Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916

Friday, April 26, 2024 — Houston, TX

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‘I’ve always loved football until [he] came …’ players say Bloomgren has lost the locker room

(04/20/22 4:40am)

Editor’s note: The Thresher spoke to members of the Rice football team who played under Mike Bloomgren from his first season at Rice in 2018 through the most recent season in 2021. Players were given the option of remaining anonymous by the Thresher in the interest of preventing retaliation. Anonymous players were given false names, which have been marked with an asterisk on first reference.


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

(04/13/22 4:25am)

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.


Rice Stadium gets a bath for the upcoming season

(04/06/22 5:29am)

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.


Rice hosts Lopez Classic for first time in three years

(03/30/22 4:11am)

Athletes from nine colleges and over 25 high schools took over the Ley Track at Holloway Field over the weekend, as the Victor Lopez Classic returned to campus after a two year hiatus. The event, which was the first hosted by Rice this season, started on Thursday afternoon and ran nearly all day Friday and Saturday. According to Jim Bevan, head coach of the women’s team, it was great to race in front of a home crowd. 


Place your bets now on Rice women’s basketball

(03/23/22 5:03am)

One year ago this week, the Rice women’s basketball team beat the University of Mississippi by 13 points to win the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. That team, of course, looked very different from the team that ended their season two Fridays ago with a loss to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the quarterfinal of the Conference USA tournament. Following their WNIT win, head coach Tina Langley was poached by the University of Washington, and four of the team’s five starters transferred to schools in bigger conferences. What was left was a roster that returned only one senior and three upperclassmen, under the guidance of a first-time head coach.


Taylor named first-team All-American at NCAAs, Simpson-Sullivan gets second-team

(03/15/22 9:34pm)

Freshman jumper Josie Taylor followed up her record-breaking high jump in last month’s Conference USA championships with an eighth place finish at last weekend’s NCAA championships, earning her first-team All-American honors. Meanwhile, sophomore thrower Tara Simpson Sullivan, the only other Owl competing in Birmingham, placed No. 14 in the weight throw to receive second-team All-American honors. According to head coach Jim Bevan, both athletes represented themselves and their school well at the sport’s highest level.


MBB celebrates Senior Day with OT win over Southern Miss

(03/02/22 5:42am)

For once, the Rice men’s basketball team can count themselves lucky to not be ranked among the top teams in the country. On Saturday, when each of the top-six ranked teams lost on the same day for the first time ever, the Owls pulled ahead of the University of Southern Mississippi in overtime for a 77-72 Senior Day win. After the game, head coach Scott Pera said that he was happy with how the team fought to get the win for the seniors.


Three Owls take gold at men’s T&F C-USA championships

(02/23/22 4:50am)

Three Owls took home gold medals as the Rice men’s track and field team placed fifth at the Conference USA championships in Birmingham, Alabama over the weekend. On Saturday, junior thrower Nick Hicks won his second straight conference title in the weight throw, while junior vaulter Natan Rivera took gold in the pole vault, edging out teammate Grant Levesque on a tiebreaker. Levesque would get a gold of his own the next day though, winning the heptathlon. According to head coach Jon Warren, while it’s tough to gauge the team’s progress during the short indoor season, he was happy with the results.



Women’s basketball takes down LA Tech for first conference win of the season

(02/02/22 5:30am)

It took six games, but the Rice women’s basketball team was able to get into the win column in Conference USA standings on Thursday when they took down Louisiana Tech University by a score of 72-64. The game was the first conference win in the tenure of first-year head coach Lindsay Edmonds, who guided the Owls to a 5-3 record in non-conference play before the team hit a five-game skid. According to Edmonds, the win meant even more given all that it took for the team to get there.


Women’s basketball falls to Charlotte in their longest-ever game

(01/26/22 5:48am)

The Rice women’s basketball team played the longest game in program history on Saturday, falling to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in four overtimes. With Rice holding a lead in the final seconds of each of the first two overtime periods, the 49ers hit game-tying shots to keep the game alive. The deadlock was finally broken in the closing minutes of the fourth overtime, as the 49ers pulled away to an 88-83 win, dropping the Owls to 0-5 in conference play. According to head coach Lindsay Edmonds, even though the Owls didn’t get the win, they impressed her throughout the game with their grit and resolve.


Two weeks of cancellations and postponements: COVID-19 surge hits Rice basketball

(01/12/22 4:55am)

The recent surge of COVID-19 cases is bringing record numbers of infections across the country, and both Rice basketball programs are feeling its effects. During a stretch from mid-December to early January, the women’s team had three consecutive games either postponed or canceled due to COVID-19 cases within the program. Meanwhile, the men’s team saw two of its games get postponed over the same time period. According to women’s head coach Lindsay Edmonds, dealing with the surge in cases while preparing for conference play has been challenging for her team.


Volleyball falls to No. 2 Texas in round of 32

(12/08/21 8:04pm)

Rice volleyball’s season came to a close on Friday night as they failed to knock off No. 2 University of Texas, Austin in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Owls fell by a score of three sets to none, despite keeping the first two sets close. After the match, head coach Genny Volpe said that the Owls played well enough to beat almost any team in the country, but the Longhorns proved to be too strong.


Volleyball sweeps San Diego in NCAA tourney, set for rematch with Texas

(12/03/21 3:37am)

Rice volleyball will get another shot at No. 2 University of Texas, Austin after they swept the University of San Diego on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Owls took all three sets against the Toreros by at least five points, en route to the second victory in an NCAA tournament game in program history. After the game, head coach Genny Volpe said she was confident from the get-go. 


Does this count as progress? Football needs a more consistent formula

(12/01/21 5:52am)

Most of the way through the 2019 season, I thought that Rice had some of the worst luck in all of college football. Through nine games, the Owls were winless, despite four one-score losses, including an eight-point loss to a Baylor University team that ended the season ranked in the top 15. All signs indicated that the Owls were much better than their 0-9 record and that their bad luck in close games was long overdue to flip. The Owls ended that season with a three-game winning streak, including two one-possession wins, appeared to confirm that theory.



Volleyball advances to C-USA final

(11/21/21 12:40am)

Rice volleyball took down Middle Tennessee State University on Saturday in straight sets to advance to their fourth straight Conference USA championship game, where they will face No. 18 Western Kentucky University. After the win, head coach Genny Volpe said that the team is playing some of their best volleyball right now as they look to clinch a spot in next month’s NCAA tournament.


Forbes wins regionals, Women’s XC qualifies for NCAAs

(11/17/21 5:43am)

Sophomore distance runner Grace Forbes followed up her conference title with a first-place finish at the NCAA South-Central Cross Country Regional on Friday in Waco, TX, helping the Rice women’s team to a second place finish. The result earned them a spot in this Saturday’s NCAA championships for just the seventh time in program history. 


Soccer season of close games ends in penalty shootout

(11/10/21 5:53am)

Rice soccer couldn’t survive their sixth straight overtime game last Wednesday morning, as they fell to Middle Tennessee State University in penalty kicks in the first round of the Conference USA tournament. The loss brought an end to a season that began with the Owls’ being nationally ranked entering the year for the first time in program history. According to head coach Brian Lee, while he is disappointed in the way the season ended, he always knew that last season would be a tough act to follow.