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Sports

SPORTS 9/14/21 9:48pm

Owls kick the Bayou Bucket against Houston

By Pavithr Goli

The Rice football team failed to take home the Bayou Bucket on Saturday in front of a home crowd of over 26,000 fans, losing to the University of Houston by a score of 44-7. The loss dropped the Owls to 0-2 on the season, while it capped off a big week for their crosstown rivals, who were recently invited to join the Big 12 Conference, with their first win of the season.

SPORTS 9/7/21 10:42pm

Owls split on the weekend, get first win of the season in front of fans

By Cadan Hanson

Last week, Rice volleyball hosted the University of Oregon and Southern Methodist University in the Adidas Invitational I. On Thursday, the Owls fell to the No. 13 Ducks in four sets, their first game with fans in attendance in nearly two years. Later that weekend, the Owls recorded their first win of the season against SMU. The matches over the weekend brought the Owls record to 1-3 on the season. 

SPORTS 9/7/21 10:41pm

Soccer draws with UT, stays undefeated

By Daniel Schrager

Two overtime periods proved not enough to decide a winner between the Rice soccer team and the University of Texas, Austin on Sunday night at Holloway Field. The game went the full 110 minutes, but after the teams traded goals early in the second half, neither team was able to break the 1-1 tie. After the game, head coach Brian Lee said that he was happy with his team’s ability to go toe-to-toe with a strong Texas team.

SPORTS 9/7/21 10:37pm

Owls fall to Razorbacks 38-17 after fourth quarter collapse

By Pavithr Goli

The Rice football team lost their first game of the season in a 38-17 defeat to the University of Arkansas. Playing away from home at Razorback Stadium in front of over 64,000 fans, the Owls kept up with the SEC team for a majority of the game, holding the score to a 17-17 tie at the end of the third period. However, at the start of the fourth quarter, the game shifted in the favor of the Razorbacks as they were able to capitalize on several Rice turnovers to run away with the game. 

SPORTS 8/31/21 10:36pm

James Harden, celebrities take over Reckling for softball game

By Pavithr Goli

Former Houston Rockets star James Harden, currently of the Brooklyn Nets, celebrated his birthday this past weekend in Houston with a softball game at Rice’s Reckling Park. The game featured a number of celebrities, many with connections to Harden or Houston, and proceeds went towards Harden’s charitable organization, 3 The Harden Way. 

SPORTS 8/31/21 10:33pm

Volleyball drops two to start season

By Cadan Hanson

The Rice volleyball team’s season started with a pair of non-conference losses over the weekend at the “Carolina Classic” hosted by the University of South Carolina.  On Friday, the Owls lost their season opener in a five-set match against No. 9 University of Pittsburgh. The next day, the Owls ended their weekend in Columbia with a 3-1 loss to the University of South Carolina.

SPORTS 8/31/21 10:32pm

Lettenberger takes silver in 200m individual medley

By Reed Myers

Junior swimmer Ahalya Lettenberger took home the silver medal in the SM7 200-meter individual medley on Friday at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, and followed up her appearance on the podium with a fourth place finish in the S7 400-meter freestyle on Sunday. According to Lettenberger, medaling at the Games is a feeling that will be difficult to match any time soon. 

SPORTS 8/31/21 10:29pm

Going into year four, Mike Bloomgren doesn’t care what you think

By Daniel Schrager

When the Rice football team beat No. 15 Marshall University 20-0 last December, their first win over a ranked opponent in 23 years, it was easy to see it as a defining moment for the program. The Owls, who had won just one game so far in their pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and only six games in head coach Mike Bloomgren’s three years at the helm, seemingly came out of nowhere to shut out a top-15 team. But according to Bloomgren, for himself and his team, it just confirmed what they already knew.

SPORTS 8/31/21 10:25pm

Football kicks off season with Arkansas, UH, UT

By Pavithr Goli

The Rice football team will kick off their season this Saturday, Sept. 4 against the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR. The Owls look to improve upon their record of 2-3 from last year’s pandemic-shortened season. Despite having only won seven of their 30 games over the past 3 seasons, the team has plenty of optimism going into this season, according to head coach Mike Bloomgren. 

SPORTS 8/24/21 11:23pm

Owls in the Olympics

By Shiloh Miller

Many people might think that in order to become an Olympian, one must dedicate every ounce of time and energy to sport. While reaching an elite level requires sacrifices, two Owl alumnae are shining examples that athletes can reach the Olympic level while excelling in outside pursuits. 

SPORTS 8/24/21 11:20pm

No. 23 soccer looks to build off of record setting season

By Pavithr Goli

The Rice soccer team kicked off their season on Thursday, less than four months removed from their run to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament last season. After a season where they won the third Conference USA title in program history, the Owls entered this year ranked No. 22 in the country according to the United Soccer Coaches poll. 

SPORTS 8/24/21 11:16pm

Going for gold: Ahalya Lettenberger’s path to Tokyo

By Reed Myers

For some, swimming is just a hobby. But for junior swimmer Ahalya Lettenberger, it is much more than that; it is her freedom. Lettenberger, who was born with arthrogryposis amyoplasia, a muscular-skeletal condition in her legs, will fulfill a lifelong goal as she competes in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in the coming days.

SPORTS 7/10/21 3:23pm

Three Owls compete at track Olympic trials

By Shiyu Miao

Three members of the Rice women’s track & field team participated in various Olympic trials during the last two weeks of June. While none of them qualified for Tokyo, sophomore thrower Tara Simpson-Sullivan and graduate jumper Michelle Fokam narrowly missed the cut. 

SPORTS 6/22/21 8:39pm

Owls legend Jose Cruz Jr. named head baseball coach

By Pavithr Goli

Last week, Rice announced that Jose Cruz Jr. will be its next head baseball coach, the 22nd in program history. A three-time All American at Rice from 1992-95, Cruz will be replacing Matt Bragga, who was relieved of his duties at the end of this past season. 

SPORTS 6/19/21 2:59pm

Fokam, Simpson-Sullivan and Forbes excel at NCAA Championships

By Reed Myers

Rice Women’s Track and Field saw three athletes finish in the top ten of their respective events at the NCAA Championships, held earlier this month in Eugene, Oregon. Senior long jumper Michelle Fokam, freshman thrower Tara Simpson-Sullivan, and freshman distance runner Grace Forbes put together the best performance from women’s track and field at a national competition in 20 years.

SPORTS 6/7/21 4:00pm

The future of Rice baseball is in the hands of Joe Karlgaard. No pressure.

By Daniel Schrager

It might be a bit of an exaggeration to describe any Rice sports program as a powerhouse. But to the extent that a Conference USA school can be a powerhouse, the Rice baseball team was one for over two decades. Between 1995 and 2017, the Owls made the NCAA postseason every single year, including a national championship in 2003, and their seven College World Series appearances (all since 1997) are tied for the twentieth most of any program.

SPORTS 6/6/21 9:38pm

Forbes, Fokam, Simpson-Sullivan and McNaney qualify for NCAA Championships

By Reed Myers

The Rice track and field teams sent a delegation of 13 athletes, six from the women's team and seven from the men’s team, to compete in the NCAA West Preliminary Championships. The meet took place in College Station from May 26-29, with qualification to the NCAA Championships on the line. The women’s team saw three of their team members earn a spot in the NCAA Championships, while the men’s team had just one of their own qualify. The four qualifiers will now set their sights on competing at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, which will take place June 9-12. 

SPORTS 5/25/21 2:01pm

Bragga fired after three seasons

By Daniel Schrager

Rice fired baseball head coach Matt Bragga, the school announced on Monday. The move comes on the heels of a season in which the Owls placed tenth out of the 12 teams in Conference USA, failing to make the C-USA tournament for the first time ever. In his three seasons at the helm, the Owls have gone 51-76-1 (25-36-1). According to athletic director Joe Karlgaard, the lack of progress shown during Bragga’s tenure prompted the change.

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