Sep 01, 2026
A recruiting class that once came almost entirely from Western New York now stretches from California to Sweden.
For St. Bonaventure women’s rugby coach Meredith Pyke, that expanding footprint is one of the clearest signs of how far the program has come — and where it might be headed.
Pyke’s first recruiting class in 2023 was composed mostly of Western New York players, with walk-ons coming largely from the Buffalo and Rochester areas. This fall, the Bonnies welcome players from Ohio, Indiana, California, New Hampshire, Michigan, Canada and, for the first time, Europe. Freshman Hannah Granelli of Sweden is the program’s first European player.
“Each year we’ve seen the footprint get a little wider,” Pyke said. “It’s exciting that our name is getting out there a little more.”
The Bonnies open their varsity season on Rugby Alumni Weekend, hosting New Haven at 10 a.m. on Sept. 12. The full schedule and roster details can be found here.
The geographic growth has been accompanied by something just as significant: roster growth.
The Bonnies enter the season with 43 players, enough to field both an A-side and a full B-side, or junior varsity team. Pyke said that, to her knowledge, no other Division I women’s program has a B-side. Bonaventure’s second team will play a schedule against Division II and Division III opponents, giving players throughout the roster meaningful competitive minutes.
“It feels like the culmination of a lot of hard work to get to this point — to have an A-side and a B-side, to be this large and to have brought in such a big class,” Pyke said.
That class could make an immediate impact. Bonaventure added 13 freshmen and two transfers, and Pyke estimated that eight freshmen were in the starting lineup for a preseason scrimmage victory at Division I opponent Walsh Aug. 26. Sadie Hershberger, Ruby Miscavage and Elliot Bitondo are among the newcomers who have impressed early.
The newfound depth could prove especially important as the Bonnies pursue a Division I postseason berth. Pyke noted that Bonaventure defeated Walsh despite leaving four impact players home because of preseason injuries — a luxury the program’s smaller rosters of previous seasons rarely afforded.
“The fact that we’re now getting into those numbers is exciting, and I think it’s going to make a significant impact,” Pyke said. “I’ve felt like all of the hard work we’ve been doing since we won the (small-college) national championship (in 2023) has paid off to get us where we are now.”
The Bonnies remain young, but Pyke believes their talent, depth and chemistry give them reason to aim high now.
“I think we’ve got a lot of things really going for us right now,” she said. “The girls seem really united and on the same page. … And the rugby looks pretty good so far, too.”
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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 164 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked in the Top 25 overall and for value by U.S. News and World Report (2026).