NCR and Rugbee.co proudly announce Meredith Pyke as the February Coach of the Month. Pyke, the head coach of St. Bonaventure Women’s Rugby, has been coaching the team since 2022.
Pyke’s rugby journey began as a player at the University of Rochester in 2009, where she served as the captain and club president. She led the team to the Small College Nationals in Cherry Hill, NJ in 2009. Her passion for the sport led her to coaching the University of Rochester team in 2015, guiding them to a second-place finish at 7s Nationals in 2019. Additionally, Pyke joined the Upstate NY All-Star Coaching staff in 2017, eventually becoming the head coach. She also coaches the Allegheny Rugby Union U19 team.
After accepting the full-time coaching position at St. Bonaventure in 2021, Pyke has played a pivotal role in the program’s growth and success. In her first year, the team secured second place in their conference and qualified for regionals for the first time since 2014. This season, they earned the Women’s Small College National Championship.
Nominated by her team, the Bonnies say this about their coach, “She has devoted countless hours to this women’s rugby program, invested time, energy, funds, and training into building a strong, successful program in less than two years despite inheriting next to nothing…She is such a genuine person, and all she strives for is to better us as people, and to expand the sport and empower women.”
The St. Bonaventure Women’s Rugby program is transitioning into a Division I varsity program in 2024, marking an exciting new chapter.