Alex Sedrick has run her way into U.S. rugby history.
The Salt Lake City native scored a try and hit the game-winning conversion on the final play to give Team USA a 14-12 victory over Australia in the bronze medal match, securing the U.S. its first ever Olympic rugby sevens medal.
Australia got its first try just over a minute into the bronze-medal contest thanks to Maddison Levi. The U.S. then equaled the score on an Alev Kelter try and her ensuing conversion.
Team USA’s defense held strong early in the second half, holding the score to 7-7 until there was 1:25 remaining. That’s when Maddison Levi and her sister, Teagan, combined for a second try.
It was then Sedrick who broke away from the Australia defense and scored the game-sealing try. She then drilled the following conversion to cement the Americans as Olympic bronze medalists.
The U.S. ended up in the bronze medal match after losing to New Zealand, the defending gold medalists, by a score of 24-12 earlier in the day.
The bronze medal match marked Australia’s second loss of the day. The team fell to Canada in the semifinals and needed a win over the U.S. to earned its second ever Olympic rugby sevens medal.
