. “I think our strength is that we really have 15 players on the field that are incredibly versatile and can do it all.”
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the club went through a rebuilding stage to work their way back to the top. After years of consistent winning, the years after the pandemic saw the team suffer through multiple losing seasons. In 2019, they ranked fourth in the nation and second in their conference. In 2020, the team was primed to make a Nationals run before sports were paused. Then, 13 seniors graduated — almost an entire starting lineup.
“When I joined, the team was still kind of trying to find its way out of the post-pandemic slump,” said senior captain Ryann Anderson. “We lost a lot. We were a losing team. We had a lot of really rough seasons where we’d maybe win one or two games a season and I think there were definitely a range of people, like some people were really in it for the sport, but a lot of the times it was kind of more of like a social club.”
Marist also plays in the same conference as two of the top six teams in the country in Vassar and Fairfield, which added to the challenge. But, in 2022 and 2023, the team finally started to catch some breaks with large rookie classes. With more players and interest, the team and program as a whole started to grow.
“I feel like it was just so much good energy and so many good vibes because it was like, ‘wow, look at all these girls on the field,’” Reinsdorf said. “Look how much we can do.”
In the spring 7s season, Marist had a dominant regular season and became the Tri-State Champions. Even with this success, the team had to place an at-large bid for Nationals; they were accepted, allowing them to achieve their Nationals dream.
“In the spring it took all of us by surprise,” Anderson said. “We’d had a really strong season, but we didn’t have a direct pathway to Nationals. We had the at-large bid, so it was really exciting to find out that we got that spot.”
The Nationals experience provides both an exciting rugby experience and the chance for the team to have a good time as a result of the travelling experience and new environment.
“We got to travel to Maryland, which in of itself was really exciting because we usually don’t travel too far outside of the tri-state [area] during the season,” Anderson said. “We got to play in a stadium, which is really not typical for rugby. You’re usually playing [on] dirt fields that lacrosse and other field teams don’t really want.”
In Nationals, the Red Foxes defeated Syracuse and New Mexico State to reach the semi-finals, but lost to the eventual runner-up, Roger Williams. For third place, Marist defeated Towson to win bronze.
“I think it was just super exciting and was really good morale building, especially for our younger players to see that this is a consistent possibility for our team.” said Anderson.
The run fall 15s went on was even more of a surprise. The team went to their annual trip to Rhode Island awaiting the results of their bid for Nationals, and learned of the news that they qualified for 15s Nationals in Canton, Mass.
At Nationals, the Red Foxes advanced to the Sweet16 but dropped their match to the eventual champion Coast Guard Academy. Marist then got their revenge on Roger Williams to finish third in the region.
“It was such a fulfilling experience considering how hard we worked,” Merkel said. “I was really emotional with it being my senior year and I was really excited just for the opportunity to play in the Sweet 16 for Nationals.”
Since Marist has to bid for Nationals, fundraising is a significant step to send the team to compete. In addition to the school budget, the team utilizes their alumni network and family for help, along with participating in the annual Day of Giving. They’ve also held bake sales, book sales, raffles, Chipotle fundraisers and a favorite “pie a player.”
“Marist is generous enough to give us money and give us a budget each year,” Reinsdorf said. “That being said, it is never enough to sustain both semesters with busing, refs, going to Nationals, getting to go to the Beast of the East. Fundraising is a huge way that we need to prove to Marist that we are putting in our effort to make money, and then they’re also willing to support us more because they see we’re putting in the effort.”
Heading into the upcoming spring 7s season, Marist is looking to continue their program growth and goal of heading back to Nationals. Over winter break, the coaches set up an accountability buddy system for the players to help push and motivate them to be their best.
“As a senior, it will be such a nice way to end my college career.” said Merkel. “For the team, it would be such an accomplishment to go to Nationals again. To place in the top three or possibly win would be even better.”
The Red Foxes have already had a strong warmup to start the season. On Jan. 24, three members of the team were selected for the Tri-State Conference 2026 Star 7s Tournament in Atlanta, Ga., a huge feat for the program. Senior Abigail Gwardschaladse, junior Sydney Weiss, and sophomore Mary Olsen represented Marist playing for the Tri-State Blues in the event and won the championship.
Weiss, who the Blues selected as vice captain, was a standout in the tournament and earned a spot on the 2026 All-Tournament Team.
Weiss helped her team advance to the semifinals with three conversions and two scoring tries, including the tiebreaker to advance her team. In the semifinals, she had 21 combined points with RPI’s Leanna Wells, who earned the 7s All Star MVP. In the final game, Weiss scored twice and added a conversion, and finished with nine successful conversions overall, a tournament-high.
Weiss and senior Allison Radcliffe were both named to the 2025 DII All-Americans Roster on Feb. 5 as well.
For Weiss, Gwardschaladse and Olson, that taste of winning can do wonders for the program with a shot at three straight Nationals appearances. The championship mentality will only help the Red Foxes reach their goal, and the mindset has already rubbed off on the team.
“Everything I’m doing, I’m pretending that we’re going to nationals for scheduling, for money, for fundraising, I’m telling myself we’re going so that I can be prepared mentally for all the scheduling I have to do,” Reinsdorf said. “But I think we can, we have some amazing players on our team.”
The team is a tight knit group with immense potential as the 2026 season gets set to begin. The club is not just a team, but a family.
“The rugby team has been the most important part of my Marist experience,” Anderson said. “It’s been transformative in so many different ways. My parents and my coaches kind of talk about like there was a Ryann before rugby and then a Ryann after rugby.”
The Red Foxes will look to bring the same passion and hard work to the new North Field turf for the spring 7s season when they chase the ultimate title of National Champions.
“Not even just physically, but mentally and socially, best decision I ever made,” said Reinsdorf. “It’s now my favorite thing in the whole world.”
Edited by Max Rosen, Mike Schaivone and Cara Lacey
Graphic Xavier Angel
Photos by Cara Lacey and Marist Women’s Rugby
For more coverage of Marist athletics, follow @cfmarist on Instagram, X, TikTok and Bluesky, and sign up to receive daily alerts here.