Athletics Director Digest » September 15
9/15/2020 2:38:00 PM | Athletics Director Digest
Dear Rice Family,
Greetings from South Main! Our campus is masked up but buzzing again with the return of students and in-person classes. Student-athletes are among those who have returned, and while workouts and conditioning are ongoing, formal practices have yet to commence.
Right now, the campus COVID-19 testing numbers are exceptional. You can follow the progress of testing on the new Rice coronavirus website (coronavirus.rice.edu). Athletics is committed to playing our part in keeping those positives to a minimum! We want this semester to go smoothly and safely for all our students, faculty, and staff.
For us to accomplish that primary goal, we've had to alter our fall practice and playing seasons. The competition schedules for soccer and volleyball have been pushed to the spring to align with the delay in the NCAA tournaments. Men's and women's cross country may do something similar, and that decision should be made in the next several days. Our football program has pushed back the tentative start date of practice to later this month. By choosing to delay the start of practice, we give ourselves the best chance to keep our campus safe while also keeping open the chance to play a conference schedule this season. We are working with Conference USA on any adjustments that need to be made and will have more information soon.
All other sports that hold competitions this semester will have their schedules adjusted. The start date of men's and women's basketball is likely to be pushed to the end of November, while tennis, golf, baseball, and swimming will also experience yet-to-be-determined delays. These practice and scheduling moves give us the best chance to complete an uninterrupted semester and to access better testing to keep our athletes safe.
While we may not have started practice or competition, our department has done a masterful job in coming together to address anti-Black racism and other forms of discrimination. The football team marched in unity last Friday to address systemic racism.
The march was organized by junior Juma Otoviano in coordination with Rice Chief of Police Clemente Rodriguez.
Later this month, we will announce a new way to support our student-athletes which will be critically important as we face increased financial pressures this year. The Rice Athletics Scholarship Fund (RASF) is the annual scholarship fund for the athletic department, restricted to providing scholarship support for our student-athletes. Rice Athletics is committed to funding the maximum number of scholarships and maximum cost of attendance permitted by the NCAA for all 16 sports that we sponsor. Over recent years, new NCAA legislation has led to increased costs associated with scholarships. In addition to these rising costs, the financial impact of extended eligibility for student-athletes as a result of COVID-19 will increase the need for scholarship support now more than ever before.
Funds raised through the RASF go directly to these scholarship expenses, offsetting the overall scholarship funding needed for the athletics department. Until all our scholarships are fully endowed, philanthropic support of the RASF is crucial to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of Rice Athletics.
Rice Football is well represented on NFL rosters as the 2020 season begins. A total of 11 former Owls open the season in the league, nine on active rosters (Calvin Anderson, Chris Boswell, Bryce Callahan, Christian Covington, Jack Fox, Phillip Gaines, Vance McDonald, Andrew Sendejo, and Luke Willson) and two others who were with the Owls last year (Myles Adams and Nick Leverett) are on practice squads.
And finally, just a reminder to catch our new bi-monthly television program, the Rice Owls Sports Show, on AT&T Sports Net SW. This magazine format show will cover the entire scope of Rice Athletics, bringing viewers a unique perspective on the individuals who compete for the Owls in 16 sports as well as some of the great moments from Rice's rich sports history. You can catch the re-air of our most recent episode on Sunday at 6:30PM and the debut of episode 4 on Thursday September 24 at 5:30PM. A full schedule for AT&T Sports Net SW, including listings for all airings of the Rice Owls Sports Show, can be found here.
Hope you are all healthy and safe, and Go Owls!
Greetings from South Main! Our campus is masked up but buzzing again with the return of students and in-person classes. Student-athletes are among those who have returned, and while workouts and conditioning are ongoing, formal practices have yet to commence.
Right now, the campus COVID-19 testing numbers are exceptional. You can follow the progress of testing on the new Rice coronavirus website (coronavirus.rice.edu). Athletics is committed to playing our part in keeping those positives to a minimum! We want this semester to go smoothly and safely for all our students, faculty, and staff.
For us to accomplish that primary goal, we've had to alter our fall practice and playing seasons. The competition schedules for soccer and volleyball have been pushed to the spring to align with the delay in the NCAA tournaments. Men's and women's cross country may do something similar, and that decision should be made in the next several days. Our football program has pushed back the tentative start date of practice to later this month. By choosing to delay the start of practice, we give ourselves the best chance to keep our campus safe while also keeping open the chance to play a conference schedule this season. We are working with Conference USA on any adjustments that need to be made and will have more information soon.
All other sports that hold competitions this semester will have their schedules adjusted. The start date of men's and women's basketball is likely to be pushed to the end of November, while tennis, golf, baseball, and swimming will also experience yet-to-be-determined delays. These practice and scheduling moves give us the best chance to complete an uninterrupted semester and to access better testing to keep our athletes safe.
While we may not have started practice or competition, our department has done a masterful job in coming together to address anti-Black racism and other forms of discrimination. The football team marched in unity last Friday to address systemic racism.
"Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much."
— Rice Football (@RiceFootball) September 5, 2020
We march together to do our part and to do the right thing.
Black Lives Matter. pic.twitter.com/e265iMNLRj
The march was organized by junior Juma Otoviano in coordination with Rice Chief of Police Clemente Rodriguez.
Later this month, we will announce a new way to support our student-athletes which will be critically important as we face increased financial pressures this year. The Rice Athletics Scholarship Fund (RASF) is the annual scholarship fund for the athletic department, restricted to providing scholarship support for our student-athletes. Rice Athletics is committed to funding the maximum number of scholarships and maximum cost of attendance permitted by the NCAA for all 16 sports that we sponsor. Over recent years, new NCAA legislation has led to increased costs associated with scholarships. In addition to these rising costs, the financial impact of extended eligibility for student-athletes as a result of COVID-19 will increase the need for scholarship support now more than ever before.
Funds raised through the RASF go directly to these scholarship expenses, offsetting the overall scholarship funding needed for the athletics department. Until all our scholarships are fully endowed, philanthropic support of the RASF is crucial to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of Rice Athletics.
Rice Football is well represented on NFL rosters as the 2020 season begins. A total of 11 former Owls open the season in the league, nine on active rosters (Calvin Anderson, Chris Boswell, Bryce Callahan, Christian Covington, Jack Fox, Phillip Gaines, Vance McDonald, Andrew Sendejo, and Luke Willson) and two others who were with the Owls last year (Myles Adams and Nick Leverett) are on practice squads.
And finally, just a reminder to catch our new bi-monthly television program, the Rice Owls Sports Show, on AT&T Sports Net SW. This magazine format show will cover the entire scope of Rice Athletics, bringing viewers a unique perspective on the individuals who compete for the Owls in 16 sports as well as some of the great moments from Rice's rich sports history. You can catch the re-air of our most recent episode on Sunday at 6:30PM and the debut of episode 4 on Thursday September 24 at 5:30PM. A full schedule for AT&T Sports Net SW, including listings for all airings of the Rice Owls Sports Show, can be found here.
Hope you are all healthy and safe, and Go Owls!
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