Arguably, no American rugby player has achieved the level of fame that Ilona Maher has.
From her time in the Olympic spotlight to her strong presence on social media and appearance on "Dancing With The Stars," Maher has become one of the faces of her sport.
She began her rugby journey at age 17 and, over the years, has won three NIRA titles at Quinnipiac University and represented the United States at the Olympics on two occasions.
By 2025, Maher has helped the U.S. to its first Olympic medal in women's rugby, competed in the Premiership Women's Rugby League in England, and built a following of over 5 million on Instagram and over 3 million on TikTok.
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Here’s a breakdown of Maher’s rugby career, from her start in high school to her selection for the U.S. squad for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
MORE: How Caitlin Clark, Ilona Maher and more made 2024 the year of women’s sport
Ilona Maher career timeline
2014: Maher begins playing rugby
Maher began playing rugby at age 17. Her father, Michael, played rugby for Saint Michael's College. Ilona had excelled in other sports by the time she was a senior in high school, including field hockey, basketball and softball, but her athleticism shined brightest when she joined a local rugby club in Vermont.
Maher has said she enjoyed the physicality of rugby over other sports, such as softball.
"It was truly rugby that made me feel good, because it combined all these attributes from every sport I was good at, whether it was the physicality of basketball or the vision from field hockey," Maher said, per Seven Days. "Not just as a sport on the field but also just the person I was in real life. Feeling how powerful I can be."
Her father said Ilona’s decision to pursue rugby was partly influenced by a family rule requiring the children to play a sport, as well as by his own history with the game.
“There was a rugby program at the other high school in Burlington that allowed people from different high schools to come to it and was coached by friends of mine,” Michael Maher said, per The Guardian. “Ilona decided to try that. Phone calls started right away.”
2014-15: Maher's lone season at Norwich
Maher wound up choosing to play rugby in college, taking her talents to Vermont's Norwich University. She would spend just one season there, however, before transferring to Quinnipiac.
Becky Carlson, Quinnipiac's coach at the time, told Seven Days that she noticed Maher's impact at Norwich when the two teams faced off in 2014.
"Who is that kid? She's ridiculous," Carlson said she thought of Maher. "I'd give my right arm to have that kid in the pink scrum hat."
2015-17: Wins three titles at Quinnipiac
Maher officially transferred to Quinnipiac in 2015, her sophomore year, and went on an elite run. She played center, helping the team win three National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) championships and being named to the NIRA All-American team in all three of her seasons with the school.
In 2017, Maher was given the MA Sorensen Award for being the top collegiate women's rugby player. She was then a finalist for the award again in 2018 during her senior season and was also named the Most Outstanding Player at the NIRA Championship.
Maher graduated from Quinnipiac in 2018 with a degree in nursing. Per her roster page, Maher was also a member of the National Honor Society and volunteered with the Meriden Humane Society and as an environmental ambassador while at Quinnipiac.
2018: Makes national rugby sevens debut
While still attending Quinnipiac, Maher played sevens for Scion Rugby Academy, an experience that led to her first opportunity to represent the United States on the pitch.
She made her national debut with the USA Rugby World Cup Sevens team in 2018 at a Women's SVNS tournament in Paris.
2020: Selected to U.S.'s squad for Tokyo Olympics
Maher’s rise on the national stage continued in 2020, when she was selected for her first Olympic team and competed at the Tokyo Games. It was only the second time women’s rugby appeared at the Olympics.
She scored three tries during the tournament, helping the U.S. finish sixth. Her Olympic appearance also boosted her social media profile, as she shared behind-the-scenes videos from the Games.
@ilonamaher This one may be my favorite #beastbeautybrains #tokyoolympics #rugby #olympictiktok #tokyo2020 #teammate #usarugby #cardboardbeds ♬ original sound - Ilona Maher
Maher also represented the United States at the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town, where she helped the team reach the semifinals.
2023: Dislocated tibia, broken fibula, returns for Pan American Games
Maher suffered a significant setback in 2023, dislocating her tibia and breaking her fibula while training against a men's rugby team. Maher, who was 27 at the time, was expected to miss the remainder of the 2023 season but returned well ahead of schedule.
"That was a very bad injury. She was very scared from that, but she was motivated by that and worked the recovery," Michael Maher said, per Yahoo.
Following her injury in March 2023, Ilona wound up returning in time to help the U.S. squad win gold at the Pan American Games in November of the same year, marking a nine-month recovery period.
"I never had any doubt that Lo would recover, she is committed to this team and her role in us bringing home a medal," Emilie Bydwell, the U.S women's rugby sevens coach, said according to Yahoo. "We have an excellent performance staff that worked with her to ensure that she was getting what she needed medically and physically. She trusted the process with them, exhibited both work ethic and patience and now we get to see her to what she does best — perform."
July 2024: Helps U.S. claim first-ever women's rugby medal in Paris Olympics
Maher's fame grew even more in the summer of 2024, when she made her second Olympic appearance. This time around, she helped the U.S. find even more success, winning a bronze medal in Paris. It was the United States' first-ever Olympic medal in women's rugby.
Delicious. pic.twitter.com/flpxWfrr1M
— Ilona Maher (@ilona_maher) July 30, 2024
Maher scored tries in all three of her squad's group stage matches in Paris. She and the other U.S. team members took down Australia 14-12 to win bronze. By that time, she was the most-followed rugby player in the world on social media and continued to post behind-the-scenes content from Paris.
2024: Competes on 'Dancing With The Stars'
By the fall of 2024, Maher had become a well-known figure, having won an Olympic medal, competed in two Olympics, built a massive social media following, and even delivered a TEDx talk.
She was then selected as a contestant for Season 33 of "Dancing With The Stars," partnering with professional dancer Alan Bersten for the competition. Maher was the first rugby player to ever compete on the show.
Maher and Bersten reached the finale, finishing as runners-up to Joey Graziadei or reality show fame and his partner Jenna Johnson.
January 2025: Joins Bristol Bears of Premiership Women's Rugby league
Not long after her second trip to the Olympics, Maher signed with the Bristol Bears of the Premiership Women's Rugby league in England. It was a three-month deal, which began in January 2025.
Maher's debut with the team was supposed to be at its home field, Shaftesbury Park, but it was moved to the larger Ashton Gate due to high demand for tickets, per Rugby Pass. In front of a crowd of nearly 10,000 people, Maher came off the bench in a 40-17 loss in her debut. She scored her first try in a win during the following the game.
July 2025: Named 'Best Breakthrough Athlete' at ESPYs
At the 2025 ESPY Awards Show, Maher was named "Best Breakthrough Athlete," largely recognizing her efforts in leading the U.S. to its first-ever medal in Olympic women's rugby. She had previously been named to Forbes' "30 under 30 Sports" list in December 2024.
In her ESPY's speech, Maher honored her teammates and encouraged other female athletes.
"My message stays the same: Strong is beautiful. Strong is powerful. Sexy is whatever you want it to be, and I hope more girls can feel how I feel," Maher said. "Take up space. Pitch it faster. Run harder. Put another plate on the bar. And never tone it down.”
July 2025: Selected to U.S.'s 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup team
Maher was again selected to the U.S. squad for the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup being held in England.
MORE: Why Ilona Maher signed with the Bristol Bears in 2024
Where did Ilona Maher go to college?
Maher spent her first year of college at Norwich University, but then transferred to Quinnipiac for the remainder of her collegiate career.
At Quinnipiac, she won three NIRA titles and was a three-time NIRA All-American.
Ilona Maher Olympics highlights
Arguably, the top highlight of Maher's run at the 2024 Paris games was a mean stiff-arm.
ILONA MAHER COMING THROUGH. 💥#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/Im8JPa5WPs
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 28, 2024
Here's another stiff-arm from Maher:
Get the ball to Ilona Maher and GET OUT OF THE WAY‼️ #ParisOlympics
— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) July 28, 2024
📺CNBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/hF8KAytAj1
She helped Team USA reach the semifinals for the first time in Olympic history:
Ilona Maher and Team USA are in the women's rugby semifinals for the first time in Olympic history! #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/AZOh2bk4X3
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024
Here's a highlight from the U.S.'s matchup with Japan in Paris:
Ilona Maher entered BEAST MODE against Japan at the #ParisOlympics 😤 pic.twitter.com/kBMPmWpxf2
— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) July 28, 2024
MORE: How Ilona Maher stole the show at the 2024 Paris Olympics with viral run
Ilona Maher 'Dancing With the Stars' highlights
Maher reached the finale of Dancing With the Stars, showcasing a series of performances that ranked among the best of the season.
Her finale freestyle was set to Chappell Roan's hit single "Femininomenon."
She and her partner also performed a Redemption Jive to Ray Charles' “Shake A Tail Feather” in the finale.
Maher also became the first female in "DWTS" history to lift her male partner in a performance. Here's every performance from her time on the show:
MORE: Full results, highlights from Ilona Maher and the 2024 DWTS finale
Ilona Maher height, weight
Maher is listed as 5-foot-10 on her Team USA profile page.
In June 2025, she appeared on Kylie Kelce's podcast "Not Gonna Lie," saying her heaviest weight is between 203 and 213 pounds and that her playing weight at the Olympics was 197 pounds.
"People’s ideas of weight and health are so wrong," Maher said on the podcast, per 'Today.' "There’s some women who are meant to be thin, who are meant to be skinny. ... I’ve seen them eat so much, and they stay that way. There’s some of us who are meant to be a little bit bigger, and I’ve seen people who are so healthy and who live such fulfilled lives over 200 pounds.
"That’s kind of like why I’m constantly putting out these body-positive messages because it’s never-ending."
Where is Ilona Maher from?
Maher is from Burlington, Vermont. She attended Burlington High School.