Brown University Women's Rugby

Kahele joined the women's rugby staff in the Spring of 2022 and enters her third season with the program this fall. Kahele helped guide the Bears to a 3-4-1 NIRA Division I record with shutout wins over Princeton and Mount St. Mary's. In 2024-2025, the Bears won their third consecutive Rugby Premier 7s National Championship in the spring and reached the semi-finals of the NIRA playoffs in the fall. Brown finished 4-3-1 in NIRA play and featured four All-Americans. Brown posted an impressive 18-7-1 overall record in 2022-23, bolstered by a strong spring season. In the fall, Brown finished 3-4-1 in NIRA Division I play with wins over Princeton, Mount St. Mary's, and LIU. In the spring, Brown posted a 15-3 record while primarily playing in 7s matches. Notably, Brown reached the championship at the Crimson 7s Tournament in March. At the 2023 CRC National Championship, Brown ran the table with a 4-0 mark to capture the program's first National Championship. The Bears took wins over Kutztown and Northern Iowa in the opening rounds before grinding out wins over Navy and Army for the trophy. Outside of collegiate competition, three Bears - Akilah Cathey, Nikki Lynch, and Julia Murray - qualified for the United State U-20 National Team and competed alongside assistant coach Kittery Wagner Ruiz, serving in the same role. “I have been truly blessed with opportunities that the game of rugby has brought me and my way of giving back is sharing my knowledge and experience with up-and-coming

Fa’aee joined the women’s rugby staff in April 2025, entering her first season with the team in the fall of 2025. “Brown has helped mold some of the most exceptional leaders, both among students and staff. The opportunity to collaborate with such individuals is invaluable. I believe this is the environment where I can continue to the thrive and make the most significant impact,” said coach Karameli Fa’aee. Fa'aee serves as an assistant coach on the Team USA U-23 team, where she coaches Kate Muldoon. Before Brown, Fa’aee served as an assistant coach for the New York Athletic Club Rugby team of the American Rugby Premiership, the highest level of rugby competition in the United States. She also served as the head coach of the New York Locals of the Premier Rugby Sevens league and Director of Rugby at the Roots Rugby Family in New York. She was the head coach of New York Rugby Club in the women’s premier league (WPL) in 2023 and served as an assistant on the WPL All-Star team that year. She also worked as an intern coach of the WXV USA Women’s Eagles on during their South African Tour in 2023. Fa’aee was the head coach of Life West in the WPL in 2022 after working as an assistant coach on Rugby New York of Major League Rugby. She was the first woman to be part of a U.S. men’s professional rugby team coaching staff when she accepted the role in 2019. Stints as an assistant coach of the Jamaica Lady Crocs and a manager of the USA Rugby Women’s National Team in Chula Vista in 2019

Chou began her tenure as the Kathleen Flores Head Women's Rugby Coach in June 2022 and completed her first full season with the program in 2022-23. She enter...