With four returning starters, two key players returning from injury and a host of talented freshmen, head coach Mike Rhoades and the Rice men's basketball team enter the 2016-17 season with heightened expectations. Rhoades said he hopes to build on a 2015-16 campaign that saw the Owls notch a 12-20 record, including a 7-11 record in Conference-USA.
After a 44-28 loss to the University of Southern Mississippi, the Rice University football team will head into its bye week winless, sporting an 0-5 record.
Senior linebacker Alex Lyons started playing football at only six years old. Now, as a seasoned veteran for the Rice football team, Lyons is a preseason All-Conference USA selection and pivotal leader in the Owls' defense. Through five games in the 2016 season, Lyons has already registered 40 tackles, on pace for a career-high.
Since 2004, the Rice University women’s volleyball team has compiled a 232-157 record, paving the way for eight winning seasons, one Conference USA championship (2009), three second-place finishes (2004, 2011 and 2012) and three berths to the NCAA tournament (2004, 2008 and 2009), the only three appearances in Rice volleyball history.
Listen, I know. It’s not fun to read the sports section right now. Was it ever? I don’t know.
Following her sophomore season, senior cross country runner Cali Roper did something no Rice runner had done before.
On the heels of an explosive rushing attack and a crucial fourth down stop to seal the game, the University of North Texas Mean Green stunned the Rice Owls at home, storming back from a 17-0 deficit to win the game 42-35 in overtime.
“A person being ‘too busy’ is a myth,” Mandy Hale, a British actress, said. “People make time for the things that are really important to them.” This quote continues to resonate with me here at Rice.
When Antonio Merlo came from the University of Pennsylvania in 2014 to chair Rice’s economics department, he came with a lot more than a knowledge of economics and an Italian accent.
The road east of the stadium was blocked off by tailgaters. Groups of students buzzed from tent to tent, playing yard games, gorging on OMG BBQ and relaxing at the close of the week.
Over the past four years at Rice, I’ve had the privilege of covering sports for the Thresher, meeting many incredible athletes and coaches along the way.
In a game that made national headlines for the Rice Marching Owl Band’s performance at halftime rather than the performance of the actual teams themselves, the Rice Owls fell to the Baylor University Bears by a score of 38-10, dropping the team to a record of 0-3 (0-1) on the season. The game began as a defensive struggle, with both teams trading punts throughout the first quarter.
Led by 107 rushing yards and three touchdowns from sophomore running back Andy Davidson, the Army triple option offense proved to be too much for the Rice University football team as the Black Knights handed the Owls their second loss of the season with a 31-14 victory.
While many Rice students are recovering from sleepless Friday nights, members of the Rice sailing club spend their Saturday mornings cutting through the water, racing boats out of Lakewood Yacht Club.
On Friday night, Rice Stadium will be rocking. In Rice’s first home game of the season, the Owls will take on No. 21 Baylor University in a primetime game on ESPN.
In what has come as a shock to many, including myself, Rice finds itself as one of the final 11 universities under consideration for Big 12 expansion. The Big 12 Conference, which ironically has 10 teams, has expressed interest in expanding to 12 or 14 teams, and Rice could be one of the newest members of the conference. I have heard arguments as to why we should not join, and the concerns are legitimate: We do not have the fan support, we will have to deal with losing seasons, et cetera.
For the first time in years, Rice sports are in the national spotlight. The Big 12 Conference is looking to add two more institutions, and Rice is one of 11 universities being considered for membership.
As a 16-year-old high school standout, senior captain Leah Mikesky committed to play volleyball at Florida State University.
Led by 517 passing yards from junior quarterback Mike White, reigning Conference USA champion Western Kentucky University torched the Rice football team 46-14 in the opening game of the season for both teams. The Owls gave up points almost as soon as the game began.
Rice soccer appears to be on a mission to abolish 0-0 draws. Four games into the 2016 soccer season, the Owls have scored 11 goals on their way to a 2-1-1 record.
