Spotlight
Highlighting our Alumni
ON THE SPOT LIGHT
Bitsy Carins
For Bitsy Carins, rugby was a family tradition before it was ever her sport. Inspired by her older sisters Jackie and Maggie—both standout Downingtown Rugby players who went on to play at Penn State and The University of Scranton—Bitsy grew up around the game but didn’t begin playing until her junior year of high school.
After attending a Penn State rugby clinic in 2010, what started as trying something new quickly turned into something more. A multi-sport athlete whose primary focus had been basketball, Bitsy rediscovered the simple joy of playing through rugby. Under Downingtown head coach Matt Dziunycz, she rapidly developed into a standout player, earning selection to the EPRU and Mid-Atlantic Selectside teams and gaining experience with Keystone Women’s Rugby while still in high school.
Bitsy continued her career at Penn State under legendary coach Pete Steinberg, becoming part of one of the most dominant programs in collegiate rugby history. During her time there, the team never lost a domestic match and won five national championships. As a senior, she served as team captain. Her development also took her internationally, including time playing club rugby in New Zealand and representing the United States at the U20 level.
In 2015, Bitsy earned her first cap with the United States Women’s National Team, debuting at flanker against England. Over the next seven years, she earned 23 caps for the Eagles. After Penn State, she attended Life Chiropractic College West while competing for Life West Women’s Rugby and continuing her pursuit of international rugby. Her career culminated with selection to the U.S. squad for the 2022 Rugby World Cup.
Following her playing career, Bitsy transitioned into coaching, spending time at Stanford University and returning to Downingtown to help coach the high school girls program where her rugby journey began.
ON THE SPOT LIGHT
Maxwell “Max” Brown first took to a DRFC practice pitch in September 2000 at Devereux Day School—at just six weeks old. He slept peacefully in his car seat at the bottom of the hill while his father, “Coach Brownie,” coached alongside Coach Drill.
Max’s first official practice came in July 2006 at the inaugural DRFC Touch Rugby Camp. In 2010, while in the third grade, he joined the DRFC U13 side. “When I first coached Max, he was 10 years old and undoubtedly the smallest kid playing in all of Pennsylvania’s U13 boys league,” said Dave “Rat” Rathfon, Max’s U13 and U15 coach. “But he was also the most fearless, coachable, determined, mentally tough, and intelligent players I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with.”
Max primarily played scrum-half, fly-half, and center in High School. In addition to 15’s, Max was a member of multiple championship DRFC U15 7s team and U18 7s teams from 2014 to 2018, played for RugbyPA Select 7s, MD15, and was a three-time Atlantis 7s player and captain. One of Max’s goals was to be selected to play D1 rugby at the elite level, and do so for the A-Side.
“I stopped coaching Max once he entered high school,” said his father, Scott Brown (“Coach Brownie”). “Part of the reason was seeing how much he grew and developed under Coaches Rat, Declan Forde, Taylor, and Kroft—I knew I’d only get in his way. And I knew Drill had that team covered. He 100% had Max’s back. Drill has always kept the team motto, ‘Strength Through Unity,’ alive and at the core of DRFC.”
Max’s rugby IQ, skills, and leadership qualities earned him interest from Division I programs such as Ohio State and Notre Dame. Coaches consistently praised his defensive ability and tackling prowess, but even more so his unselfishness—his instinct to put teammates into scoring positions rather than seeking tries for himself. Ultimately he accepted a varsity athlete appointment to play rugby at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Max was widely described as a “selfless leader and player” by his Atlantis and RugbyPA Select coaches, and a former West Point coach. Coach Rathfon says, “He never hesitated to play wherever I needed him most—fly-half, scrum-half, hooker, flanker, fullback—it didn’t matter. Run, catch, kick, pass, tackle, organize—this kid could do it all. Watching him grow into the person he’s become is exactly why coaches love what they do.”
Max began his Army Rugby career as a starting center and kicker during his “Plebe” (Freshman) year. During his “Cow” (Junior) year, however, his coach asked him to transition to hooker to bring strength and rugby IQ to a critical need in the forward pack—a move that would mentally devastate many players. Shaped by his DRFC upbringing and his team-first mentality, Max accepted the challenge. By his “Firstie” (Senior) year, he was the starting hooker, where he finished his Army Rugby career. Max was a member of Army’s 2022 National Championship team and competed on three tours with Army 7s at the CRCs, scoring the final two back-to-back tries against Air Force in New Orleans his final 7s season.
Today, Max serves as an officer in the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division and is married to his fellow West Point-graduate wife of two years.
Be sure to check out the Netflix documentary “Brothers on Three”, where Max and his Army Rugby brothers and their powerful sense of family – values deeply rooted within DRFC – are showcased.
ON THE SPOT LIGHT
