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Team USA star Ilona Maher is unhappy with her alma mater, Quinnipiac University, after their recent decision regarding their women’s rugby team.
The university released a statement Tuesday announcing a realignment of its athletics program “to support long-term competitive, financial, and Title IX goals.” In the release, the women’s rugby team is transitioning from a varsity team to a club team “at the end of the current competitive cycle.”
“These decisions are never easy, but they are essential to ensuring that Quinnipiac Athletics remains equitable, competitive and sustainable for the long term,” athletic director Greg Amodio said in the release.
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Ilona Maher of the United States looks on during the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 group stage match between the United States and Australia at York Community Stadium in York, England on August 30, 2025. (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Quinnipiac’s transition to the women’s rugby team “follows a holistic assessment that integrates competitive sustainability, national participation trends, resource allocation and gender equity impacts,” according to the release.
Regardless, Maher is furious and she made it public on social media.
“Shame on you,” she posted on her Instagram Stories while tagging the school and athletics page with a screenshot of the statement showcasing the decision.
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Then, Maher posted a text message chain she had with an unknown recipient, in which she asked if “the girls would lose their scholarships and everything.”
“Yes,” said the other line. “None of them can afford to stay. I have two athletes who don’t have parents. They have nowhere to go if they’re not at QU. I can’t believe this happened.”
The statement added that the university “will redirect resources from the graduate level to programs with greater long-term stability and strategic alignment,” which would confirm this string of texts on scholarships for women in the program.
Ilona Maher is seen before the NCAA women’s basketball national championship game between UCLA and South Carolina at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona on April 5, 2026. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
“This action is in no way intended to diminish the dedication, efforts or abilities of these excellent student-athletes, coaches and alumni,” Amodio added. “They have contributed greatly to Quinnipiac Athletics and the vitality and history of the University.”
The Bobcats also add a men’s indoor and outdoor distance running program to their existing track and field team as part of this new alignment. The university saw it as a “high-impact opportunity” to advance “competition and gender equity goals” for the athletics program.
“Athletics will coordinate with Campus Recreation to ensure women’s rugby remains a well-organized and well-resourced club program and will work closely with students to ensure a smooth and respectful transition,” the release continued.
Maher, 29, was recruited to join the Bobcats women’s rugby team after playing at Norwich University — her first year playing the game. Maher’s father, Michael, encouraged her to try it after she grew tired of softball.
American Ilona Maher plays during the Women’s Rugby World Cup match against Samoa at the LNER Community Stadium in York on September 6, 2025. (Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto)
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Maher helped Quinnipiac win three National Intercollegiate Rugby Association championships, and she was named to the NIRA All-American team in all three years. She also received the MA Sorensen Award as the nation’s top collegiate player in 2017.
In 2024, Maher played a key role in helping the United States women’s rugby team win the country’s first-ever medal in the sport, winning bronze against Australia.
