BYU is home to yet another Olympic athlete.
Stephanie Rovetti, a former BYU women’s basketball player, will compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics for Team USA as part of the women’s rugby team. While Rovetti didn’t discover her talent and passion for rugby as a Cougar, she is still grateful for her time at BYU and is excited to show her skills and represent her country in Paris.
Rovetti was first introduced to rugby through her sister Morgan, who played rugby for BYU. After running out basketball eligibility at Fresno State, she decided to give rugby a try, earning a roster spot on the San Diego Surfers. Rovetti earned MVP honors and helped her team earn a championship title at the 2018 Club Sevens National Championships.
“Rugby cultivates such a positive, inclusive, respectful, loving and competitive environment,” Rovetti said. “It’s one of the most unique sports cultures in the world. I fell in love with not only the culture but the game itself. It’s fast, exciting, physical, gritty, and is exhilarating to play.”
(Top) Former BYU basketball player Stephanie Rovetti in action and posing with her teammates. (Bottom) Rovetti competes in women's rugby sevens games alongside her teammates. Photos courtesy of Stephanie Rovetti.
Before her rugby career, Rovetti attended BYU from 2010-14 and played for the women’s basketball team. While rugby and basketball are very different sports, she feels the mental and physical developments she experienced as a Cougar were very beneficial to her successful rugby career.
“Basketball helped me to have my own unique identity as a rugby player,” she said. “I have my own vision and skill set that is unique to me and the journey I have had as an athlete.”
One lesson Rovetti learned at BYU was how to handle pressure in important games against high-level teams. During the 2014 basketball season, she and her team made it to the Sweet 16 round in the NCAA Division I tournament, upseting no. 4 and 5, Nebraska and North Carolina State.
“We have teams in the Olympics, such as Australia and New Zealand, that are ranked higher and have the repetition of being the best rugby players in the world,” Rovetti said. “Come July 28th, it will be about who shows up in the moment, and we have every intention of being that team.”
Rovetti and her team qualified for the Paris Olympics by finishing in the top four at the 2023 HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series. Her training for the Olympics has been a three-year process.
“Our training was designed for us to peak at the Olympics, allowing time for growth,” she said. “Now that we are in our peak phase, it’s all about execution and tightening all the screws.”
Rovetti is honored to compete in the Olympics and represent the United States of America.
“It feels like a wave of gratitude when you wear that USA crest,” she said. “To be on Team USA and be alongside the best American athletes is a great privilege.”
Watch Rovetti and the rest of the USA women’s rugby team compete for gold in Paris. They will first face off against Japan on July 28 at 8:30 a.m. MDT.