Becky Carlson
Becky Carlson joined the University of Maine at Fort Kent as Director of Athletics in August of 2026 following 15 seasons as the founding head coach of the Quinnipiac University women’s rugby program.
Carlson built the Bobcats from a new varsity program into a three-time national champion. When Quinnipiac began competition in 2011, it became the second NCAA Division I women’s rugby program in the country, and Carlson became the first woman to serve as head coach of an NCAA Division I women’s rugby program.
One of the leading figures in the growth of NCAA women’s rugby, Carlson has advocated for expanded opportunities and greater equality for female student-athletes for more than a decade. During her tenure at Quinnipiac, she recorded 99 victories and led the Bobcats to three consecutive National Intercollegiate Rugby Association Division I championships in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Carlson was named College Rugby Coach of the Year in 2015 after guiding Quinnipiac to the inaugural all-NCAA women’s rugby postseason tournament and capturing the national championship. Under her leadership, 32 Bobcats earned All-America recognition.
Quinnipiac’s program helped establish a model for other institutions as the number of NCAA varsity women’s rugby programs grew from five to 30. Before arriving at Quinnipiac, Carlson served as USA Rugby’s NCAA Emerging Sports program manager, leading efforts to expand NCAA women’s rugby and create additional varsity opportunities for female athletes at the high school and collegiate levels.
From 2004 to 2006, Carlson served as an assistant coach with the Eastern Illinois University women’s rugby program. She contributed to all aspects of the program, including team travel, practices, game-day operations, film analysis and student-athlete development. In 2004, she also worked at Ferrum College as an assistant coach with the women’s lacrosse, women’s soccer and softball programs.
A former two-sport collegiate athlete, Carlson competed in women’s rugby and women’s tennis at Eastern Illinois. She was among the first recruits for the nation’s first NCAA Division I women’s rugby program and received the program’s Strength and Conditioning Award in 1999, as well as the Panther Award for All-Around Student-Athlete.
As a member of the Panthers’ tennis team, Carlson competed at No. 1 and No. 2 singles and at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. She served as team captain in 2002 and 2003 and was a three-time recipient of the program’s Strength and Conditioning Award.
Carlson earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in public relations from Eastern Illinois in 2003. She completed her master’s degree in physical education and sports administration at EIU in 2004 while serving as a graduate assistant coach with the women’s rugby program. In 2024, Carlson earned her law degree from Tulane University, specializing in labor and employment law.
A three-sport varsity athlete and 1999 graduate of Arundel High School, Carlson became the first female athlete in Maryland to play high school boys’ baseball in 1996. She also appeared on ABC’s Wide World of Sports with the Colorado Silver Bullets, a former women’s professional baseball team.
Carlson is a graduate of the NCAA Coaches Academy’s Class No. 36 and received the academy’s Judy Sweet Award in 2015. She has also written extensively about coaching and team-culture development. Her best-known work, “An Open Letter to the Athlete We Must Stop Recruiting,” is among the most widely shared athletics-related articles published on LinkedIn. Carlson credits her late father, Donald Carlson (USNA '72) and his CEC motto as well as her former baseball coach, Chuck Morse as two key figures that inspire her to lead with accountability.
A committed advocate for coaches and student-athletes, Carlson brings her leadership and program-building experience to UMFK. As Director of Athletics, she is leading the expansion of the university’s athletic facilities and new sport additions to athletics.
