MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – The United States won a total of 126 medals at the Summer Olympics in Paris. Four different Badgers brought home some medals. Alev Kelter won bronze in women’s rugby sevens, Dana Rettke and Lauren Carlini won silver in women’s indoor volleyball and Rose Lavelle won gold in women’s soccer.
Lavelle played for the Badgers from 2013 to 2016. She was the conference’s top midfielder and an All-American two years in a row while winning a conference tournament. She became a star at the 2019 Women’s World Cup when she scored the USA’s second goal in the final to help secure the win.
Lavelle played for the US team in five of the six Olympic Games.
Paula Wilkins, head coach of the Wisconsin women’s soccer team, said a Badger’s success is an inspiration for her program.
“I think any time we see a former player have success, especially on the world stage like she was, they’re happy that she came back last year and spent time with the team,” Wilkins said. “So I think they feel connected to her in that celebration and just really proud. I think any time you see Rose, she got the win and that helps our program. But for me as a coach, it’s like a parent. You just get excited when you see how well the players do when they move on and then you know you’ve prepared them well for this stage.”
The Badgers open their season Thursday at No. 3 BYU, kickoff is at 8 p.m. in Provo, UT.
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