USA Rugby Star Tiffany Faaee Named Monroe Rugby Head Coach

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., August 6, 2018 – Famed international rugby athlete and coach Tiffany Faaee has been named the new head coach of the Monroe College men's and women's rugby programs, as announced by the Monroe College Athletic Department on Monday. "I am absolutely honored for the opportunity to share the sport that has given me so much with athletes at Monroe," said Faaee. "As a retired national athlete, my success was due to coaches and mentors who shared their knowledge, experience and time to help me develop and reach my goals. This role allows me to utilize my skills developed on and off the field, but more importantly share something I am so passionate about with athletes." Faaee takes the reigns from inaugural head coach James English, who led the men's rugby team to back-to-back playoff appearances in its first two seasons. The women's rugby team played its first season in 2017, going undefeated through the regular season before falling in the conference championship game. Faaee looks forward to helping both teams take things to the next level. "I am excited for the challenge of building a rugby program utilizing my skills and experience as an athlete and as a manager in my professional career," said Faaee. "I have played rugby at all levels for 19 years and coaching is a new adventure, teaching me to see the game very differently. I'm excited to share and help develop other rugby players." Throughout her 19 years playing rugby, Faaee has competed at both the international and domestic level in the sport. She was a part of USA Rugby from 2015-17 while starting to break into the coaching realm. In 2017, she captained the US Eagles to the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup in Ireland. The New Zealand native played for the New Zealand Rugby League Selection Squad in 2014, and the Samoan Women's Rugby League Team in 2011. A local star as well, Faaee was the team captain of the New York Rugby Club women's team in 2014 and 2017. She previously served as the captain of the Takapuna Rugby Union Club in 2009, and the Northcote Rugby Union Club in 2005. Faaee also played domestically for the New Zealand Navy Rugby team from 2003-09, as well as the North Harbour Select Side team from 2000-09. Faaee's most recent coaching experience came with the USA Eagles as the team's set piece apprentice coach this year. She also served as assistant coach for the New York Rugby Club's women's team. Monroe will not be Faaee's first time coaching at the collegiate level, as she was an assistant coach at Columbia University in 2015. She has also coached for Play Rugby USA, New York Rugby Club High School and Atavus Academy. While success on the field is important for any competitive program, Faaee has her sights set on making each student-athlete better, saying "my goals are to create a program where athletes thrive to push themselves and want to be the best version of themselves." Faaee graduated from Birkenhead College in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2000, where she obtained an EMA finance certificate, EMA in frontline management and an EMA business certificate. In addition to her playing and coaching career in rugby, Faaee also has experience in the world of finance, both in New Zealand and in the United States. Faaee currently resides in Brooklyn, N.Y. ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 28 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, and the newly added club men's volleyball team, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus as of the fall of 2017, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.