Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) Announces 2025 Head Coaches for Inaugural Season

Head coaches named for Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Twin Cities and New York franchises

UNITED STATES — Women’s Elite Rugby (WER), is thrilled to announce the head coaches for its inaugural 2025 season, showcasing a seasoned group of individuals determined to lead the charge as a new chapter of women’s rugby begins in the United States this Spring. WER, the first American professional women’s rugby league, will begin its inaugural season with six founding markets in March. 

“We are ecstatic to announce our roster of experienced head coaches who are committed to bringing professional women’s rugby teams to new heights in the United States,” said WER President Dr. Jessica Hammond-Graf. “After an extensive candidate search, we identified these individuals because of their excellence in leadership and decades of experience with the sport. By assembling this group of highly skilled coaches we are committed to fostering an environment where athletes can pursue their dreams, maximize their potential, and make an investment in the future of the sport.”

Leading the Bay Area’s franchise will be Hannah Stolba, who most recently served as the head coach of the Berkeley All Blues Women’s Rugby of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). Stolba has over a decade of coaching experience across all levels of the game and as a player was on two World Cup squads (2010 and 2014). Stolba helped lead the All Blues to a WPL Championship in 2022 and runners up in 2023 and 2024. 

Kittery Ruiz has been named the first head coach of Boston’s WER team. Ruiz’s rugby coaching experience spans collegiate, WPL, and USA Under-20 Women’s National teams. Ruiz most recently has served as both head and assistant coach of the WPL’s Beantown Rugby in Boston and currently serves as an assistant coach with Brown University and an assistant coach with the USA Under 20 Women’s National Team. Ruiz represented USA Rugby as a player in the 2010 and 2014 Rugby World Cups, as a part of the 7s pool in 2009.

For Chicago, Bryan Colbridge will be the franchise’s first head coach. Colbridge has most recently served as attack and defense coach for the University of Memphis. Colbridge has a wide breadth of experience on the pitch, having played and/or coached consistently in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and the United States for over 15 years, including coaching high school, collegiate and senior level rugby for women and men. A dynamic leader and educator, Colbridge has been a head coach for numerous clubs, including the Memphis Women’s 7s, Christian Brothers University (Men’s and Women’s 15s and 7s), Memphis Blues Rugby Club (Men’s 15s and 7s) and the Memphis Inner City Rugby (Boys and Girls 15s and 7s). 

Sarah Chobot will be the first head coach of the Denver franchise. Chobot, a former USA women's national team player, currently serves as an assistant coach with the USA Women’s Eagles. Chobot has held various coaching positions at a multitude of levels since transitioning to coaching in 2018. Chobot, the Michigan native who honed her craft in Minnesota, notably was named the head coach of the American Raptors in 2023 and was the first female head coach in the Super Rugby Americas. Chobot also previously served as the Defense and Forwards Coach with the Raptors. 

Diego Maquieira will be the first head coach of New York’s WER franchise. Maquieira, who was born and raised in Queens, NY, most recently served as the head coach for the WPL’s New York Rugby Club, as well as served as the Forward Coach at Columbia University for the Men’s Rugby Football Club and Assistant Coach for the Old Blue Women and U23 Men’s 7s. In his first season with NYRC women, he guided the team to a national semi-final. As a former college football player, Maquieira found rugby later in life, and developed a strong passion for training and developing crossover athletes. Despite his later start in the sport, Diego was skilled enough to play for multiple MLR franchises. 

The Twin Cities welcomes Sylvia Braaten as the franchise’s first head coach. Braaten is currently a Performance Recovery Coach with the USA Women’s National 15s Rugby Team and has over 15 years of professional experience in coaching and performance training. Braaten was also the Lead Physical Performance Coach with the national 15s team from 2020 to 2024. In Braaten’s five seasons coaching with Harvard Rugby, she won two NIRA National Championships (2019 and 2023) and one USA 7’s National Championship (2024). Braaten played in the WPL for ten years with the Twin Cities Amazons and has over 15 years of playing experience, with eight years at the international level. Braaten represented USA Rugby in the HSBC 7’s World Series and as a player in the 2014 and 2017 Rugby World Cups.

Full biographies and headshots for each head coach can be found here.

For media members interested in speaking to a WER representative about the recent head coaching hires or any other topics regarding the league, please contact Sam Pell at wer@lindarothpr.com. For the latest news and update, follow WER on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. 

For those interested in learning more about the branding and visual identity of the league, visit here for a brand fact sheet. Media ready photos and a short promotional video about WER are available here and will continue to be updated. 

About WER 

Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) is the first American professional women’s rugby league. The mission of the WER is to be the defining standard of rugby in the United States. WER is structured on the stable foundation of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), a national, amateur pay-to-play model, high level rugby competition established in 2009. With the creation of Women’s Elite Rugby, world-class women’s rugby will be ushered into the next stage of its evolution and will take women’s rugby in the United States to new heights. 

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