Women’s rugby won a decisive 17-0 victory in the DII Nationals over the weekend of April 25. The Mav’s roster is smaller than many of the teams they faced this season. Instead of treating this as a weakness, the team made this part of its identity.

Coach Mackenzie “Mack” Lewis’ whistle penetrated the stubbornly chilly April evening. Behind Foster Field House, the rugby team calls the Football Practice Complex field their home for the 2026 spring season.

Senior criminal justice major Sage Davis said teammates spend time together on and off the field eating dinner together, lifting or practicing outside of regular workouts.

“My dad passed away last month,” said Davis. “This whole team has been such a great, amazing family. The coaches have taught me how to be strong, how to correct my feelings, how to feel in a healthy way. I think rugby’s been a great outlet.”

Lewis helped start the team in 2009 as a student. She said the team’s size forced players to become tougher, smarter and more versatile.

“I think our grit and resilience sets us apart,” Lewis said.

She said some larger programs can afford to rest starters and rotate through deeper benches. CMU does not have that luxury. She said that reality pushed her players to develop continuity and trust in each other.

“It’s the best 15 on the field,” said Lewis. “Everybody tackles, everybody runs, everybody works hard on offense and works hard on defense.”

That versatile approach helped shape The Mavs, and highlight each player’s strength. Lewis said the sport creates room for different body types and skill sets. From bigger, more physical players to smaller, faster athletes.

Rugby attracts players from many different athletic backgrounds. Most of the CMU team did not arrive as experienced rugby players. Many came from soccer, basketball, volleyball, track, swimming, lacrosse and cross-country.

“The concepts in sports are all the same, and rugby is really a mashup of a lot of other sports in one,” Lewis said. “If I can hone in on something they understand, then tweak it a little bit to what it means in rugby, then we’re not necessarily having to recreate the wheel.”

Davis said that approach makes the game easier to learn, especially for players with little rugby experience.

“Mack teaches you from day one, literally the ins and outs of everything,” Davis said. “I came in knowing very little about rugby and I started my sophomore year, and by maybe the third or fourth week I was hooked on it.”

Players said Lewis makes it easy for new players to learn.

“She breaks it down into the smaller steps,” Sophomore K-12 physical education major Chloe Coop said. “You’ll work on those few seconds that you later use in a big play.”

The athletes said the culture around the program matters just as much as the strategy.

International business major Brianna Schultz said the team’s sense of community is one of the biggest reasons she keeps coming back. Despite being injured and not able to join her team on the field, Schultz still shows up to show support to her teammates.

“The community for sure,” Schutz said. “I think the girls coming to practice every day, that’s why I still come.”

Schultz said Lewis cares about the players beyond just rugby and wants them to succeed in school and in life. She said Lewis has helped players with tutoring, scholarships and other support when needed.

“She wants us to be good as a whole, and not just rugby,” said Schultz.

That care has helped shape a team dynamic that players describe as more like a family than a typical college roster. 

“We all help each other with everything,” said Davis.

Sophomore business marketing and human resource management major Kayleigh Burns said rugby was pivotal for finding friends.

“I think to a lot of us, this is where we met our first friends in college,” said Burns.

That chemistry shows up in practice and on the field. Players said Lewis often uses games and team-building drills that look simple at first, but teach communication, movement and trust. Lewis said she wants players to understand not just what they are doing, but how and why they are doing it.

For Lewis, that mindset fits the kind of athletes rugby builds. She described the sport as a place for players who may not have perfectly fit the mold somewhere else, but who bring something valuable and different when put on a team.

“I think it’s a group of misfits,” said Lewis.

The strong player bond made the Mavericks stand out this season. They attended nationals in Boyd, Maryland on April 24-26.

 “Ladies, stack up! Picture!” Lewis called during one of their last practices before nationals.

Before the photo, an injured player on crutches asked Coach Lewis whether she should be included in the picture. Lewis immediately reassured her, and she joined the rest of the team.

The moment was small, but it reflected something the athletes on the rugby team repeatedly describe: the team is a family.