New baby boosts Lowry, BYU rugby into Varsity Cup semifinals

(Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News/File)


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PROVO — BYU rugby senior Jordan Lowry has had a major change in his life off the field in the past two months, but it hasn’t hurt him as much as you’d expect.

The senior wing and Lone Peak High alum welcomed a baby girl to his family about six weeks ago, and he admitted to his share of sleepless nights and new experiences as a first-time father.

But on the field, he’s playing at his peak of the season.

Lowry has three tries in the last two games, including two at UCLA in the quarterfinals of the Varsity Cup, as he leads BYU rugby (12-0) into the semifinals of the event Saturday at South Field against Central Washington. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT, and will be streamed live on BYU rugby's website.

The winner will face the winner of the other Saturday semifinal between Cal and Navy. BYU has played Cal in the two previous years of the Varsity Cup, including last season’s 43-33 victory at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy.

“I was down and out of shape, not doing well on the team,” Lowry said of the new baby’s coming. “But I really took it upon myself to run on my own, to go to the gym more and to make sure my nutrition is good. I feel like all those little things that I’ve been doing have made a big difference out on the field.”

Lowry said his little girl is sleeping more through the night recently, allowing him the adequate rest to prepare for the Wildcats, who roll into South Field with a 9-2 record and both losses to Seattle.

The senior athletic training major and his team will look to extend the squad's home-field dominance on a weekend celebrating the program. BYU rugby is celebrating its 50th season, and Friday and Saturday mark an anniversary celebration that includes an alumni game of touch rugby before the Varsity Cup semifinal, as well as alumni and team dinners both evenings.

“As long as we can remember, BYU has been a winning program,” Lowry said. “Now that it’s come to the 50th year, it’s a nice celebration for that tradition that has been here. We’re excited for it; we want to play well for the alumni that will be around this weekend.”

Photo credit: Chelsey Allder/Deseret News

But the current crop of Cougars will be more focused on the task at hand: qualifying for its fourth-straight national championship final, which will be played this year at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy on May 2.

“It’s crazy. It always seems to sneak up on us,” fly half Johnny Linehan said of the postseason. “It’s fun; the more years you play, the faster it goes. But this is an exciting time.”

The 6-foot, 200-pound native of Auckland, New Zealand, knows a little about BYU’s opponent Saturday as well. Linehan spent part of the offseason on an All-American tour with Central Washington senior eight-man Aladdin Shirmer and sophomore flanker Vili Toluta’u.

“They were great guys,” Linehan said. “It was fun being with them.

“There were a lot of positive vibes with them. On Saturday, we’ll be all business. But afterwards, I hope to have a few laughs with them.”

The Wildcats are coming off a dominating 72-10 win over Arizona State and an 18-7 home victory over the University of Utah on a windy day in Ellensburg, Washington. Central Washington is averaging 77 points in its nine wins, buoyed by two wins over the 100-point mark against Washington State and Western Washington.

Varsity Cup semifinal
BYU (12-0) vs Central Washington (9-2)
Where: South Field, Provo, UT
When: April 18 at 1 p.m.

“We don’t know too much about them, but we know they are pretty good,” Linehan said. “It will be a challenge. If we don’t play our game, if we’re not patient and stick to the game plan, then this might be our last week.”

BYU has used a strong defense on its undefeated campaign, scoring tries from a wide variety of players to outscore its opponents by an average of 67.8-13.2. The Cougars have shut out their opponents three times and held the opposition to 10 points or fewer on three more occasions.

“I think we’ve just been focusing on ourselves, and Central Washington is really going to test us,” Linehan said. “The last two weeks have been really mental for us, trying to be prepared in that area.”

In the most recent win over UCLA a week ago, BYU got tries from five different players, including Lowry’s pair of scores.

“We have a great team where I feel like we have 15 backs on the field. Anyone can do anything and anyone can be a playmaker,” Linehan said. “As much as that is a positive, it can also be a negative when we try to do too much. We are dangerous, we have a lot of threats, but I feel like we can be a little impatient. If we can get on top of the patience game, then we’re going to be a much better team.”

The Cougars, though, are most looking forward to returning to South Field, where the program is undefeated in Varsity Cup matches.

“Last week, to play at UCLA, it felt great to play in Southern California,” Lowry said. “But it’s always a lot more exciting and more fun to play in front of our home crowd. We’re ecstatic — it’s going to be awesome.”

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