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Rice Athletics: Top 10 Moments from 2025

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2025 was filled with highs and lows for Rice Athletics. The Roost picked out 10 moments that stood out the most along the way.

10. Rice Football defeats Louisiana in Scott Abell’s debut

On the road as double-digit underdogs against a team that played for a conference championship the season prior, Abell’s track record of overcoming tall odds got off to a tremendous start. The new-look offense did just enough as the defense slammed the door to secure a program-defining debut win in a season in which every victory mattered.

9. Rice Women’s Basketball upsets 1-Seed UTSA in Conference Tournament

These Owls were made for March, it seems. Following a disappointing regular season in which the program had to settle for the No. 9 Seed, Rice knocked off top-seeded UTSA in the quarterfinals on their way to a second consecutive championship game appearance.

8. Rice Soccer finishes runner-up in American Conference Tournament

Sticking with the theme of postseason runs, Rice soccer nearly capped off a strong 10-4-6 season with an NCAA Tournament berth, but fell just short in the championship game, dropping a 1-0 decision to Rice. Still, a penalty kick win over South Florida in the semifinals proved thrilling.

7. Rice Baseball hires David Pierce midseason

In an unprecedented move, Rice fired head coach Jose Cruz Jr. and hired David Pierce, all in the matter of a few weeks. Pierce got right to work, starting midseason and guiding the Owls to a .500 finish over his last 20 games of the season — Rice had a .190 winning percentage before he arrived.

6. Rice Football beats UConn in 20T

The theory entering the year was that the uniqueness of the gun option system would give Rice football an element of surprise at least once, leading to an upset of a team oddsmakers projected to be much better than the Owls on paper. It turns out that came against a surprising nine-win UConn team. Rice rallied from a modest halftime deficit to stun the Huskies with a walk-off touchdown by Quinton Jackson in double overtime.

5. Rice Men’s Tennis takes home two titles

The men’s tennis program hit an upswing this year, securing multiple titles along the way. The team won the American Conference Championship as a team, defeating host (and No. 2 Seed) Memphis. They also took the doubles crown with the tandem of Petro Kuzmenok and Santiago Navarro defeating No. 2 Seed Charlotte’s top pair in the title match.

4. Rice Swimming and Diving Conf. Champ.

A year ago, Rice added diving to its portfolio of NCAA sponsored sports. The thinking at the time was that the Owls could be title contenders if they played with the full allotment of resources permitted. Fast-forward to 2025 and Rice did indeed win it all, clinching a conference championship in Swimming and Diving for the first time since 2013-2014.

3. Rice Volleyball wins 17 in a row enroute to NCAA Tournament

It took a few weeks to get going as the Owls battled it out with a vigorous non-conference schedule, but once conference play arrived, Rice volleyball was hard to beat. The Owls won 17 consecutive matches, clinching an American Conference Tournament Championship and earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament where they would eventually lose to Florida.

2. Rice Football goes bowling

As recently as 24 hours before selection day, the odds of Rice football going bowling seemed slim. Then Kansas State opted out that Sunday morning and Rice football was Armed Forces Bowl bound. Abell made it clear he doesn’t want to get in on APR again, but he’s happy for the extra opportunity for his program and the Owls are heading to Fort Worth with the intention of bringing home a trophy.

1. Gateway Project announced

The announcement of The Gateway Project, a transformative commitment by Rice University to its football program and its athletic institutions made waves on a national scale. The project, scheduled to be completed prior to the 2028 season, will see Rice Stadium fully renovated and a new gateway to Rice Village installed.

Honorable Mentions…

How about you? Which of these moments from Rice Athletics did you enjoy the most? Cutting this down to 10 was challenging. Which Rice Athletics events should be added to the list?

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Rice Women’s Basketball: 2025-2026 Midseason State of the Program

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Rice Women’s Basketball rebounded from a loss in their opening game to rack up 10 wins before Christmas. Here’s where the Owls stand as American Conference play begins.

Sitting at 10-3, Rice women’s basketball has had some impressive wins while generally showcasing themselves to be among the best the American Conference has to offer. Those aspirations will be tested when league play begins after the Holiday break. How will the Owls hold up?

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That’s one of a few pressing questions through the first month and a half of the season. Here’s where the Owls stand at (roughly) the halfway point, a few important milestones and notes from the journey and a recalibration of expectations for the rest of the way.

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Rice Women’s Basketball Pushes Past Houston Christian

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Rice women’s basketball had another down shooting day, but still managed to overcome Houston Christian thanks to a dominant defensive effort.

Shelby Hayes set the tone with 10 first quarter points as Rice women’s basketball found itself in a dogfight with the Houston Christian Huskies on Saturday afternoon. There were six ties and seven lead changes by the 4:27 mark of the second quarter. That was when the home team was finally able to generate some breathing room, going into the break up six points, spurred by back-to-back three pointers from Mylee Guinn.

Houston Christian got back within three points in the opening minutes of the third quarter before Rice seized control for good. The Owls engineered a 15-point run, shutting Houston Christian out for more than six minutes as they built what would prove to be an insurmountable 18-point advantage.

MORE: Rice Football Recruiting — 2025 Winter Transfer Portal Tracker

The teams would trade points in the fourth quarter, but by then Rice had emptied its bench and simply had to squeeze out the last few minutes of clock to secure another home victory. With the win, Rice women’s basketball improves to 10-3 on the season and 6-0 at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Rice 62, Houston Christian 42

What They’re Saying

What a way to finish December. I am so proud of this group and the focus and intensity that they brought all non-conference. We protected home, we defended and held teams to season lows, and we did a lot of great things that we can build off of going into the new season which is conference play. I am excited for the players and the staff to have a few days to regroup before we get into the grind of the American Conference. – Rice Women’s Basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds

Key takeaway | Defensive Domination

The Rice women’s basketball offense has garnered much the attention this season as it works to develop the level of consistency it will need to compete at a high level in the American Conference. However, the growing pains on that side of the ball shouldn’t take away from the string of successful outings the defense has put forth over the last several weeks.

Rice held Houston Christian to 28.8 percent shooting from the field and forced the Huskies to commit 21 turnovers. The Owls kept their opponents uncomfortable for 40 minutes, even though their own shots weren’t falling with any sort of consistency. The level of competition is only going to go up from here, but the defense has certainly been a bright spot as the Owls close out nonconference play.

Up Next: at South Florida (Tues. Dec. 30 at 6:00 pm)

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Rice Women’s Basketball Overcomes Slow Start to Top Grambling

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A tied game after the first quarter wouldn’t stay even for much longer as Rice women’s basketball got things rolling to post a comfortable road win over Grambling.

It came as no surprise when Rice women’s basketball posted a strong defensive start in their Wednesday afternoon road tilt against Grambling. The Owls held the Tigers to 21 percent shooting in the first quarter, yet somehow ended the frame tied. That deadlock wouldn’t last much longer.

The three-ball started to fall in the second quarter, with three different players helping Rice build a nine-point advantage which was quickly stretched to 17 points in the early minutes of the third quarter. Grambling was able to get back within nine on a brief 8-0 burst, but it proved to be a last-gasp effort as Rice seized control after that.

MORE: Rice Football Recruiting — 2025 Winter Transfer Portal Tracker

The Owls led by 15 points at the start of the fourth quarter, lengthening that edge to as many as 28 points before a couple of free throws and a layup in the final minute kept the game from turning into a true blowout. All in all, it ended up being a rather expeditious win for Rice, even with the inasuspicious beginnings.

With the win, Rice women’s basketball improves to 9-3 on the season and 4-3 away from Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Rice 71, Grambling 47

Key takeaway | Heating Up

Grambling is bad. Full stop. The 2-9 Tigers had no business being competitive with Rice women’s basketball on Wednesday and, for the most part, they weren’t. All of a sudden the Owls have won six of their last seven, with the lone loss coming to a Big 12 team by a single point. Their only losses on their resume came to a pair of very good teams (South Dakota State and Princeton).

Houston Christian is the only game remaining between Rice and a 10-3 start and a short reprieve over Christmas break begins with a highly-anticipated road trip to South Florida. After a shaky start, much like how this game against Grambling began, Rice women’s basketball is heating up.

Up Next: vs Houston Christian (Sat. Dec. 20 at 2:00 pm)

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Rice Women’s Basketball Surges Past UT-Arlington

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A close game at halftime turned into a blowout midway through the third quarter as Rice women’s basketball posted another home win, this time over UT-Arlington.

In front of stands of chattering youngsters at Tudor Fieldhouse on Friday morning, Rice women’s basketball notched yet another win. The Owls made things interesting in the early moments, missing their first six field goals and allowing UT-Arlington to go ahead 6-0, despite the Owls holding the Mavericks to a 3-for-17 start from the field.

That defense would pay off, though. Rice quickly retook the lead and kept the margin at a couple of possessions through the second quarter and into halftime. Aniah Alexis contributed 13 of the Owls’ first-half points, playing all 20 minutes as she paced the team on both ends of the court.

MORE: Scott Abell Inks Tremendous 2026 Rice Football Recruiting Class

When the second half arrived, Rice women’s basketball took over. Shelby Hayes helped spark a decisive Rice run to put the home team up by double-digits. The lead would only grow from there. A jumper from Hayes in the early moments of the fourth quarter put Rice up by 21, allowing the Owls to empty the benches and cruise to a comfortable victory.

With the win, Rice women’s basketball improves to 8-3 on the season and 5-0 at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Rice 75, UT Arlington 54

Key takeaway | Toughness Wins

This isn’t the first runaway win Rice women’s basketball has posted this season, but each victory has had its own unique flavor. Against UT-Arlington, Rice was able to use its physicality to dictate the game, wearing their opponent down through the course of the game and getting to the line 30 times, just the third time this season they’ve had at least that many free throw attempts.

But it’s those extra foul shots combined with a double-digit advantage in the rebounding department that turned this game into a rout. Rice has only had a rebounding margin this large on one other instance this season, against Illinois State, a game they won.

So much focus has been given to the developing offense this year, and rightly so, but this team already has the tools to get to the line and win under the basket. Becoming even more consistent on that front could make this squad truly lethal on days the offense is firing on all cylindars, too.

Up Next: vs UT Arlington (Fri. Dec. 12 at 11:15 am)

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