Reyes has joined Old Glory DC’s 2026 coaching staff as a Backs Skills Coach, the third woman to serve as a coach in league history. It’s one of a few changes that head coach Simon Cross is making in his third year at the helm, and as Reyes prepares for her first season competing in North America’s premier professional rugby league, her eyes are on the day-to-day grind it takes to compete in the MLR.
“Being the only woman coaching on a men’s professional team in Major League Rugby isn’t the headline for me; the work is,” Reyes said.
And Reyes’ body of work speaks for itself.
The Hawaii native fell in love with the game as a teenager, first hitting the pitch with the Kahului Rugby Warriors. The Maui regional team produced MLR talent in Vetekina Malafu and Vili Toluta'u from its men’s side, and in Reyes’ case, it propelled her to a collegiate rugby career at Central Washington University. The center helped take both the 7s and 15s to Nationals during her time in Ellensburg.
During Reyes’ playing career, she also recorded appearances for Premiership Women's Rugby side Saracens and the Scion Sirens, a USA Rugby National Development Academy based in Washington, D.C. While her playing career was cut short due to injury, it allowed her to pivot to her new love of coaching.
Reyes is no stranger to local rugby circles, getting her head coaching start at West Potomac RFC. Most recently, as head coach of the Washington Irish Rugby Football Club, she and fellow Old Glory DC staffer Nick Purvis led the Irish’s D1 side to a Mid-Atlantic Conference playoffs appearance for the first time in team history. The DC-duo also brought the club’s D3 side to its first playoff appearance in half a decade.
Reyes is following a path that only two other women have trod. Former US Eagle Tiffany Faʻaeʻe became the first female coach in league history when she was appointed as an assistant for Rugby United New York in 2018. A few years later, Elaine Vassie followed suit, coaching with the Dallas Jackals before becoming the first female general manager in league history.
The 2016 Women’s Rugby Junior All-American’s hiring represents a growing contingent of female leaders in the league. Reyes will be supported by Robyn Remick, Old Glory DC’s General Manager, a longtime leader in the sports and entertainment space herself.
Last season, Old Glory DC finished third in the Eastern Conference, securing a third straight berth in the MLR Playoffs. Adding a shield to the Old Glory DC trophy case is a driver for Reyes and the team, although the single-table format will make the 2026 MLR Playoffs a week shorter than their previous trips there. With a championship in mind, Reyes is primed and ready to elevate technical skill execution and enhance attacking efficiency with one of the league’s perpetual contenders.
“I’m excited to join Old Glory DC because it’s a high-performance environment with big standards, and that’s exactly where I do my best work,” Reyes said.