Harvard announced the hiring of Mel Denham as the head coach of women’s rugby in August of 2017. She now enters her ninth season with the Crimson in 2025-26.
Denham has led Harvard to three NIRA National Championships (2019, 2023, 2024) and one CRAA 7s National Championship (2024).
Most recently, she guided Harvard to its third NIRA national title in the fall of 2024, as the Crimson defeated Dartmouth 19-12 in the championship match. This marked the first time the program had gone back-to-back as a program.
The 2023-24 season was historic for the program, as Denham’s squad captured the NIRA 15s title (the first since 2019) and the CRAA 7s National Championship, making Harvard the first Division I program to accomplish that feat in the tournament’s history.
In 2021-22, Harvard returned to play following COVID-19 cancellations and posted a 6-1 record in the 15s regular season, earning the No. 2 seed in NIRA before falling in the semifinals. Five Crimson players earned All-NIRA honors that year. Harvard also returned to 7s competition, winning the Crimson 7s and Ivy 7s tournaments, and advancing to the USA Rugby 7s National Championship semifinals.
Denham first led Harvard to a NIRA National Championship in 2019-20 with an 18-7 victory over Army in the final. That season, Harvard posted a 7-2 record and defeated Dartmouth twice, including in the semifinals. She was named The Ragatz Family Harvard Women’s Coach of Excellence in June 2020.
In 2018-19, the Crimson won the Ivy 15s Championship and reached the national title match before finishing as runner-up. The team carried that momentum into the spring, winning the Ivy 7s Championship and placing third at the USA Rugby 7s National Championship. Six athletes earned All-America recognition.
In her first season at the helm in 2017-18, Denham led Harvard to a 4-3-1 record in the fall 15s season, reaching the NIRA Semifinals and competing in the Ivy 15s Championship. In the spring, Harvard advanced to the USA Rugby National Championship and placed second at the Ivy 7s.
Prior to Harvard, Denham was the first varsity head coach in program history at Central Washington (2014-17), compiling a 39-4 record with national championship appearances in both 7s and 15s. She coached 14 All-Americans and two USA national team development athletes, with one progressing to the senior squad. She also served as head coach at American International College (2013-14), leading the program to a 22-5 record and producing five collegiate All-Americans. From 2010-13, Denham was an assistant coach at Harvard, helping the program transition to varsity status in 2013. During that tenure, she helped lead Harvard to the 2011 Division II National Championship as a club program.
As a player, Denham earned 21 caps for the USA Women’s National Team, competing in the 2010 World Cup and training with the 2014 World Cup squad. She also won three national championships with the Northeast Regional Select Side.
The second head coach in Harvard women’s rugby history, Denham graduated from Bridgewater State in 2007.
