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Sports

SPORTS 3/3/20 10:26pm

Santiago, age 9, ‘signs on’ to Rice’s Track and Field team

By Michael Byrnes

On Saturday, Rice Athletics announced the signing of a new member of the men’s track and field team: Santiago White, from Sugar Land. The athletic department prepared a typical day of signing festivities: a press conference, some short speeches, an official backdrop for photos. But one thing was different: Santiago is 9 years old.  

SPORTS 3/3/20 10:24pm

Women’s basketball aims for C-USA No. 1 seed

By Ben Baker-Katz

Rice women’s basketball plays two crucial games at home this week, one against the University of Texas, El Paso on Thursday and the other against Old Dominion University on Saturday. Rice and Old Dominion are tied for the best record in Conference USA, which means that if both teams win their respective Thursday games, the Sunday matchup will decide both the conference champion and who gets the No. 1 seed in the C-USA tournament that starts next week. 

SPORTS 2/25/20 9:56pm

After slow start, baseball hopes for a turnaround

By Daniel Schrager

Some players might not be old enough to remember it, but when the Rice baseball team faces Missouri State University for a three-game series this weekend, it will serve as a rematch of the first game in the 2003 College World Series. For Rice, that game — an Owls win — sparked a run that culminated in the first and only College World Series title in program history. For Missouri State, that game represented the closest that the Bears have ever been to a College World Series title.

SPORTS 2/18/20 9:34pm

Grace Forbes: Lightning Fast

By Daniel Schrager

Grace Forbes has been outrunning just about everyone she’s faced this season. But, according to Forbes, the freshman track star who has taken Conference USA by storm, that hasn’t always been the case.

SPORTS 2/18/20 9:32pm

Men’s and women’s tennis set to host LSU in dual meet

By Spencer Moffat

Rice men’s and women’s tennis will face Louisiana State University on Sunday in a dual home meet. The men’s team, with a 3-3 record, hopes to first defeat Texas A&M University on Friday, while the women’s team will seek to first up its 4-4 record against Texas State University on Saturday.

SPORTS 2/18/20 9:31pm

Basketball seeks return to winning ways against UNT

By Ben Baker-Katz

Rice women’s basketball will aim to get back into the win column when the team faces the University of North Texas at home on Thursday. Rice has lost two games in a row to Conference USA opponents: Old Dominion University and the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Previously, the Owls had won 11 straight games, all against C-USA opponents.  

SPORTS 2/5/20 12:31am

Baseball 2020: Trei Cruz, a humble and hopeful Owl

By Ben Baker-Katz

Every baseball player remembers when they first picked up the game. For most, it’s playing catch in the backyard or hitting off of a tee. But for Trei Cruz, junior shortstop on this year’s Rice baseball team, his first baseball memory is everything but normal.

SPORTS 2/5/20 12:30am

Baseball 2020: Owls look for improvement over last season

By Michael Byrnes

Last year marked a brave new step into an uncharted world for the Rice baseball team. After 27 years, 23 NCAA Tournament appearances and one national championship all under the steady stewardship of Wayne Graham, Rice opted to part ways with the only coach they’d ever achieved success under. But 2018, Graham’s final season, was a far cry from the sustained success that characterized his tenure as Rice’s head coach. The Owls struggled to a 26-31-2 finish, missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994. 

SPORTS 2/5/20 12:26am

Baseball 2020: The superstitious starter Kel Bordwine

By Spencer Moffat

Before each Rice baseball home game this season, you can find junior pitcher Kel Bordwine playing ping pong at Baker College or dining at Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, where he always eats the same meal in a specific order. But once the game starts, you can expect to see Bordwine on the mound frequently, after he finished last season with a solid 3.69 ERA as opponents hit for a .258 average against him in nine starts. 

SPORTS 2/5/20 12:23am

Baseball 2020: Bragga hopeful for Owl success

By Madison Buzzard

In the fall of 2018, Rice Athletics faced a difficult task: hiring a new baseball head coach in the stead of the legendary Wayne Graham. Rice ultimately selected Matt Bragga, formerly the coach of Tennessee Tech University, as its new head coach.

SPORTS 2/4/20 10:16pm

Women’s basketball playing strong in midst of Conference USA season

By Derrick Kagwanja

The Rice women’s basketball team, now riding a nine-game win-streak, has reached strong mid-season form. Through its first 20 games, Rice has posted an impressive 14-6 record, and is 8-1 at Tudor Fieldhouse, where its only loss came at the hands of No. 5 Texas A&M University. This week, the Owls look to continue their strong stretch when they take on the University Alabama, Birmingham on Thursday, and Middle Tennessee State University on Saturday.

SPORTS 2/4/20 9:14pm

Niche sports provide unconventional experiences for students

By Christina Tan

On any given Saturday, Jorge Zepeda can be found working up a sweat. But instead of hitting the gym or getting on the field, Zepeda has chosen a different way to exercise: Dance Dance Revolution. Zepeda is just one of many students at Rice who find their exercise, stress relief and mental agility in sports not found on traditional college rosters. 

SPORTS 1/29/20 11:42am

Olympic qualifying matches bring national women’s soccer teams to campus

By Anna Ta

While the Rice women’s soccer team is used to taking on respectable competition, the team took it a step further and opened their spring training program by taking on Costa Rica’s national women’s team this past Friday, Jan. 24. The Costa Rican team won the exhibition match 3-0, with senior midfielder Lianne Mananquil nearly scoring with a close miss at the 67th minute. 

SPORTS 1/28/20 9:57pm

Men’s basketball seeks revenge against North Texas

By Ben Baker-Katz

After a tough weekend that saw the team lose against two Conference USA opponents, Rice men’s basketball will aim to even its season series against the University of North Texas on Saturday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse. According to head coach Scott Pera, UNT — which is ranked No. 1 in C-USA — will pose a difficult challenge for the Owls.

SPORTS 1/28/20 9:56pm

Erica Ogwumike: Shooting baskets and video

By Ivanka Perez

When she’s not shooting hoops on the basketball court, you can find Rice forward Erica Ogwumike shooting YouTube videos in her room. Although she graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Rice in December, finishing one semester early, Ogwumike continues to play for the Rice women’s basketball team. 

SPORTS 1/21/20 9:45pm

Men’s Tennis springs into 2020 season

By Spencer Moffat

The last time the Rice men’s tennis team took the court for a match was almost three months ago, on Nov. 3, when sophomore Campbell Salmon and junior Mohamed Abdel-Aziz picked up a pair of doubles wins to close out the Ralston/Neufeld Coaches Challenge and the Owls’ 2019 tournament season. 

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