Athletics Director Digest » November 12
11/12/2019 4:15:00 PM | Athletics Director Digest
An inside look to Rice Athletics happenings with Joe Karlgaard
It has been an eventful fall on South Main and as we make the transition to our winter sports, I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on the season so far as well as highlight some exciting upcoming dates.
First off, I want to congratulate all of our student-athletes as well as our tremendous Academic Advising team for a dominant performance again in the NCAA's graduation success rankings. Our women student-athletes are tied for the national lead among FBS schools in the Federal Graduation Rate rankings and the video below created by Public Affairs that highlights their achievements.
Our soccer team saw its first season under Brian Lee end with a 2-0 loss in the semifinals of the Conference USA tournament to eventual champion North Texas. The Owls held the Mean Green, who scored 10 goals during the tournament, scoreless until the 75th minute on North Texas' home field. It was a joy to watch these ladies play with such passion and love for each other all season. Congratulations to seniors Haley Kostyshyn and Lianne Mananquil, who closed their careers being named to the all-tournament team.
This past weekend saw our men's and women's basketball teams each improve to 2-0 at home this season. Our women's swim team took advantage of a spectacular day of great weather while hosting #16 Texas A&M, while Sunday's volleyball match marked the first-ever meeting of ranked teams in the history of Tudor Fieldhouse. Although #22 WKU held off our 17th ranked Owls in five sets, the teams engaged in a classic battle that was decided by the slimmest of margins. The match also sets up the potential of an exciting rematch next week when we host the Conference USA Volleyball Championship, November 22-24. Sunday's volleyball match was the first half of a doubleheader with the men's basketball team, and our facilities staff did a great job in turning the facility around in short order.
The historic volleyball matchup on Sunday was just the start of a run of notable activity coming to Tudor Fieldhouse in the next few weeks.
This Thursday, the floor that is familiar to all of you as the home to Rice volleyball and basketball will be transformed into an indoor tennis venue for the second year in a row as we host part of the Invesco Series QQQ tennis circuit. The Oracle Champions Cup is held in collaboration with the Oracle Challenger Series tournament at the George R. Brown Tennis Center, which began last Sunday and will conclude next Sunday. The event at Tudor begins at 7pm with James Blake playing Juan Carlos Ferrero in the first semifinal followed by Andy Roddick against Tommy Haas, followed by one-set championship match. Oracle Champions Cup Tickets. Speaking of the Oracle Challenge Series, be sure to take a moment to stop by GRBTC and check out the unique setup for this FREE professional event, which includes a temporary stadium court.
Following the tennis event, Tudor Fieldhouse will quickly slip back into its more familiar role as we welcome a pair of longtime rivals back to campus.
Sixth-ranked Texas A&M comes to Tudor Fieldhouse for the first time since 2010 on Sunday to face our defending C-USA champion women's basketball team in a meeting of two 2019 NCAA tournament teams. The Aggies will be the highest ranked team to come to Tudor since No. 3 Baylor played here in 2012. Earlier this year, a packed house at Tudor spurred our volleyball team on to defeat third-ranked Texas and we need all of you to be in the stands on Sunday in full force to create that same kind of atmosphere.
Two days later, the energy level at Tudor should be just as high as the focus shifts to men's basketball when the Houston Cougars come back to our home floor for the first time since 2013. There is never any shortage of passion when our two schools meet in competition and this year should be no exception. Those of you who have been to any recent volleyball or basketball games on campus would have noticed the improved sound in Tudor Fieldhouse. Late in October, we were able to complete installation of a new system that that features six sets of Martin Professional Line Array loudspeakers that are specifically dedicated to providing sound clarity in the seating areas. Eight JBL Professional speakers above the court provide additional sound for the student-athletes on the court.
Switching gears, I wanted to take a moment to thank Anthony Rendon and Tyler Duffey for joining at the RBI Golf Tournament last week along with a pair of Rice Hall of Famers, Kenny Baugh and Jeff Nichols and our newest major leaguer, Jon Duplantier. Anthony and Tyler were coming off long seasons that included the playoffs, highlighted by Anthony's clutch performance in leading Washington to the World Series title over our Houston Astros. Anthony's return to his hometown for the series certainly put many Rice fans in a predicament as he ended the Astros hopes of a second championship. He was a great ambassador for our university with his clutch performance on the field and in his many interviews during the playoffs. I'd like to thank our Marketing and Athletics Communications teams for maximizing the opportunity presented by Anthony's return to Houston.
The return of the RBI golf outing was a great success thanks to the efforts of RBI Club board members Austin Davis, Joe Savery, Kim Koehn, and RJ Nitsche.
Speaking of our Marketing team, in advance of our 100th Homecoming game earlier this month, they released a selection of apparel items that feature vintage logos from our past. I hope you will click here to take a moment to look through some of the designs and keep an eye out for our next release of additional retro marks in February.
Lastly, I want to thank the hardy souls who have joined me on the morning of our last several home football games for a run around the Rice campus. If you want to get a little training in before Thanksgiving, we will see you outside the Brian Patterson Sports Performance Center at 7:45 a.m. prior to the North Texas game on November 23. Post-run pastries and coffee are on me!
First off, I want to congratulate all of our student-athletes as well as our tremendous Academic Advising team for a dominant performance again in the NCAA's graduation success rankings. Our women student-athletes are tied for the national lead among FBS schools in the Federal Graduation Rate rankings and the video below created by Public Affairs that highlights their achievements.
Our soccer team saw its first season under Brian Lee end with a 2-0 loss in the semifinals of the Conference USA tournament to eventual champion North Texas. The Owls held the Mean Green, who scored 10 goals during the tournament, scoreless until the 75th minute on North Texas' home field. It was a joy to watch these ladies play with such passion and love for each other all season. Congratulations to seniors Haley Kostyshyn and Lianne Mananquil, who closed their careers being named to the all-tournament team.
This past weekend saw our men's and women's basketball teams each improve to 2-0 at home this season. Our women's swim team took advantage of a spectacular day of great weather while hosting #16 Texas A&M, while Sunday's volleyball match marked the first-ever meeting of ranked teams in the history of Tudor Fieldhouse. Although #22 WKU held off our 17th ranked Owls in five sets, the teams engaged in a classic battle that was decided by the slimmest of margins. The match also sets up the potential of an exciting rematch next week when we host the Conference USA Volleyball Championship, November 22-24. Sunday's volleyball match was the first half of a doubleheader with the men's basketball team, and our facilities staff did a great job in turning the facility around in short order.
The historic volleyball matchup on Sunday was just the start of a run of notable activity coming to Tudor Fieldhouse in the next few weeks.
This Thursday, the floor that is familiar to all of you as the home to Rice volleyball and basketball will be transformed into an indoor tennis venue for the second year in a row as we host part of the Invesco Series QQQ tennis circuit. The Oracle Champions Cup is held in collaboration with the Oracle Challenger Series tournament at the George R. Brown Tennis Center, which began last Sunday and will conclude next Sunday. The event at Tudor begins at 7pm with James Blake playing Juan Carlos Ferrero in the first semifinal followed by Andy Roddick against Tommy Haas, followed by one-set championship match. Oracle Champions Cup Tickets. Speaking of the Oracle Challenge Series, be sure to take a moment to stop by GRBTC and check out the unique setup for this FREE professional event, which includes a temporary stadium court.
Following the tennis event, Tudor Fieldhouse will quickly slip back into its more familiar role as we welcome a pair of longtime rivals back to campus.
Sixth-ranked Texas A&M comes to Tudor Fieldhouse for the first time since 2010 on Sunday to face our defending C-USA champion women's basketball team in a meeting of two 2019 NCAA tournament teams. The Aggies will be the highest ranked team to come to Tudor since No. 3 Baylor played here in 2012. Earlier this year, a packed house at Tudor spurred our volleyball team on to defeat third-ranked Texas and we need all of you to be in the stands on Sunday in full force to create that same kind of atmosphere.
The Rice Family has your back this weekend, @RiceWBB!
— Rice University (@RiceUniversity) November 11, 2019
Get your tickets and #FillTheFieldhouse with your Blue and Gray!
🎟 » https://t.co/EwQ5DQj7L3 pic.twitter.com/1ZA9sum2sy
Two days later, the energy level at Tudor should be just as high as the focus shifts to men's basketball when the Houston Cougars come back to our home floor for the first time since 2013. There is never any shortage of passion when our two schools meet in competition and this year should be no exception. Those of you who have been to any recent volleyball or basketball games on campus would have noticed the improved sound in Tudor Fieldhouse. Late in October, we were able to complete installation of a new system that that features six sets of Martin Professional Line Array loudspeakers that are specifically dedicated to providing sound clarity in the seating areas. Eight JBL Professional speakers above the court provide additional sound for the student-athletes on the court.
Switching gears, I wanted to take a moment to thank Anthony Rendon and Tyler Duffey for joining at the RBI Golf Tournament last week along with a pair of Rice Hall of Famers, Kenny Baugh and Jeff Nichols and our newest major leaguer, Jon Duplantier. Anthony and Tyler were coming off long seasons that included the playoffs, highlighted by Anthony's clutch performance in leading Washington to the World Series title over our Houston Astros. Anthony's return to his hometown for the series certainly put many Rice fans in a predicament as he ended the Astros hopes of a second championship. He was a great ambassador for our university with his clutch performance on the field and in his many interviews during the playoffs. I'd like to thank our Marketing and Athletics Communications teams for maximizing the opportunity presented by Anthony's return to Houston.
Nice feature on @Anthonyrendon_6 tonight! Welcome back to Houston!#GoOwls👐 x #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/q5glDpx7lQ
— Rice Baseball (@RiceBaseball) October 23, 2019
The return of the RBI golf outing was a great success thanks to the efforts of RBI Club board members Austin Davis, Joe Savery, Kim Koehn, and RJ Nitsche.
Speaking of our Marketing team, in advance of our 100th Homecoming game earlier this month, they released a selection of apparel items that feature vintage logos from our past. I hope you will click here to take a moment to look through some of the designs and keep an eye out for our next release of additional retro marks in February.
Stop by the campus bookstore this week and redeem a FREE Retro Rice @tervis w/ any purchase of $50 or more!#GoOwls👐 x #CollegeVault pic.twitter.com/sLE7FMuyxU
— Rice Athletics (@RiceAthletics) November 12, 2019
Lastly, I want to thank the hardy souls who have joined me on the morning of our last several home football games for a run around the Rice campus. If you want to get a little training in before Thanksgiving, we will see you outside the Brian Patterson Sports Performance Center at 7:45 a.m. prior to the North Texas game on November 23. Post-run pastries and coffee are on me!
WBB: Rice vs. Marshall Postgame Presser
Wednesday, March 09
VB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
Saturday, December 04
VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
Thursday, December 02