St. John’s junior Joey O’Brien named rugby All-American

St. John’s Rugby player Joey O’Brien was named an All-American by National Collegiate Rugby. He is one of 23 players who earned All-American honors in the small college division.

“It is validating to see something come out of the work I put in,” O’Brien said. “It kind of makes running until you’re going to throw up a little more meaningful.”

He also hopes to bring recognition to the team and St. John’s through his All-American status. O’Brien plays back row for the Johnnies, and led them to a 5-0 record in the fall, as the team picked up 20 points in the season. They took first in the Northern Lights Men’s Collegiate Rugby Conference in the North Small College Division.

“He is a phenomenal player. It goes without saying. He’s one of the hardest working players we’ve ever coached,” head coach Tammy Cowan said. “He has the skillset to go much further in rugby.”

O’Brien also received high praise from his teammates.

“He wants to be better every day. Every drill, every rep, every game that he plays in, he always tries to be better,” former co-captain Chris Berry said.

Berry believes O’Brien’s high level of play and recognition will help the team move to that next level. O’Brien’s leadership has inspired others on the team.

“He was definitely one of my role models,” former team president Jamie Ozuna said. “I’m still learning from him to this day, and he’s one of my close friends on the team.”

The current team president, Jesus Medina, also looks up to O’Brien and aspires to be like him. O’Brien has been named a captain of the SJU rugby team. He will begin this role when the spring season begins on Mar. 18. The Johnnies play their competitive season in the fall and almost exclusively practice in their spring season. They use the spring to fill gaps on the team and to prepare for the fall season. The rugby team encourages anyone to come out for the team in the spring. O’Brien and Medina talked about the team’s attendance this year, which was one of the team’s all-time highs. They have teammates that are committed and involved in a positive team culture, and they hope to continue recruitment in the future so the team can continue to grow.

O’Brien recently played in the all-star rugby tournament for the Midwest, which means he played with and against some of the best collegiate athletes in the country. This tournament includes all divisions of colleges. The Midwest went 2-1 in the tournament. Cowan also mentioned O’Brien’s play in the all-star tournament. Cowan talked about how he played every minute of every game, exemplifying his ability to play at a high level. Looking forward to next fall, the coaches have their sights set on a big goal.

“We always intend to go to nationals,” Cowan said. “It’s always the coach’s goal.”

She believes this team strives for the same goal as the coaches. Cowan also believes this team has had great leaders in the past and that this trend has continued on the current team. Cowan and O’Brien’s peers on the team have high hopes for the future of his career, hoping that he moves on to the professional rugby league after his time at St. John’s.