SANTIAGO, Chile – Former California rugby player Sam Walsh made his Pan American Games debut on Friday morning in Santiago, Chile donning the Stars & Stripes for the U.S. National Team's two days of sevens competition. Walsh scored 10 points on successful conversion kicks for Team USA across the five matches he played in.
 
Team USA handled Team Mexico easily in its first contest of the event on Friday, putting up a 48-7 final score. Walsh was responsible for two successful conversion attempts. The Eagles then took on Team Brazil and claimed a 17-5 victory to add another to their win column. In the final matchup of day one, Team USA took on North American rival, Team Canada. Walsh contributed another conversion kick to help the Eagles clinch a 19-5 win and end the day with a 3-0 record.  
 
In the knockout round on Saturday, Team USA was edged 15-12 by host country Chile. Walsh was responsible for another pair of conversions on the Eagles' scoreline. In the bronze-medal match against Canada, Team USA was outscored 19-17 to narrowly miss a podium appearance.
 
With his selection to Team USA, Walsh follows in the footsteps of fellow Golden Bear greats Blaine Scully and Colin Hawley, who traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico for the Pan Am Games in 2011. Christian Dyer, Cal alumnus and current U.S. National Team member in XVs, was also selected to play in the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru but was ruled out of competition due to injury.
 
While at Cal, Walsh was a key contributor for the Bears beginning in his first year on campus. He earned the call up to Cal's starting lineup seven times during his freshman campaign, including as the starting flyhalf in the 2018 national championship match against Life University. Walsh was also a huge asset to the Bears' sevens performance during his time in Berkeley, helping Cal to three-consecutive PAC 7's titles. 
 
Upon his graduation from Cal in May 2022, Walsh immediately began training with Team USA. His first appearance in an international contest as a USA Eagle after leaving Cal was at the iconic Hong Kong Sevens in November 2022. He made appearances in six matches, helping the Eagles to a sixth-place finish overall on the weekend.
 
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