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NEWS: Rice Athletics to add Diving in 2024

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Once a university-sponsored sport discontinued in 1991, Rice Athletics has announced its plans to bring back women’s diving in 2024.

In an ever-changing landscape in which universities are slashing sports (as recently as this week), Rice Athletics is officially doubling down on its commitment to athletics and growing its athletic footprint. The Owls announced this week the return of the women’s diving program in 2024.

Rice Women’s Diving was a sponsored sport at the university from 1975 to 1991 before it was discontinued. Meanwhile, the women’s swim team at Rice has been prolific, frequently finishing as high as possible in the standings with one caveat — winning titles is extremely challenging because the team did not score any diving points. Now that’s changing.

“Year after year, our swimmers have produced championship-caliber results and countless event champions, but the lack of diving points has prevented them from standing at the top of the podium as a team,” said Rice Athletics Director Tommy McClelland in a statement on Tuesday. “We are committed to winning our conference in every sport, and the return of the diving team is a vital step forward.”

You can read the full release here.

Practically, this decision raises a few interesting things as far as the trajectory of Rice Athletics as a whole. First, it demonstrates a commitment from the university to back sports and a tangible alignment between athletics and the university. Look no further than the school president Reginald DesRoches jumping into the pool himself!

Additionally, it signals potential growth opportunities with that enhanced level of commitment. As the Owls move into the AAC and add to one athletics program it opens the door for further investment.

This decision wasn’t just about diving. It’s a first step in strengthening Rice Athletics and ensuring the Owls can do just what McClelland said in his statement above, compete to be “winning our conference in every sport.” That means more investment in swimming, track and field, soccer, football, baseball, etc. Across the board, things are looking up for Rice Athletics.

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Injuries and foul trouble sink Rice Women’s Basketball vs Memphis

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It was a rough afternoon for Rice women’s basketball, which battled through injuries and foul trouble in a loss to Memphis at home.

Points were at a premium on Saturday afternoon. Fouls were plentiful. The result was a grimy game for a shorthanded Rice women’s basketball team, playing without Malia Fisher, against a Memphis team that entered the game with one road win on the season so far. Further complicating matters, Shelby Hayes wasn’t available either.

Rice was able to nurse a small lead through most of the first quarter before Memphis jumped in front to start the second period. The visitors slowly added to their advantage, reaching a 15-point lead after three quarters thanks to a flurry of foul calls against Rice, with a technical foul against head coach Lindsay Edmonds providing the frustrating exclamation point.

After three quarters, Rice had been charged with 20 fouls. Memphis had been called for just nine. The final foul margin was 29 to 19. Dominque Ennis missed about half of the fourth quarter after a collision, adding to a slue of misfortune for the Owls.

There were some good moments — including a career-best 15 points from Hailey Adams — but ultimately a mediocre shooting performance, injuries and foul trouble proved too much to overcome. Had the Owls gotten one or two more fortunate bounces, they might have been able to steal this one, instead, Rice fell at home to Memphis on a frustrating afternoon of basketball.

Final Box | Memphis 73 – Rice 66

Key takeaway | Gone Fish(er)ing?

For the second time in as many games, Rice women’s basketball was without the services of Malia Fisher. An integral piece on both sides of the court, it was evident in both games the Owls’ rhythm was off. Not having her presence on the interior impacts how this team wants to play basketball. They got some big contributions from Hailey Adams and others but were unable to reliably make the most out of every possession.

The effort is certainly there, but the efficiency hasn’t been the same. Rice shot just 37.7 percent from the floor on Saturday, converting just 3-of-13 from three. It’ll be interesting to see if this team can reorient themselves while Fisher is sidelined. For the time being, it’s been anything but smooth sailing.

Up Next: vs SMU (Wednesday, Jan. 31)

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Rice Women’s Basketball: Dominque Ennis the best-kept secret in the AAC?

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Sophomore guard Dominque Ennis has quietly become a difference maker for Rice women’s basketball. It’s not long before the rest of the AAC takes notice.

In much the same way Rice women’s basketball managed to fly under the radar when it came to offseason prognosticators evaluated the new-look American Athletic Conference, so too has the Owls’ newfound star scorer avoided the spotlight. For now, at least. However, it’s becoming increasingly more and more difficult for sophomore guard Dominique Ennis to avoid notice.

Rice was picked to finish third by the league’s coaches, with no players on the all-conference first team. Just a few weeks into conference play, the Owls have already beaten three of the five members of that all-conference first team they’ve faced, in large part because players like Ennis have stepped up.

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Rice Women’s Basketball falls short on the road vs Tulsa

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Rice women’s basketball started slow but rallied late, taking Tulsa down to the wire before suffering their first road loss in AAC play.

Things couldn’t have gotten off to much of a worse start for Rice women’s basketball on Wednesday night against Tulsa. Just days removed from climbing to the top spot in the AAC standings, the visiting Owls found themselves in an early 18-3 hole. Malisa Fisher did not play in this game, throwing a wrench into a rhythm that had gotten Rice off to a 5-1 start in league play.

Rice shot 26 percent in the first half, failing to close the gap by any meaningful amount. They would need quite an adjustment at halftime to make a game out of a contest that had been quite one-sided to that point.

The third quarter brought with it a spark. Emily Klaczek provided the first, adding to a strong start with a team-high two steals, two rebounds and seven points in that frame, alone. That helped Rice narrow the deficit to six points, getting the game within reach for one last push in the fourth quarter.

Rally they did, blasting out of the gates in the final quarter on a 9-2 run, narrowing the gap to a single score. After trailing by as many as 19, the combination of Dominque Ennis and Destiny Jackson carved up the Tulsa defense. They played off each other so well, propelling the Owls to a tied game with less than a minute to go. An untimely deflection would thwart the Owls’ chances, giving Tulsa one extra possession late as they secured the lead for good.

Final Box | Tulsa 70 – Rice 65

Key takeaway | On a bad night

On the road without one of their key players in a massive early deficit, Rice women’s basketball was one bad bounce from a game-tying shot in the closing minutes. This trip to Tulsa checked a lot of the boxes head coach Lindsay Edmonds might have laid out when asked for a potential worst-case scenario, and still, this team was right there in the thick of it.

There are no moral victories and this team has come far enough that they’re not going to treat this game as such. But we’ve now seen two conference losses for this squad and both required unusual circumstances for this program to lose in league play. Maybe Rice isn’t head and shoulders above everyone else just yet, that’s evident after nights like this. But the range of outcomes for this team is starting to fully materialize.

On bad nights, this team is still good enough to challenge you to the very end and perhaps even beat you without playing their best brand of basketball. On good nights…. good luck.

Up Next: vs Memphis (Saturday, Jan. 27)

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Rice Women’s Basketball climbs AAC standings with win vs Tulane

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Rice women’s basketball blew past Tulane on Saturday, leading for 35 minutes on their way to first place in the AAC standings.

Any doubts as to the result of Saturday’s contest between Rice women’s basketball and Tulane were put to bed rather quickly. Tulane scored first, taking a 2-0 lead on a layup during their first possession. It would be their largest lead of the game. Rice quickly took charge, making their next seven consecutive field goals, closing out the first quarter with a nine-point advantage.

The Owls’ defense took over in the second frame. They held the Green Wave to 3-for-12 shooting from the floor in that period, holding the line until the offense got back into gear. Dominque Ennis provided that jump-start quickly after the halftime break, propelling Rice to an 18-point lead and seemingly putting the game out of reach given Tulane’s shooting struggles.

Tulane’s last gasp came at the beginning of the fourth quarter which they opened on 9-2 run, closing the deficit to eight points. They wouldn’t score again for the remainder of the afternoon. Maya Bokunewicz delivered an incredible under-the-basket shot to push the lead back to double-digits before Rice closed the game on a 9-0 run.

Final Box | Rice 61 – Tulane 44

Key takeaway | No. 1

With the win, Rice women’s basketball moves to a tie for first place in the league with Charlotte. The Owls have won four of their last five with their only loss coming to those 49ers at home. Rice doesn’t play Charlotte again in the regular season, giving Charlotte a potential tiebreaker for seeding purposes should that be necessary down the road. For now, though, Rice controls its own destiny and the future looks brighter than ever.

It wasn’t just the impact on the conference standings that made this game meaningful. It was the Owls’ first shot to go on the road against a team they were clearly better than and prove they have the focus and determination to take care of business.

Rice ought to have won this game, and they did. But to do so in the manner in which they did, holding Tulane to a season-low 44 points with four double-digit scorers of their own, speaks to a team that wasn’t just fortunate, they were dominant. There’s a long road ahead, but Rice women’s basketball very much so looks the part of the AACs top team.

Up Next: at Tulsa (Wednesday, Jan. 24)

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