Joining an elite-level team can be a difficult transition for first-year college players, but Life University was fortunate to have strong veteran leadership in place this fall.

Among those returning leaders for the Running Eagles was sophomore Spiff Sedrick, who is our D1 College Women’s Player of the Week.

Led in part by Sedrick, Life pushed through a tough fall season fairly comfortably, winning seven varsity games against college and club competition.

Of those, Central Washington and the Stars all-star team were the most challenging. Life got by CWU 22-15 on Sept. 30, and the Running Eagles then beat the Stars 40-19.

“What we wanted was to get the first years up to speed — we had a great recruiting class — and get them working with our structures, and we did that,” Life head coach Rosalind Chou said. “I can’t say enough about what they’ve done.”

Sedrick, who joined Life last winter, is a fleet-footed back who has the strength and power to push off upperclassmen defenders. She is often listed as Alex Sedrick, but her given first name is actually Spiff (which is what everyone calls her).

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“I always say we have one winter surprise,” Chou said. “And she was ours for last year.”

A High School All-American out of the Herriman program in Utah, Sedrick got a lot of big-game experience with the Utah Lions select program. As a result, Sedrick jumped into Life's starting lineup almost immediately at fullback and center, showing the confidence in attack that belied her youth.

With Sedrick providing a jolt, the Running Eagles made the national D1 Elite final four and then logged an 11-1 run in top-level sevens, taking second at USA Rugby’s national championships and first at the CRC.

"Spiff made an immediate impact upon her arrival last January and she continues to grow,” Chou said. “I haven't seen many student-athletes at her age that are as focused and dedicated to improving their game. The coaching staff thinks that she's going to be a contributor to the team as a whole because of her constant pursuit of excellence and her continuous work rate."