Athletics Director Digest » August 27
8/27/2021 12:20:00 PM | Athletics Director Digest
The 2021-22 season for the Owls is underway and our fall sports are heading into their campaigns with high expectations. While we continue to navigate issues surrounding the pandemic, our student-athletes and staff are on campus, we are competing and we fully intend to have you with us to cheer on our Rice Owls. The sounds of competition and fans in the stands will bring a sense of excitement to all our lives.
In my last update this summer, I summarized some of the achievements your Owls attained in spite of the challenges of last year. To cap off an outstanding year for our student-athletes, we recently were presented Conference USA's Academic Achievement Award for the 13th time in 16 years. We also saw Owls named as the C-USA Scholar Athlete of the Year in eight sports, matching the most in our history.
Two of the programs who saw their seasons moved to the spring of 2021, soccer and volleyball, are back in competition for the second time this calendar year. Both enter the fall ranked in the top 25 (soccer #16, volleyball #23) and are led by preseason C-USA Players of the Year and All-American candidates. Mijke Roelfsema was named the preseason defensive player of the year in the conference while Nicole Lennon was picked as volleyball's preseason player of the year.
Their success as well as those of our other women's programs are highlighted in this outstanding video from Rice Public Affairs.
Brian Lee's soccer squad already has jumped out to a pair of wins at home. After a road match at Houston Baptist on Friday, they host a five-game home stand that includes matches with Texas (September 5) Houston (September 9) and SMU (September 12).
Genny Volpe's volleyball team will open their season on Friday at the Carolina Classic when they face ninth-ranked Pittsburgh, the first of four matches this year against teams ranked in the preseason top 15. The highlight of that stretch is the return of top-ranked Texas to Tudor Fieldhouse for what is easily one of the most anticipated matchups in recent history.
Dunlevie Family Head Football Coach Mike Bloomgren felt his team was ready to challenge for bowl eligibility last year before the season was cut to five games. The shutout at #15 Marshall last season was certainly a historic moment, but this team has greater goals in mind for this year. After opening on the road at Arkansas, they return home on September 11 to face Houston in the 40th Bayou Bucket. We have some special plans for that day and I hope you'll make arrangements to join us.
2021 Football Season Tickets Group Sales Information Rice Athletics Ticket Information
Last weekend, the second football scrimmage highlighted 2021 Owl Fest, along with autograph sessions involving many of our fall sports. The fan photo booth, which you can see by visiting the photo gallery here, was a huge hit! The turnout from both students and fans proved how much everyone is anticipating the return of activities to campus.
Saturday's scrimmage also debuted our new AstroTurf playing surface at Rice Stadium. This university-funded upgrade fitted our historic home field with a state-of-the-art system that also has a distinctive look.
On the international front, three former Owls competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games last month: Ariana Ince (javelin USA), Erica Ogwumike (basketball, Nigeria) and Arsalan Kazemi (basketball, Iran). Ahalya Lettenberger is currently in Tokyo competing in the Paralympic Games.
While our focus has been on returning our operations back to normal, we continue to look for new opportunities to expand the Rice brand. The latest example is a partnership with Katz Coffee to create three Rice-branded brews, Owl Blend (a medium roast), South Main Mocha (a flavored light roast) and Twilight Blend (a dark roast). You can purchase the three blends by visiting KatzCoffee.com.
We will also launch a revamped mobile app later this week, so be on the lookout for an announcement. The good news if you have our previous version on your phone, that same link will allow you to upgrade to the new version.
Our staff has undergone some transitions over the past year and I wanted to make note of three staff members in recognition of their outstanding efforts. Taurian Houston has been promoted to Senior Associate AD for Compliance and Administration, David Pillen is now our Associate AD for External Relations and Paul Stevens has moved up to the role of Assistant AD for Ticketing and Business Strategy.
As we celebrate the accomplishments of our current group of Owls, we will also welcome a new class of inductees into the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame. We will honor 11 legends from the past, our largest classes of inductees since 1973, on October 1 and recognize them again the following day at the Southern Miss football game. If you are interested in attending the ceremony please contact the Owl Club, 713-348-8425 or register online at www.RiceOwls.co/HoF21.
As the return of the Bayou Bucket on September 11 renews the rivalry with Houston on the football field, our Owl Club supporters also have a chance to engage with Cougar faithful during our inaugural Bayou Bucket Giving Challenge vs. Cougar Pride. The challenge kicks off on September 5 and runs through game day. Be on the lookout for more information from the Owl Club on how you can participate and beat UH!
Your donations to the Owl Club and its initiatives is crucial to supporting our student-athletes. Our volleyball team recently moved into their new team lounge and now practice on a state-of-the-art Taraflex floor in the West Gym. Thanks to support from our donors, our football team is able to use GPS tracking to monitor players' workloads to allow them to better prepare for each game. At the Wendel Ley Track, our outstanding group of throwers have a new area for training and competitions thanks to donations from supporters of the program.
I appreciate the support of each and every one of you through a very trying year and I look forward to joining you in rooting on these great men and women in the year ahead.
Go Owls!
In my last update this summer, I summarized some of the achievements your Owls attained in spite of the challenges of last year. To cap off an outstanding year for our student-athletes, we recently were presented Conference USA's Academic Achievement Award for the 13th time in 16 years. We also saw Owls named as the C-USA Scholar Athlete of the Year in eight sports, matching the most in our history.
Two of the programs who saw their seasons moved to the spring of 2021, soccer and volleyball, are back in competition for the second time this calendar year. Both enter the fall ranked in the top 25 (soccer #16, volleyball #23) and are led by preseason C-USA Players of the Year and All-American candidates. Mijke Roelfsema was named the preseason defensive player of the year in the conference while Nicole Lennon was picked as volleyball's preseason player of the year.
Their success as well as those of our other women's programs are highlighted in this outstanding video from Rice Public Affairs.
Brian Lee's soccer squad already has jumped out to a pair of wins at home. After a road match at Houston Baptist on Friday, they host a five-game home stand that includes matches with Texas (September 5) Houston (September 9) and SMU (September 12).
Genny Volpe's volleyball team will open their season on Friday at the Carolina Classic when they face ninth-ranked Pittsburgh, the first of four matches this year against teams ranked in the preseason top 15. The highlight of that stretch is the return of top-ranked Texas to Tudor Fieldhouse for what is easily one of the most anticipated matchups in recent history.
Dunlevie Family Head Football Coach Mike Bloomgren felt his team was ready to challenge for bowl eligibility last year before the season was cut to five games. The shutout at #15 Marshall last season was certainly a historic moment, but this team has greater goals in mind for this year. After opening on the road at Arkansas, they return home on September 11 to face Houston in the 40th Bayou Bucket. We have some special plans for that day and I hope you'll make arrangements to join us.
2021 Football Season Tickets Group Sales Information Rice Athletics Ticket Information
Last weekend, the second football scrimmage highlighted 2021 Owl Fest, along with autograph sessions involving many of our fall sports. The fan photo booth, which you can see by visiting the photo gallery here, was a huge hit! The turnout from both students and fans proved how much everyone is anticipating the return of activities to campus.
Saturday's scrimmage also debuted our new AstroTurf playing surface at Rice Stadium. This university-funded upgrade fitted our historic home field with a state-of-the-art system that also has a distinctive look.
Grace Forbes, who dazzled us all last spring by earning All-American status at three different NCAA Championships, will be back in action in cross country this fall leading up to a defense of her Conference USA title at the end of October."It's a beautiful day for outdoor football!"
— Rice Athletics (@RiceAthletics) August 21, 2021
We'll see everyone at 5:30PM for Owl Fest 2021! Come see the new field turf and stick around for Remember The Titans movie night!#GoOwls👐 x #RFND pic.twitter.com/nYKnSx5WtO
On the international front, three former Owls competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games last month: Ariana Ince (javelin USA), Erica Ogwumike (basketball, Nigeria) and Arsalan Kazemi (basketball, Iran). Ahalya Lettenberger is currently in Tokyo competing in the Paralympic Games.
While our focus has been on returning our operations back to normal, we continue to look for new opportunities to expand the Rice brand. The latest example is a partnership with Katz Coffee to create three Rice-branded brews, Owl Blend (a medium roast), South Main Mocha (a flavored light roast) and Twilight Blend (a dark roast). You can purchase the three blends by visiting KatzCoffee.com.
We will also launch a revamped mobile app later this week, so be on the lookout for an announcement. The good news if you have our previous version on your phone, that same link will allow you to upgrade to the new version.
Our staff has undergone some transitions over the past year and I wanted to make note of three staff members in recognition of their outstanding efforts. Taurian Houston has been promoted to Senior Associate AD for Compliance and Administration, David Pillen is now our Associate AD for External Relations and Paul Stevens has moved up to the role of Assistant AD for Ticketing and Business Strategy.
As we celebrate the accomplishments of our current group of Owls, we will also welcome a new class of inductees into the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame. We will honor 11 legends from the past, our largest classes of inductees since 1973, on October 1 and recognize them again the following day at the Southern Miss football game. If you are interested in attending the ceremony please contact the Owl Club, 713-348-8425 or register online at www.RiceOwls.co/HoF21.
As the return of the Bayou Bucket on September 11 renews the rivalry with Houston on the football field, our Owl Club supporters also have a chance to engage with Cougar faithful during our inaugural Bayou Bucket Giving Challenge vs. Cougar Pride. The challenge kicks off on September 5 and runs through game day. Be on the lookout for more information from the Owl Club on how you can participate and beat UH!
Your donations to the Owl Club and its initiatives is crucial to supporting our student-athletes. Our volleyball team recently moved into their new team lounge and now practice on a state-of-the-art Taraflex floor in the West Gym. Thanks to support from our donors, our football team is able to use GPS tracking to monitor players' workloads to allow them to better prepare for each game. At the Wendel Ley Track, our outstanding group of throwers have a new area for training and competitions thanks to donations from supporters of the program.
I appreciate the support of each and every one of you through a very trying year and I look forward to joining you in rooting on these great men and women in the year ahead.
Go Owls!
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