Wheeling, W. Va. – Over the last two seasons, the Wheeling University Men's Rugby team has been on top of the National Collegiate Rugby world, winning back-to-back Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) National 7's Championships. On Friday, the Wheeling University Athletic Department announced Maxwell Hamilton as the new Head Men's Rugby Coach. Hamilton has been an assistant for the program for the last two years and is excited to continue the winning tradition of the program.
"I am very grateful for the opportunity to lead one of Wheeling University's Premier level programs," said Hamilton. "A big thank you goes to Mike Geibel, who built the program to what it is today, and I am pleased that he will continue to be involved in the program's success. I know that my time as a graduate assistant here at Wheeling, and a former president of SUNY Fredonia's Men's Rugby, have prepared me for this position."
Hamilton has served as a Graduate Assistant for the Wheeling Men's Rugby program over the last two seasons, helping lead the team to back-to-back Collegiate Rugby Championships (CRC) National 7's titles. This past season was one of the best seasons in program history for the Men's Rugby team, with the team making it to the semifinal round of the CRC 15's National playoffs in the fall before winning the National Championship title in the spring. Hamilton played a vital role in the overall organization of the program, helping in game planning, travel, and other key aspects of the team's success. During 15's season, Hamilton worked on developing the team's backline, creating scoring opportunities for an offense that averaged 40.5 points per game last 15's season.
Under Hamilton's watch, Cardinal sophomore Alex Nyamunda took home National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) All-American honors after leading the Cardinals with 11 tries while scoring 55 points during 15's season. He also helped coach Panashe Mugorogodi, Shadreck Mandaza, and Nyamunda to the first-ever All-Big River's Rugby Conference (BRRC) team during the 15's season. The success continued during the 7's season with all three All-BRRC honorees coming from the backfield and capping off the year with the team's second straight CRC National 7's title. Hamilton has played a key role in helping the Cardinals become one of the Premier programs in NCR and looks to continue that success as head coach.
"Over two of the program's most successful years, Maxwell Hamilton has proven to be an exceptional coach who has the highest standards of professionalism mentored and nurtured by Mike Geibel," said Wheeling University Athletic Director Carrie Hanna. "After Coach Geibel built a legacy of excellence and achievd back-to-back National Championships, he chose to accept the Dean of Students role. Coach Hamilton is the clear successor, having both the skills and knowledge to carry on the Cardinal's winning tradition aligned with Wheeling University's mission to educate for life, leadership, and service with and among others."
Along with his coaching experience with the Wheeling Men's Rugby program, Hamilton was also selected to assist the Great Lakes Thunderbirds at the 2025 NCR All-Star Shield Challenge this past year. Hamilton played collegiate rugby for four seasons at SUNY-Fredonia, where he served as club president for Blackhorse Rugby. While attending SUNY-
Fredonia, Hamilton also served as the Sports Editor for the Fredonia Leader, the student-run newspaper at SUNY Fredonia. Hamilton also played for the Corning Rugby High School Club in Corning, New York.
Hamilton graduated from SUNY-Fredonia in May 2022 with a degree in Communications and Journalism and Leadership Studies. He received his Master's of Business Administration in May 2025 from Wheeling University.
