The Milwaukee Barbarians Athletic Club today announced that Pewaukee native Ben Landry has been invited to the United States Olympic Committee Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif to compete for a spot on the USA Eagles World Cup team that heads to England later this year.
Landry has been playing rugby since middle school in an amateur career extending through high school and college where he played for both UW Platteville and UW Whitewater. In 2013, he joined the collegiate All Americans — an all-star team sponsored by USA Rugby — on a tour of New Zealand. With both size and athleticism, Landry was successful at a number of other sports in college including basketball and football where he joined the team as a preferred walk-on.
Weighing in at 245 lbs with a 6’5” frame, Landry is a formidable presence in any rugby match. He currently trains with the Seattle Saracens and played club rugby with the Milwaukee Barbarians this past fall on the Division 1 side. In his six matches this season for the Barbarians, he has scored 3 tries.
The invitation to the World Cup training camp is the third time in 12 months that Landry has received attention from National team selectors. Landry was selected for the USA Rugby AIG Men’s Collegiate All-Americans’ New England Tour last summer and was called up to join the USA Selects in the Americas Rugby Championship (ARC) in October.
In August, Landry signed with Premier Rugby Management with the hope of finding a professional rugby contract overseas.