A crowd full of teachers, family and fans was waiting for Ilona Maher ‘14 in Battery Park in August. Maher, a BHS Alum, was a crucial member of the U.S. Women’s Rugby 7s team that took bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Maher was born and raised in Burlington, playing several sports throughout her childhood and teens. At BHS, she played field hockey and softball.
“I encouraged [my children] to pick up sports. Everything you read says that youth do so much better if they’re athletic and they get a lot of exercise.” Maher’s father Michael, a former rugby player himself, said. “It’s especially so for young female athletes.”
Allyson Archaki agreed with Michael. She is a gym and health teacher at BHS. Archaki retired from coaching the Varsity field hockey team this year. She was one of Maher’s high school coaches and believes in pushing female athletes to do their best.
“I think for me, it’s more about encouraging [girls] to try something new and to not be afraid. You don’t always have to be the best at it.” Archaki said.
Maher picked up rugby at the age of 17 after quitting softball.
“When Ilona gave up on softball, I said ‘You’ve gotta do something.’ And I was so glad when she picked rugby,” Michael said.
Michael knew Maher’s rugby career was going places after she’d only been to a few practices.
“Her coach called me up and said, ‘Your daughter’s really, really good.’ I said ‘I know,’ ‘No, no, Mike. You don’t get it. Coaches are going to be calling.’” Michael recounted. “She played one game of high school rugby, and we started getting calls.”
Ilona stood out when she played field hockey in high school.
“We always thought she was gonna go on and play at a collegiate level,” Archaki said. “[She could do] pretty much whatever she wanted to do, because she was a very strong individual, a very athletic individual, and she excelled in all the sports that she played in.”
Ilona, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure of her future success.
“I don’t know if professional sports was always a goal for me, because a lot of times female athletes can’t think of professional sports as a career. We don’t have the NFL or NBA where we’ll graduate and make millions of dollars.”
Maher has found success through social media as well as rugby. Her Instagram page currently has 4.3 million followers. On it, she shares short videos documenting her life, making jokes, and advocating for body positivity.
She did not rest on her laurels for long following her bronze medal win. Maher is a fan favorite on “Dancing with the Stars” this season, the show where celebrities partner with professional dancers and compete against each other in ballroom dancing.
“It’s really fun to watch her because she’s a very authentic individual. She is who she is, so what people are seeing [is] IIona Maher,” Archaki said.
