University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Adds Women’s Side

We are pleased to announce the emergence of the University of Mississippi Women’s Rugby Football Club. The school has had a men’s club since 1974, but we haven’t had an established women’s club until now. We hope to create a sisterhood where women can uplift each other, work as a team, and, most importantly, play rugby.

Our co-captains are Mabrie Woods and Miriam Crotwell.

Mabrie is a sophomore from Olive Branch, MS majoring in International Studies and Arabic with a minor in Chemistry on the pre-medical track. She is an ambassador for the Croft Institute for International Studies as well as a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. Outside of class she likes reading (and watching) rom-coms, MMA, and rugby.

Miriam is a sophomore from Petal, MS pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with minors in Military Science and Russian. She is a UM Global Ambassador as well as a member of the UM Magnolia Battalion Army ROTC program. Scholastically, she is involved in the UM Lambda Sigma Honors Society and the UM Pi Sigma Alpha Society. Outside of class, she enjoys hiking, reading sci-fi, and playing rugby!

We are pleased to announce Pat Towery as our coach. Coach Towery played for Bucknell University Men’s Rugby and for Carlisle Thunder Rugby in high school at Carlisle, PA and is a former Army Aviation Officer and UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter pilot.

We are in the process of becoming members of the NCR, and our goals for this season are to establish the groundwork for the team to be able to compete in the future. We are also interested in playing some friendlies with other teams in the southeast. Long term, we hope to leave Ole Miss with a Women’s Rugby club that will be here years from now where women can come together and learn to play this sport we all love.

If you’re interested in joining or have any questions, you can contact us on instagram @olemisswomensrugby or by email at olemisswomensrugby@gmail.com.