Photo By Tomas Bogoslaw
By Emily Frey
After being unable to compete during the fall season due to the lack of a coach, Carly Kuhns has been hired as the new women’s rugby coach.
Kuhns is a 2013 Susquehanna graduate who played rugby for three and a half years during her time as a River Hawk.
“I love the sport and I like coaching in general, so why not coach a sport you really like,” said Kuhns, who said that she views the position as a long-term one. “I feel like I’m still learning what’s working and what could be changed and improved, and right now I think everything looks really great for where the team is. But I’m also super collaborative with it. I don’t ever see myself saying, ‘Okay, this is what we’re going to do,’…because right now I feel like there’s enough of a solid foundation already here, there’s no big changes I think need made right now.” Practices were still held the entire fall semester, led by senior Bridget Bowser, who played rugby prior to college and has continued to play her entire college career. Bowser has worked with members of the club’s executive team to keep the club running despite having no coach. Bowser shared that her first season at Susquehanna, the previous coach moved unexpectedly, leaving a vacancy that she ended up filling.
“Spring semester we started getting competitive and they asked me to step up as the coach…I was the coach for spring of 2021 and fall and spring of 2022 and most of fall of 2023…We got a different coach from the school, and we had that coach the latter end of 2022 and beginning of 2023 season,” shared Bowser. She shared that despite having a coach in place, most of the planning and coaching was still left up to her. Due to complaints from the players and overall discontent, the coach was removed, leaving Bowser in a coaching position once more.
“After that was all said and done, we had last semester, where it was once again me and the rest of the execs…out on the field teaching people basic skills. Then we hired Carly over the end part of last semester, and this is where we are now,” said Bowser.
With Bowser and the other executive members offering insight, Kuhns has settled into a routine with the players, willing to work with the women to find what feels right.
The team opened their season last weekend with a tournament on the pitch at Franklin & Marshall College. The River Hawks will open their home slate on March 23 at Sassafras Rugby Pitch. With a coach in place to build and guide the team, they are set to have a successful competitive season.