Rice sports: a thank you letter

By Diego Palos Rodriguez     4/22/25 11:26pm

Towards the end of my freshman year, someone pointed out that the Thresher paid $12 per article. As a broke college student, my mind immediately went to the essentially “free” Whataburger meals I’d be able to buy from writing about soccer games that I was going to watch anyway. While I have enjoyed some good burgers over the last three years, I also stumbled across one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve had in my life. 

Upon joining the sports section, I noticed a large disconnect between students and the sports culture at Rice; most students I saw attending soccer games were athletes themselves. I wanted to bridge this gap by telling stories from the field, both good and not so good, and informing the community about Rice athletes and teams. As Name, Image and Likeness grew, my focus shifted to off-the-field experiences, where I’ve had the pleasure of diving deep into this new realm and its impact on Rice athletes. While there’s still a lot to be done, I hope that at the very least I’ve bridged this gap for students, alumni and athletes alike.

I’m eternally grateful to have met some amazing people over these last three years. Every single student athlete, coach, alumnus, staff member and student I’ve interviewed has helped me tell these unique stories. 

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Chuck Pool, Tim Andrzejewski and Anthony Roberts: thank you for putting up with my endless emails. Y’all are the backbone of Rice Athletics and don’t get nearly enough credit.

Daniel Schrager, Pavithr Goli, Cadan Hanson and Ben Baker-Katz: thank you for showing me the ropes and giving me an outlet to nerd out about all things sports.

Kathleen Ortiz, Andersen Pickard and Evie Vu: I’m excited to read y’all’s stories next year. Y’all are going to kill it.

Students: go to the damn games. Your presence does make a difference.

As for myself – although I’m becoming an Aggie next year, I’ll always be an Owl first.

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