By Jacqueline Manetta, Belmont Voice correspondent
Two former Belmont High School rugby players recently faced off in Houston during the first Women’s Division I-AA Rugby National Championship.
Northeastern University defeated the University of Colorado Boulder, 44-10 at the Dec. 7 game. Afterward, Northeastern’s Sadie Kabrhel (BHS Class of 2021) and Colorado’s Rebecca Michaud (BHS Class of 2025) met for a photo they sent to Belmont Girls Rugby Coach Kate McCabe.
“I didn’t have any crossover with Rebecca in high school; we were never on the team at the same time,” Kabrhel said. “The first time I met her was in Houston, but because we shared that connection of being on the Belmont rugby [team], it was just a natural connection.”
Kabrhel and Michaud are among the many alumni who have gone on to play the game at the collegiate level. Names of BHS graduates can be found on the rosters of Boston University, Tufts University, Colby College, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, the University of Vermont, and other colleges.
“It’s just amazing to be able to follow all of my alumni’s college teams and root for them,” McCabe said. “It’s amazing to think about the way that this game keeps them connected to the Belmont rugby community.”
The photo they snapped captured more than a championship moment. It was a testament to how Belmont’s small-town rugby program has grown roots across the country.
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“This year, when I kept playing new teams, I would always be like, ‘Okay, is there anyone on this team that played for Belmont?’ because I know I can go up and chat with them,” Michaud said. “It’s like a national community where we’re all connected.”
Belmont High School’s girls’ rugby team began in 2015. Since then, McCabe and her athletes have built a tradition of winning state championships and fostering lifelong connections.
“Many girls are playing this sport for the first time, so they are a community together that relies on one another to learn,” McCabe said. “It just creates such an amazing family out of each incoming class of rugby players.”
In June 2025, the team won its seventh consecutive MIAA Division I state championship title. They finished the season undefeated (8-0) by beating Lincoln-Sudbury 69-21.
Kabrhel said Belmont’s program instilled the habits that carried her through college rugby.
“In terms of playing, I think Belmont set a very good foundation,” Kabrhel said. “When I went to college, I could really progress my play to be more experimental and intuitive.”
Michaud echoed that sentiment, noting that stepping onto the field at Colorado felt less daunting because of her high school experience.
“Belmont gave me a really good rugby education,” she said. “A couple of my friends and I would go to practice 30 minutes early, and one of our coaches, Stacy, would come early and help us with our kicks and teach us the different rules of rugby.”
“I’m so proud of all of the alumni of this team; they really built something beautiful here,” McCabe said. “Certainly, we have wonderful coaches and a great current team, but that is the product of the work and the community built by the 10 years of women that came through Belmont High School.”
This past year, the team had two alumni come back as part-time coaches. Gabby Viale, who played rugby for the University of Vermont, and Grace Christensen, who played for Brigham Young University.
“It’s a community that teaches athletes to really trust themselves and their bodies, to work well with other people, and to appreciate their own unique skill,” McCabe said. “The trust that they’ve built in themselves and the resilience that they practice every day is something I think that makes everyone better prepared for the world.”
