Carrick Pell enters his first season as the Head Coach of the Norwich University men's rugby program in 2026-27.
Pell arrives in Northfield after a highly successful tenure as head coach of the Babson College men's rugby program, where he helped transform the Beavers into one of the top collegiate rugby programs in the country. He succeeds longtime head coach Bob Weggler, who retired after 25 years leading the Cadets and more than four decades of collegiate coaching service.
Pell brings more than a decade of head coaching experience, a distinguished playing background, and a leadership approach shaped by military service, athlete development, alumni engagement, and program building. He served as Babson's head men's rugby coach beginning in 2012, rebuilding the program from a challenging starting point into a nationally competitive side that rose from Division 4 to Division I-AA.
During his time at Babson, Pell guided the Beavers to National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) national championships in both 15s and 7s in 2023. Babson captured the NCR Small College National 7s Championship in the spring before adding the NCR Small College 15s national title later that year, completing one of the most successful seasons in program history.
Babson continued its ascent under Pell, earning multiple New England Rugby Football Union Final Four appearances, developing a nationally competitive 7s program, reaching the 2024 Premier Division semifinals, and finishing as a Division I-AA top-10 team nationally in 2025.
Pell's impact at Babson extended well beyond championships. He helped rebuild alumni engagement, established recruiting pipelines, strengthened player-led accountability systems, developed corporate partnerships, and expanded the program's infrastructure, including improvements to pitch and locker room facilities. He also helped develop three NCR All-Americans and more than 100 NCR Scholastic All-Americans, while Babson was recognized as Club Sport of the Year in 2015, 2022, and 2024.
Pell inherits a Norwich program that became one of the most respected rugby programs in the country under Weggler's leadership. The Cadets qualified for 16 national tournaments across 15s and 7s during Weggler's tenure, reached multiple Sweet 16s, Elite 8s, and Final Fours, and captured five straight conference championships in 15s during one of the most dominant stretches in program history.
Since joining National Collegiate Rugby in 2021, Norwich has reached four straight Sweet 16s and four straight Elite 8s, advancing to the national Final Four in both 2021 and 2024. The Cadets also added three consecutive 7s league titles while continuing to develop a strong alumni base, a nationally competitive profile, and one of the most recognizable rugby cultures in the region.
Pell's own rugby background spans several levels of the sport. He began playing in 1997 with the Birmingham Vulcans and went on to compete with programs including New Haven Rugby, Mystic River Rugby Club, the Boston Irish Wolfhounds, and several select sides, including Texas Selects, USAF Selects, NERFU Selects, and Northeast Selects. He also earned Associated Press Division I-AA All-American honors at Davidson College, competed as a Team USA duathlon athlete and captain at the world championship level, and was an All-Air Force Rugby selection.
His leadership background also includes service in the United States Marine Corps as a reconnaissance Marine from 1989 to 1993, including service during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and later service in the United States Air Force from 1999 to 2003 as a meteorologist supporting mission planning and operational weather analysis.
Pell's coaching philosophy centers on developing student-athletes beyond the field. He has emphasized discipline, accountability, gratitude, academic achievement, and the development of young men who will contribute to the program, the University, and the larger campus community.
Norwich will also benefit from continuity within the program, as assistant coach Austin Manhey '19 will remain on staff. Manhey, a former Norwich rugby standout and longtime assistant, has played a key role in the Cadets' recent success and will continue to help lead the program through its transition.
