09/09/2026
Wisconsin Rugby News- Report on Iron Maidens
The Fox Cities Iron Maidens spent 2025 proving they belonged among Wisconsin’s best. Now the challenge is to stay there — and possibly climb even higher.
Fox Cities enters the Fall 2026 season following the best 15s finish in program history. The Iron Maidens reached the state semifinals for the first time and then defeated the South Central Sirens with a dramatic late score to finish third in Wisconsin. The program also enters the fall with the confidence of a Sevens state championship, giving coach Shalene Huth reason to believe Fox Cities can translate its speed, ball skills and open-field ability into another strong 15s season.
“As Sevens State Champs, hoping to really showcase all the girls skills and abilities with 15, being able to roster a full team,” Huth said. And Huth is not hiding the ultimate goal. “Winning State at the 15s level would be amazing!!!” After last year’s breakthrough, that ambition carries more weight.
Two All-State Backs Have Graduated
Fox Cities does have important production to replace.
The Iron Maidens graduated two members of the 2025 Wisconsin All-State Team:
Trinity Ruatti — Back
Bella Woodbridge — Back
Woodbridge concluded her career as a three-time All-State player after also earning recognition in 2024 and 2023.
Ruatti joined her on the 2025 All-State backline.
Their departures leave Fox Cities replacing two proven players from the unit that helped produce the best state finish in program history.
But the roster is not starting over.
Fox Cities returns two All-State players of its own in Myla Murre and Brin Bayer, along with another key leader in Stella Sommers.
That gives the Iron Maidens a strong foundation around which to build the next version of the team.
Huth and Staff Bring Different Strengths
Huth took over Fox Cities in 2024 and brings a playing background that stretches well beyond Wisconsin.
She previously played wing for the Dubai Hurricanes and the United Arab Emirates national team, along with one season at UW-Eau Claire.
Her coaching focus reflects that experience. Huth works heavily with speed, endurance, fitness and the backline and has primarily coached the program’s Spring Sevens side.
She is supported by a small but versatile staff.
Coach Zeb, president of Fox Cities Youth Rugby, handles a wide range of responsibilities throughout the program.
Coach Pete initially joined as a kicking coach but now also contributes to game planning and video analysis.
Together, the group gives Fox Cities a blend of backline development, conditioning, kicking, film work and program support — all important for a young team trying to become more complete at the 15s level.
Murre, Bayer and Sommers Lead the Core
Huth identifies Myla Murre, Brin Bayer and Stella Sommers as the team’s key leaders entering 2026.
Murre returns as a senior after earning 2025 All-State recognition as a back. With Ruatti and Woodbridge gone, her experience becomes particularly important in helping stabilize a backline in transition.
She also brings something younger players cannot replicate immediately: experience from the state semifinal stage and the third-place match.
Bayer enters her junior season as one of the most accomplished players in her class.
She earned All-State recognition as a freshman in 2024 and again as a sophomore in 2025, making her a two-time All-State forward before beginning her junior year.
That combination of youth and experience makes Bayer one of Fox Cities’ most important long-term pieces.
Sommers completes the leadership group.
While Murre and Bayer bring statewide recognition, Sommers gives Huth another trusted voice on a team where communication is already considered one of the primary strengths.
Together, the three form a core capable of setting expectations for a younger roster.
Patience Bielke and the Importance of Roster Growth
Among Fox Cities’ newer or less experienced players, Huth specifically identified Patience Bielke as someone who could provide a boost.
Her development matters within a larger team priority.
Fox Cities wants greater roster stability.
For a program that has often operated around 14 players, every dependable contributor matters. A full 15-player lineup is the first step. Having additional depth beyond that changes the competitive equation even more.
It allows substitutions to become strategic rather than emergency measures.
It reduces the burden on players carrying heavy minutes.
It creates better training environments.
And it gives younger players time to develop without forcing them into every critical role immediately.
Bielke does not need to become an instant star to make a meaningful difference. If she can become a dependable contributor, she helps Fox Cities move toward the kind of roster depth needed to sustain success over a full fall season.
Sevens Strengths Meet 15s Challenges
Ball handling and communication should remain two of Fox Cities’ biggest competitive strengths entering the fall.
That fits naturally with the Iron Maidens’ success in Sevens, where players are constantly asked to handle the ball under pressure, recognize space, support one another and communicate across the field.
Those same qualities can make Fox Cities dangerous in 15s.
The bigger challenge is adding the structure required in the larger game.
Scrums and overall knowledge of the game remain the areas where the young roster has the most room to grow. Fifteens demands a deeper understanding of field position, phase shape, support responsibilities, defensive spacing and set-piece organization.
The scrum may be especially important.
Fox Cities already has players who can be dangerous with possession. The next step is becoming more reliable at creating and retaining that possession.
If the Iron Maidens can improve their set piece and tactical awareness without losing the speed, communication and handling that helped drive their Sevens success, they can become a much more complete 15s team.
Schedule Overview: Tests Come Immediately
Fox Cities will not have much time to ease into the season.
The Iron Maidens open on September 12 at home against Green Bay/Bruisers in a conference matchup.
It is an immediate test with standings implications.
Fox Cities brings back Murre and Bayer, while Green Bay returns junior All-State back Margo Grebinoski and the Bruisers return senior All-State forward Greta Grossman.
The recent postseason history adds another layer: Fox Cities finished third in 2025, while Green Bay finished third in 2024.
One week later, Fox Cities meets DSHA-B at Hamilton in a non-conference friendly.
That game should give Huth a useful opportunity to evaluate combinations and younger players without standings pressure.
Then comes the largest measuring stick on the schedule.
On September 26, Fox Cities faces DSHA A at Catholic Memorial in conference play.
DSHA enters as the defending state champion and remains the program everyone else is trying to catch.
For Fox Cities, this game is more than a test of standings position.
It is an opportunity to measure whether the gap between breakthrough semifinalist and true championship contender has narrowed.
The Iron Maidens close conference play at home against Hamilton on October 3.
Hamilton has recent top-three history of its own, including a runner-up finish in 2022 and third-place finishes in 2018 and 2021.
That makes the matchup potentially important for postseason positioning.
Fox Cities then receives a bye on October 10 before the playoffs begin.
Fox Cities' 2026 Regular-Season Path
Sept. 12 — Green Bay/Bruisers at Fox Cities — Conference
Sept. 19 — DSHA-B vs. Fox Cities at Hamilton — Non-Conference Friendly
Sept. 26 — DSHA A vs. Fox Cities at Catholic Memorial — Conference
Oct. 3 — Hamilton at Fox Cities — Conference
Oct. 10 — BYE
Oct. 17 — Playoffs at Cottage Grove
Oct. 25 — State Tournament at Hart Park
The schedule is short, but it gives Fox Cities several meaningful benchmarks: an immediate conference game, a quality friendly, a direct test against the defending champion and a late-season matchup with Hamilton before the postseason.
The Goal Is No Longer Just to Break Through
Huth’s definition of success starts with the basics:
A full roster. Good attendance. A positive attitude when things get difficult.
Those goals may sound simple, but they are directly connected to the next stage of the program.
Fox Cities has already shown what it can accomplish with limited numbers.
More depth creates better practices.
Better practices improve game knowledge.
Greater game knowledge strengthens the scrum, shape and structure.
And those improvements give Fox Cities a better chance to maximize the skills it already has.
That is why 2026 feels different.
A year ago, Fox Cities was trying to prove it belonged in the top four.
It did.
Now the Iron Maidens return Murre, a senior All-State leader; Bayer, a two-time All-State junior; Sommers, another trusted leader; and emerging players such as Bielke who could help create greater depth.
The question has changed from whether Fox Cities can break through to whether it can sustain that breakthrough.
Can third place become another semifinal appearance?
Can another semifinal appearance become a championship match?
And can a Sevens state champion grow into a 15s state champion?
Fox Cities already changed its own history in 2025.
The opportunity in 2026 is to prove that history is still being written.
