GREENWOOD — On Friday, Lander University Director of Athletics Brian Reese announced the hiring of Makayla Lowe as the new Bearcat women's rugby coach.  

"We are excited to have Makayla lead our women's rugby program," said Reese. "She is a rising star in the industry and we can't wait for her to get started."

Lowe comes to Lander after serving as an assistant coach at Division I Queens University of Charlotte. While coaching the Royals, she helped improve their winning Lineout percentage from 65% to 90%. Queens' overall scrum success also increased from 70% to 80%. In February, Makayla played collegiately at Life University, where she was a two-time All-American, earning a degree in Exercise Science.

Statement from Makayla Lowe:

"Joining the Bearcat family is an exciting time for me and my family. I'd like to thank Trinity for his continued support. We recently moved to Greenwood and have completely fallen in love with the area. 

Thank you, Athletic Director Brian Reese, for giving me this opportunity. I'm ready to unite with you and the athletic department to continue building excellence at Lander University. I've met many of the administrators and coaches. They are top-notch professionals with winning attitudes and have been extremely welcoming. We will continue to work towards bringing more championships to Lander while developing our student-athletes to be successful on and off the pitch.

I will bring professionalism, structure, and grit. My goal is to create an elite atmosphere. I plan to put Lander University on the map. I plan to build a foundation that is respected by USA Rugby as one that creates players to advance to that level of play or to play in the professional pathway. 

I will make practices thorough, exciting, challenging, and game-changing. I will instill my expertise and knowledge into the student-athletes at Lander University. 

Thank you to Coach Rosalind Chou for your constant mentorship, support, and for pushing me to where I am today. 

Thank you to Coach Buck Billings for introducing me to rugby and for always having my back throughout my high school and collegiate years. I am looking forward to working alongside you. 

Lander University is a special place, and I plan to come to work every day to give my players every opportunity to succeed in life and rugby."

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