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Team USA star Ilona Maher is not happy with her alma mater, Quinnipiac University, after their recent decision regarding their women's rugby team.
The university released a statement Tuesday, citing the restructuring of its athletic program “to support long-term competitive, financial and Title IX goals.” In a statement, 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 critical to ensuring that Quinnipiac Athletics remains balanced, competitive and sustainable for the long term,” athletics director Greg Amodio said in a statement.
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Ilona Maher of the USA watches during the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup match between the USA and Australia at York Community Stadium in York, England, on Aug. 30, 2025. (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Quinnipiac's change of women's rugby team “follows a comprehensive assessment that includes competitive sustainability, national participation trends, resource allocation, and impact on gender equity,” according to a statement.
Regardless of what happened, Maher is furious, and has been vocal about it on social media.
“Shame on you,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories page while tagging the school and athletics page with a screenshot of a statement showing the decision.
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Then, Maher sent a series of text messages to an unknown recipient, in which he asked if “the girls would lose their scholarships and everything.”
“Yes,” answered another line. “None of them can stay. I have two players who don't have parents. There's nowhere for them to go if they're not at QU. I can't believe this happened.”
The statement added that the university will “redirect varsity resources to programs with greater long-term sustainability and strategic alignment,” which will confirm this series of documents about 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, Ariz., on April 5, 2026. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
“This action is not intended to diminish the dedication, effort or ability of these wonderful student-athletes, coaches and alumni,” Amodio added. “They have made significant contributions to Quinnipiac Athletics and to the sport and history of the University.”
The Bobcats are adding a men's indoor and outdoor track and field program to their existing track and field team as part of this new restructuring. The university sees it as a “high-impact opportunity” to advance “both the competitive and gender goals” of the athletic program.
“The athletes will work with Campus Recreation to ensure that women's rugby remains a resourceful and organized club program and will work closely with students to ensure a smooth and respectful transition,” the statement continued.
Maher, 29, was recruited to join the Bobcats women's rugby team after playing at Norwich University – her first year playing the sport. Maher's father, Michael, encouraged her to try after she got tired of softball.
Ilona Maher of the United States 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 was named to the NIRA All-American team all those years. She was also awarded the MA Sorensen Award as the best female player in the country in 2017.
In 2024, Maher was instrumental in helping Team USA's women's rugby team win the sport's first-ever medal, winning bronze against Australia.
