Bronze medalist and former BYU Cougar announces retirement

Former BYU basketball player Stephanie Rovetti is stepping away from rugby.
Rovetti was part of the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team that won bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
That bronze medal was the women’s team’s first-ever Olympic medal and the United States’ first rugby medal in 100 years.
On Wednesday, Rovetti announced her retirement on Instagram, writing that she was “taking my bronze medal and running.”
”As I step away from USA Rugby and retire from my sporting career, I find myself reflecting on what an incredible journey this has been. When rugby found me, it became a path that I never expected, but one that has shaped me in ways I could never have imagined,” she wrote.
Rovetti was introduced to the sport of rugby by her sister, who joined BYU’s women’s rugby team.
But it wasn’t until after her four years playing basketball at BYU and another season at Fresno State that Rovetti committed to rugby, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Rovetti drew the attention of national team coaches after her performance in the 2018 Club Sevens National Championships, according to USA Rugby.
“Rugby empowered me not just as an athlete, but as a woman. Taught me what it truly means to be a HIGHWOMAN. It gave me the confidence to break ceilings, both physically and mentally, showed me how to find courage in moments of uncertainty, and to stand tall in my strength. It taught me that there is power in resilience, in lifting up others, and in embracing every part of who we are—on and off the field,” Rovetti wrote on Instagram.
Rovetti closed her retirement announcement with a note of gratitude for those who supported her rugby journey.
“Rugby has shown me that community is everything—a circle of people who stand by and believe in you through every challenge and every success, and for that, I am endlessly thankful for everyone who has shared this incredible journey with me,” she said.