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Sports

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. 

SPORTS 1/14/20 11:13pm

Powderpuff champs: Baker claims title

By Ivanka Perez

In December, the Baker College powderpuff team defeated McMurtry College 7-6 to win its first women’s college flag football title since at least 1999. Baker’s victory broke a four-year streak during which Hanszen and McMurtry each claimed two titles. 

SPORTS 12/3/19 9:36pm

Season Recap: Football team ends season on a positive note

By Michael Byrnes

In the season finale, Rice football defeated the University of Texas, El Paso 30-16, outscoring the Miners 16-0 in the second half en route to their third consecutive victory on Saturday. The victory in Rice’s season finale improved the Owls’ final record to 3-9, a one-win increase over last year’s total and tied for Rice’s best finish since 2016.

SPORTS 12/3/19 9:35pm

It’s a good time to be a Rice sports fan

By Madison Buzzard , Michael Byrnes and Eric Barber

As the semester wraps up, it’s a good time to take stock of how Rice Athletics is doing as a whole. At this moment, we believe that there is good reason to be happy and optimistic with how the Owls are performing now and will perform in the future. On a sport by sport basis, Rice sports teams are ending the decade at a peak. 

SPORTS 12/3/19 9:34pm

Volleyball wins berth to compete in NCAA Tournament

By Madison Buzzard

Volleyball will compete in the NCAA tournament after receiving an at-large bid to play against the University of Oklahoma in the first round during Sunday night’s Selection Show. Transportation will not be provided for Rice students to the match against OU, but the possibility exists a student bus will travel to College Station on Friday if the Owls win their first round match, according to Rice director of marketing David Pillen.

SPORTS 12/3/19 9:32pm

Women’s basketball keeps cool after forced mistakes

By Derrick Kagwanja

The Rice women’s basketball team earned a 71-57 win over Northern Arizona University  on Saturday at Tudor Fieldhouse. By defeating the Lumberjacks, the Owls now hold  a 4-3 season record. The win is the second in the row for the team after last Wednesday’s impressive 31 point victory over McNeese State University. 

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