Bowdoin College women's rugby Head Coach MaryBeth Mathews has announced that she will retire at the conclusion of this academic year. Mathews has enjoyed a 29-year tenure at the helm of the program, guiding the women's rugby team at Bowdoin from club to varsity status during her distinguished career.
Mathews, along with her husband Bob, were instrumental in the establishment of a formal club women's rugby program at Bowdoin in 1994 and guided the squad to a pair of New England championships and a 37-17-2 mark in its pre-varsity status. In 2003 she played a critical role in the establishment of Bowdoin as the first varsity women's rugby program in the nation and lifted the team to its greatest heights.
As a varsity program, Mathews led the Polar Bears to a 146-48-1 record, winning over 75% of its matches, and accumulating numerous postseason honors. The team won the 2007 New England Rugby Football Union championship, four consecutive New England Small College Rugby Conference championships from 2012-15 and, most recently, won the inaugural National Intercollegiate Rugby Association varsity women's rugby championship in 2019, a title the program successfully defended in 2021 and 2022.
"What an honor and a privilege it has been to turn my love of the game of rugby into a career and serve as the women's rugby coach at Bowdoin College for nearly 30 years," said Mathews. "I have former Athletics Director Jeff Ward to thank for his vision to elevate rugby to varsity status. I have hundreds of alumni and the current team to thank for helping create and sustain a team culture that emphasizes respect, hard work, a growth mindset, and having fun. I have deeply enjoyed having Bob assist me in coaching these young women, as we've seen over and over how playing rugby empowers them and opens doors previously unseen."
