Playing career Bydwell began playing rugby at age fourteen. Bydwell graduated from Brown University in 2008 with a degree in human biology. After college she played senior club rugby with the
Beantown Rugby in
Boston, MA. She made her
USA Eagles debut against
England in August 2008. Bydwell was a member of the
2010 Women's Rugby World Cup roster for the United States, where the US finished in fifth place. In 2011, Bydwell moved from Boston to
San Diego, CA to train with the emerging USA Rugby Sevens Residency program. In 2012, Bydwell won a senior club 7s national title with the
San Diego Surfers, and was named tournament MVP. Bydwell appeared in the 2013
Dubai Women's Sevens representing the USA. She was also a member of the
2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens team for the United States, who finished in third place. Bydwell was named to the
2014 Women's Rugby World Cup roster for the United States, who finished in sixth place.
Coaching career Bydwell began her coaching career at Brown University before moving to San Diego to continue her playing career. Bydwell coached for Atavus and was named USA Rugby Coach of the Year in 2016. She coached three consecutive USA Rugby Club 7s National Championship teams with Atavus Academy in 2017 and the San Diego Surfers in 2018 and 2019. From 2018-2021, Bydwell served as the USA Rugby Director of Women’s High Performance. Bydwell was named the head coach of the
United States women's national rugby sevens team on November 23, 2021. At the
2024 Summer Olympics, Bydwell coached the USA women's seven's team to a bronze medal finish, becoming the first USA women's team to win an olympic medal in rugby, and the first female head coach to lead a team to an Olympic medal. == Personal life ==