de la Bassetiere, Van der Westhuizen Earn Top Honors at 2025 Night of the Owl
4/28/2025 7:14:00 PM | Baseball, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Men's Tennis, Men's Track & Field, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Women's Tennis, Women's Track & Field, Women's Volleyball, Women's Golf
HOUSTON – Rice student-athletes and coaches celebrated a successful 2024-25 athletic season Monday evening at the annual Night of the Owl event, presented by SAAC and the "R" Association. Senior men's tennis athlete Arthus de la Bassetiere and junior women's track and field athlete Mckyla Van der Westhuizen were awarded with the night's top honors, the Bob Quin and Joyce Pounds Hardy awards, respectively.
de la Bassetiere becomes the ninth tennis student-athlete in Rice history to earn the Bob Quin Award. He is in his second year with the Rice Owls men's tennis team, who won its first American Athletic Conference championship this year. de la Bassetiere anchored the No. 1 position on the courts this season, earning five wins in the fall and five in the spring for a total of 10 singles wins. He also earned 14 doubles wins and was ranked with partner Kabeer Kapasi for a majority of the season. Recently, de la Bassetiere and Kapasi clinched the doubles point in the AAC Championship match against Memphis to earn Rice the doubles point on their way to winning the AAC title.
A 2023-24 AAC All-Academic Team honoree, as well as a 2024 CSC Academic All-District honoree, the Reims, France, native, was named a Rice Scholar Athlete in February. de la Bassetiere will graduate with a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus in Aerospace in May.
Van der Westhuizen becomes the 25th athlete in women's track and field history to earn the Joyce Pounds Hardy Award, with the program earning the honor in back-to-back years. She has collected two All-American honors, two All-Conference honors, and is the reigning AAC champion in the javelin. Van der Westhuizen finished in third place at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships and was 11th during her freshman campaign at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Her personal best mark of 60.29m ranks second all-time at Rice, just .28m off the record. Van der Westhuizen currently ranks ninth in the world, third in the NCAA, and has the best mark in the NCAA West Region and the AAC.
A Sports Medicine and Exercise Physiology major, Van der Westhuizen was named CSC Academic All-American Second Team last season and is a two-time USTFCCA All-Academic. She has also received academic honors in both the AAC and CUSA.
Dominik Skorjanc (men's track and field) and Julianna Dickman and Darby Harris (women's track and field and volleyball) were honored with the The Dr. Hubert E. Bray and Margie E. Sass Scholar Athlete of the Year awards, recognizing them as Rice's top student-athletes.
Ty Hampton (men's track and field) and Leah Chancey (soccer) were named the Male and Female Newcomers of the Year.
The Stancliff-Sass and Stancliff-Duckett "R" Association Scholarships went to Lola Foord (volleyball) and Christian Francisco (men's football), respectively. Sydney Morgan received the Clanton/Winston Medical School Scholarship.
Allison Zipoli (women's tennis) received the Leland Winston, MD Courage & Diligence Award, presented to the student-athlete who displayed exceptional courage and diligence in the face of a serious injury.
Seth Huston (swimming) was named Head Coach of the Year after claiming the AAC title this season, while women's basketball assistant coach Nick Grant was named Assistant Coach of the Year.
The Excellence in Rice Athletics Award was presented Bob Schlanger. The award is meant to honor an athlete, administrator, or community member who has gone above and beyond their role to embody the values of Rice Athletics and make a positive impact within the athletics community.
Rice volleyball won the SAAC Cup. The SAAC Cup is a friendly competition between all Rice sports to motivate teams to attend the games of their peers with the goal of increasing team bonding and networking opportunities between teams.
The Best Moment Award went to the men's tennis team for their AAC championship title this season, defeating Memphis in the final.
Night of the Owl Award Recipients
Joyce Pounds Hardy Award – Mckyla Van der Westhuizen (women's track and field)
Bob Quin Award – Arthus de la Bassetiere (men's tennis)
Male Newcomer of the Year – Ty Hampton (men's track and field)
Female Newcomer of the Year – Leah Chancey (soccer)
Head Coach of the Year – Seth Huston (swimming)
Assistant Coach of the Year – Nick Grant (women's basketball)
Margie E. Sass Scholar Athlete – Julianna Dickman, Darby Harris (women's track, volleyball)
The Dr. Hubert E. Bray Scholar Athlete – Dominik Skorjanc (men's track)
Stancliff-Duckett "R" Association Scholarship – Christian Francisco (football)
Stancliff-Sass "R" Association Scholarship – Lola Foord (volleyball)
Clanton/Winston Medical School Scholarship – Sydney Morgan (swimming)
The Leland Winston, MD Courage & Diligence Award – Allison Zipoli (women's tennis)
Excellence in Rice Athletics Award – Bob Schlanger
SAAC Cup – volleyball
Best Moment Award – men's tennis AAC championship title
de la Bassetiere becomes the ninth tennis student-athlete in Rice history to earn the Bob Quin Award. He is in his second year with the Rice Owls men's tennis team, who won its first American Athletic Conference championship this year. de la Bassetiere anchored the No. 1 position on the courts this season, earning five wins in the fall and five in the spring for a total of 10 singles wins. He also earned 14 doubles wins and was ranked with partner Kabeer Kapasi for a majority of the season. Recently, de la Bassetiere and Kapasi clinched the doubles point in the AAC Championship match against Memphis to earn Rice the doubles point on their way to winning the AAC title.
A 2023-24 AAC All-Academic Team honoree, as well as a 2024 CSC Academic All-District honoree, the Reims, France, native, was named a Rice Scholar Athlete in February. de la Bassetiere will graduate with a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus in Aerospace in May.
Van der Westhuizen becomes the 25th athlete in women's track and field history to earn the Joyce Pounds Hardy Award, with the program earning the honor in back-to-back years. She has collected two All-American honors, two All-Conference honors, and is the reigning AAC champion in the javelin. Van der Westhuizen finished in third place at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships and was 11th during her freshman campaign at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Her personal best mark of 60.29m ranks second all-time at Rice, just .28m off the record. Van der Westhuizen currently ranks ninth in the world, third in the NCAA, and has the best mark in the NCAA West Region and the AAC.
A Sports Medicine and Exercise Physiology major, Van der Westhuizen was named CSC Academic All-American Second Team last season and is a two-time USTFCCA All-Academic. She has also received academic honors in both the AAC and CUSA.
Dominik Skorjanc (men's track and field) and Julianna Dickman and Darby Harris (women's track and field and volleyball) were honored with the The Dr. Hubert E. Bray and Margie E. Sass Scholar Athlete of the Year awards, recognizing them as Rice's top student-athletes.
Ty Hampton (men's track and field) and Leah Chancey (soccer) were named the Male and Female Newcomers of the Year.
The Stancliff-Sass and Stancliff-Duckett "R" Association Scholarships went to Lola Foord (volleyball) and Christian Francisco (men's football), respectively. Sydney Morgan received the Clanton/Winston Medical School Scholarship.
Allison Zipoli (women's tennis) received the Leland Winston, MD Courage & Diligence Award, presented to the student-athlete who displayed exceptional courage and diligence in the face of a serious injury.
Seth Huston (swimming) was named Head Coach of the Year after claiming the AAC title this season, while women's basketball assistant coach Nick Grant was named Assistant Coach of the Year.
The Excellence in Rice Athletics Award was presented Bob Schlanger. The award is meant to honor an athlete, administrator, or community member who has gone above and beyond their role to embody the values of Rice Athletics and make a positive impact within the athletics community.
Rice volleyball won the SAAC Cup. The SAAC Cup is a friendly competition between all Rice sports to motivate teams to attend the games of their peers with the goal of increasing team bonding and networking opportunities between teams.
The Best Moment Award went to the men's tennis team for their AAC championship title this season, defeating Memphis in the final.
Night of the Owl Award Recipients
Joyce Pounds Hardy Award – Mckyla Van der Westhuizen (women's track and field)
Bob Quin Award – Arthus de la Bassetiere (men's tennis)
Male Newcomer of the Year – Ty Hampton (men's track and field)
Female Newcomer of the Year – Leah Chancey (soccer)
Head Coach of the Year – Seth Huston (swimming)
Assistant Coach of the Year – Nick Grant (women's basketball)
Margie E. Sass Scholar Athlete – Julianna Dickman, Darby Harris (women's track, volleyball)
The Dr. Hubert E. Bray Scholar Athlete – Dominik Skorjanc (men's track)
Stancliff-Duckett "R" Association Scholarship – Christian Francisco (football)
Stancliff-Sass "R" Association Scholarship – Lola Foord (volleyball)
Clanton/Winston Medical School Scholarship – Sydney Morgan (swimming)
The Leland Winston, MD Courage & Diligence Award – Allison Zipoli (women's tennis)
Excellence in Rice Athletics Award – Bob Schlanger
SAAC Cup – volleyball
Best Moment Award – men's tennis AAC championship title
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
MF
/ Women's Soccer
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
RB
/ Football
Javelin
/ Men's Track & Field
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
/ Men's Tennis
IM/Fly/Free/BR
/ Swimming & Diving
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Javelin
/ Women's Track & Field
/ Women's Tennis
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