Former University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student Kathryn Johnson played for the United States Olympic women’s rugby team in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Johnson started at forward for the U.S., helping the team to a fifth-place finish while making a bit of history in the process. Before this year, women had never played rugby in the Olympics.
“It’s pretty insane,” Johnson told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “It’s kind of unreal how much this could help grow the game. Especially women’s sports, having a full-contact game in the Olympics is pretty amazing.”
Johnson, who is from Hopkins, Minn., attended UWM in 2010 and 2011, studying athletic training. She played for the UWM rugby club.
A highlight of her Olympic performance was this crushing hit she delivered to Australian player Ellia Green.
