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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Susqu chapter.

Ilona Maher is an American Rugby player and one-time bronze medalist in the Olympics. She is a 28-year-old woman who grew up in Vermont and is the middle daughter of three sisters. She is five-feet-ten-inches tall and weighs 198 pounds. Simply by looking at her statistics, one can tell that she is an absolute powerhouse! But being a total machine isn’t the only reason you should love Ilona Maher.

Ilona Maher is known for embracing femininity in sports and showcases her support by wearing bright red lipstick during every game. It is important to her to convey the duality of a woman and represent that each woman can be girly and wear lipstick and also be a force to be reckoned with on the field. This well-known fact about her made me immediately fall in love with her personality and her morals. She is very candid and down-to-earth, which makes her likable and relatable. She’s honest and true and doesn’t pander to society which is admirable. 

Ilona isn’t just recognized on the rugby field. Recently, she’s been starring alongside Alan Bersten on Dancing With the Stars, and has been gradually gaining confidence as well as better scores each week. She is the first US rugby player to star on the show. Watching her embrace her delicate side has been a privilege and it’s been monumental to see such a physically strong female trying out a sport that requires other talents like grace and finesse. She’s been killing it on the stage both with her dancing and her outfits. 

She’s not just awesome in that regard. Maher has a Tik Tok account on which she posts many videos about body positivity and advocates for self-love. She is an inspiration to girls and women all over the world and promotes positivity and acceptance for all. 

If you’re a fan of fantasy/romance novels, you’re in luck! Ilona loves the ACOTAR series, written by Sarah J. Maas, and has spoken about her love for it on a podcast with Brittany Broski, a Tiktok star. She said she’s read all the Maas books and offered a humorous perspective on her thoughts about one of the highly-polarized books, “A Court of Silver Flames”. As an ACOTAR lover myself, I found this out about her and it only increased my love for her. Her Tik Tok is @ilonamaher, if you wish to check out her social media platform. 

She’s beautiful, an amazing athlete, funny, kind, and so much more. Ilona Maher is the full package and who girls should look up to. She is the epitome of hard-work, joy, and goodness. If you’re looking for a new hyperfixation, I suggest following Ilona’s journey because once you start, you won’t stop!

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Maddie Kuhns went to Pennridge High School in Bucks County, Pa, where she graduated in 2023. She now attends Susquehanna University as a sophomore and English Secondary Education major and will graduate in 2027. Before college, Maddie played field hockey for four years, was an active member and leader of the school's German club and participated in Women Supporting Women and International Cultures Club. She is the Vice President for Her Campus. In her free time, Maddie likes to read, write, and watch movies. She loves spending time with friends and family and listening to music. She's always ready to do something fun and loves trying new things.