Y. rugby team heads back to semifinals

PROVO — The Brigham Young University rugby squad is in a familiar position this weekend, with a familiar foe in the way of its ultimate goal.

For the third straight year, the Cougars are making an appearance in the U.S.A. Rugby Collegiate semifinals. And for the third straight year, they will match up against the Nittany Lions of Penn State, with the semifinal grudge match set for Friday, May 4 at 5 p.m., at Stanford University.

BYU, 12-0 on the year, ran through the first two rounds of the playoffs, defeating Wyoming 31-10 and dismantling Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 33-3. Penn State made it to the final four by defeating Tennessee by a score of 31-30, then sneaking past Utah, 33-25.

The Nittany Lions are no strangers to BYU, as the teams have matched up three times in the past three seasons, with the Cougars coming out on top each time. In last year's semifinal, BYU trounced the Lions 52-3 before bowing out to Cal in the championship game, 29-26. The Golden Bears are back in the mix this year as well, as they will match up with the U.S. Naval Academy in Friday's first semifinal game.

The Cougars have run through the regular season unscathed, winning by an average score of 39-11.

The winners of the semifinal matchups will meet Saturday afternoon for the U.S.A Rugby Collegiate championship.

LACROSSE: The top-ranked Cougar lacrosse team also opens up tournament play this weekend, as it faces off against No. 18 Utah in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse conference regional semifinal. The rivals meet Friday at 7 p.m. at the University of Colorado's Kittredge Field.

BYU (14-2) takes the field after a two-week layoff, with their last game a 21-11 home victory over the Utes. The Cougars hope to maintain their perfect record against Utah, as they are 11-0 all-time against Utah.

Cougar freshman Ted Ferrin, a Holladay native, leads the Cougars with 64 points on the year, having racked up 36 goals and 18 assists. Junior All-American Mark Davis is BYU's leading goal-scorer with 41, good enough for third place in the RMLC Division-A scoring standings.

The Utes are led by senior attacker Stefan Turkula, who has notched 39 goals and 18 assists on the year. Utah stands at 7-8 on the season, with their most recent game a 27-6 thrashing of Utah State.

The winner of Friday's game will move on to the RMLC championships, where they'll face the winner of the Colorado State-Colorado semi-final match. The Rams are ranked No. 2 behind BYU, while the Buffaloes check in at No. 5.

WOMEN'S TENNIS: BYU's women's tennis team wrapped up its third Mountain West Conference title in four years last Saturday, coming out with a 4-1 win over UNLV in the conference championship held at the Air Force Academy.

The No. 28 Cougars are now 21-6 on the season and locked in an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, which kicks off May 12.

MEN'S GOLF: The No. 16 Cougar men's golf team also came out on top in its conference tourney, upsetting No. 6 UNLV, giving BYU its first conference title in the sport since 2001. Junior Daniel Summerhays finished third individually for the Cougars, with senior Clay Ogden coming in ninth.

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