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Sports

SPORTS 8/30/22 11:10pm

Football heads into make-or-break season

By Pavithr Goli

The Rice football team won just four games last year, their most since 2016. Head coach Mike Bloomgren, who is entering his fifth season leading the Owls and has an 11-31 record since taking over, said he hopes his squad can finally take the next step that they’ve appeared poised to make for years. 

SPORTS 8/23/22 11:32pm

Soccer star Schultz aims to put exclamation point on Rice career

By Cadan Hanson

If you’ve followed Rice soccer over the last four years, there’s a good chance you’ve come across the name Delaney Schultz. Since first stepping foot on the Rice campus, the fifth-year senior midfielder has left her mark on the soccer program, earning all-Conference honors three times and helping lead the team to the Sweet 16 of the 2021 NCAA tournament. 

SPORTS 8/23/22 11:29pm

Volleyball looks to finally end streak of second place finishes

By Pavithr Goli

The Rice Owls’ women’s volleyball season ended in heartbreak last season when they fell to the then-ranked No. 2 University of Texas Longhorns in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament. Despite getting knocked out of the tournament by their rival, the Owls were proud of their effort in putting up a competitive effort throughout the match against such a tough opponent, according to head coach Genny Volpe. 

SPORTS 8/23/22 11:24pm

Soccer leans on experience, newcomers as they look for bounce back season

By Diego Palos Rodriguez

The Rice soccer team walked into last year with mountain-high expectations. After entering the season ranked No. 22 in the country, fresh off of a Sweet 16 appearance the season before, the team was disappointed to finish their year in the first round of the C-USA tournament. But according to senior goalkeeper Bella Killgore, despite a frustrating end to last season, hopes are high within the team as they look to use last year’s struggles as motivation during this season. 

SPORTS 7/25/22 12:16pm

Garcia drafted by the Rays in the 14th round

By Daniel Schrager

Pitcher Roel Garcia became the latest Owl to turn pro on Tuesday when he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in round 14 of the MLB Draft. According to Garcia, he barely remembers the moment he heard his name called because he was so overwhelmed with joy.

SPORTS 6/13/22 2:41pm

Forbes takes silver at NCAAs

By Daniel Schrager

On Thursday, sophomore distance runner Grace Forbes proved to the rest of the country what her Conference USA opponents and Rice teammates have known for years – she’s one of the fastest runners in the country. Competing at the NCAA championships in Eugene, Ore. for the second consecutive year, Forbes, took second place in the 10,000-meter, the best finish by an Owl at the NCAAs in over a decade. According to Forbes, who missed the indoor season and the first month of the outdoor season due to extreme fatigue later diagnosed as an autoimmune disorder, the result was a testament to the work she’s put in to overcome an incredibly challenging year.

SPORTS 6/3/22 1:21pm

NCAA T&F prelims see five Owls qualify for championships, Forbes take gold

By Daniel Schrager

Five Owls will be heading to next week’s NCAA outdoor track and field championships, after qualifying at the NCAA West Preliminaries which ran May 25 through 28. Headlining the meet for Rice was sophomore distance-runner Grace Forbes, who took first place in the 10,000 meters for the second consecutive year. Forbes will be joined in Eugene, Ore., by sophomore thrower Tara Simpson-Sullivan, junior thrower Erna Gunnarsdottir, senior thrower James McNaney and sophomore vaulter Alex Slinkman. Jon Warren, head coach of the men’s track and field program, said that he was impressed not only by the five qualifiers, but by all 13 Owls who participated over the course of the week in Fayetteville, Ark.

SPORTS 5/22/22 10:09pm

Men's team takes third, women's takes fifth at C-USA T&F championships

By Reed Myers

The Conference USA outdoor track and field championships saw Rice’s men’s team place third with 121 points — their best conference championship performance since 2005 — and the women’s team place fifth with 88 points. According to men’s head coach Jon Warren, he was proud to see the work his team put in all season be on full display at the meet.

SPORTS 4/26/22 9:54pm

Women’s tennis bounced by reigning champion ODU in C-USA semis

By Reed Myers

After winning their first two matches of the Conference USA tournament, the No. 57 Rice women’s tennis team were knocked out in the semifinals by Old Dominion University, the top-seeded team in the conference and No. 33 nationally, losing 4-0. According to head coach Elizabeth Schmidt, while it was disappointing not to win it all, she said she knows her team will come back with a championship-driven mindset next year.

SPORTS 4/19/22 11:38pm

Men’s tennis tops Concordia on makeshift Senior Day

By Reed Myers

The Rice men’s tennis team closed their regular season out on Monday with a 6-1 victory over Concordia University Texas on the Owls’ Senior Day. The Owls were supposed to host the University of the Incarnate Word on Sunday, which would have served as their final match; however, that match was canceled and the Owls quickly added a game against the Tornados instead.  

SPORTS 4/19/22 11:37pm

Baseball loses two to UTSA, resurrects on Easter Sunday

By Bennett Mecom

After dropping the first two games of their weekend series against the University of Texas, San Antonio, the Rice baseball tean erupted for 16 runs in the finale on Sunday to end the series on a high note. Rice fell 9-2 on Friday and 15-4 on Saturday before winning Easter Sunday’s series finale 16-7. After this weekend’s series against the Roadrunners, the Owls’ overall record sits at 11-26 with a Conference USA record of 4-11. According to sophomore infielder Pierce Gallo, the team’s response to the two tough losses showed a lot of character.

SPORTS 4/14/22 5:00pm

Golf closes regular season with sixth place finish

By Cadan Hanson

Two days after Scottie Scheffler donned the infamous green jacket by winning the 2022 Masters, the Rice Golf team took to the course to play in the Bayou City Collegiate Classic, their final tournament of the regular season. Over the course of two days, the Owls finished in sixth place out of 16 teams, ending the week 31 strokes over par. Following the tournament, head coach Justin Emil said he was pleased with how the team competed facing a tough course and weather conditions.

SPORTS 4/12/22 11:25pm

One-pitch-wonder: Linskey and his fastball are giving batters fits

By Daniel Schrager

Last season, then-freshman pitcher Matthew Linskey allowed nine runs across 11.1 innings and walked more batters than he struck out. But lost in the shuffle was the fact that opponents weren’t hitting his fastball – Linskey allowed a batting average of .135 to opposing hitters, pacing the team by .65. According to Linskey, he knew he was closer to being a top pitcher than his 7.15 ERA would suggest.

SPORTS 4/12/22 11:24pm

Women’s tennis trounces Houston on Senior Day

By Reed Myers

The Rice women’s tennis team returned home Saturday where they made quick work of the University of Houston, beating the Cougars 4-0 on the Owls’ Senior Day. According to head coach Elizabeth Schmidt, she was encouraged with how her team responded on Saturday following their 4-3 defeat a week prior to No. 42 Florida International University.

SPORTS 4/12/22 11:24pm

Baseball swept by LA Tech, extend C-USA losing streak to seven

By Pavithr Goli

The Rice baseball team was swept by Louisiana Tech University last weekend in Ruston, LA. Losing all of their games against the No. 2 ranked team in Conference USA, the Owls fell 5-3 on Friday, 9-3 on Saturday and 3-1 on Sunday. After this weekend’s matchup against the Bulldogs, the Owls overall record sits at 9-24. with a 3-9 record against conference opponents.

SPORTS 4/6/22 12:29am

Rice Stadium gets a bath for the upcoming season

By Daniel Schrager

Rice Stadium will be getting an update next season, as the Rice athletic department announced the first phase of a new renovation project for the 72-year-old stadium. The renovations will include a new wall around the field, a new scoreboard, upgraded premium seating options and a thorough cleaning. According to Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Events Dan McGarry, the upgrades should provide a significant improvement for fans on gameday.

SPORTS 4/6/22 12:26am

Baseball falls victim to cannibalism, feasted on by Owls of FAU

By Cadan Hanson

Over the weekend, the Rice baseball team was swept by conference rival and fellow Owls, Florida Atlantic University at Reckling Park. The hosts were unable to steal a game from the No. 3 ranked team in Conference USA, losing 9-4 on Friday, 6-5 on Saturday, and 7-1 on Sunday, bringing their overall season record to 8-21. 

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