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Rice Athletics Director Joe Karlgaard to Leave Owls this Summer

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Rice Athletics Director Joe Karlgaard is moving on to private business, ending a decade-long tenure at the helm of the Owls’ athletic department.

In a statement from president Reginald DesRoches, Rice Athletics announced that athletic director Joe Karlgaard will conclude his time at Rice at the end of July. Effective August 1, Karlgaard will become the CEO of GSV Summit LLC, leaving the world of collegiate athletics for the time being.

Rice will “soon be launching a national search for our new athletics director” and an updated is expected on that front “in the next month.”

From Karlgaard:

“I’m very fortunate to have worked with so many wonderful student-athletes, coaches, staff, faculty, and supporters over these past ten years. Rice is a special place, and I’m grateful for all those who pour their hearts and souls into making this university great.”

Read the full statement here.

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Official: Rice Athletics to join AAC on July 1, 2023

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UPDATE: On Wednesday, June 15 Rice officially announced it will join the AAC on July 1, 2023.

— Friday, June 10 —

The AAC announced the formal exit of Houston, Cincinnati and UCF opening the door for Rice Athletics to move into the conference in 2023.

The AAC brought college football realignment back to the forefront of the national narrative on Friday morning when they announced Houston, Cincinnati and UCF would be leaving the conference to join the Big XII on July 1, 2023. That move directly impacts Rice, enabling the Owls to move into those vacated seats in the AAC soon.

So, what’s next?

Rice Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard released this statement on Friday afternoon:

“The agreement reached between the American Athletic Conference and its three departing members allows us to formally begin the process of joining the American in the near future. We remain proud members of Conference USA for the 2022-23 academic year, and anticipate releasing more information on our transition to the American in the near future.”

While that statement doesn’t explicitly mention any transition dates, sources confirm to The Roost the intention remains for Rice to join the AAC in 2023, following the conclusion of the 2022-23 academic year which Karlgaard mentions in the release above.

Roost Pod: AAC introductions with Fear The Wave

That timeline is further corroborated by several of the fellow soon-to-be-former Conference USA members which will be making the move with the Owls. Charlotte came out almost immediately following the news, issuing a declaration of their intent to join the AAC in 2023.

FAU followed suit as did UTSA. Like Rice, North Texas and UAB and each released more general statements of their intent to make the move “soon”. Per Brett McMurphy, each of the six schools must inform Conference USA of their intention to leave for the AAC by Wednesday, June 15.

The next steps seem like a formality at this point, but it remains good news for Rice, regardless. This week Rice will formalize its intention to leave Conference USA and join the American.

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How does new president impact Rice Athletics? — Patreon Q&A

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Change is coming on the administrative front. The May 2022 Patreon Q&A focuses on the Owls’ incoming president and how he might impact Rice Athletics.

This month’s Patreon Q&A focuses on incoming university president Reginald DesRoches and his attitude towards Rice Athletics. More specifically, what will his impact be on the athletic programs? Will he be more supportive? What will that look like?

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

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Official: Rice Athletics accepted into American Athletic Conference

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Rice Athletics has been officially accepted into the American Athletic Conference, marking the end of their time in Conference USA.

Word broke on Monday afternoon that Rice Athletics might have a new home. Roughly 72 hours later, it’s official. Rice has been accepted as a new member by the American Athletic Conference.

Six schools (Rice, UAB, UTSA, North Texas, FAU, and Charlotte) submitted their applications to the AAC on Tuesday evening, paperwork was exchanged on Wednesday. Then AAC Board of Directors met and formally extended the invitations on Thursday. Upon the official sign off this morning, Rice Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard released this statement:

“We have been working diligently to position Rice as an attractive candidate when the next round of conference realignment began. Today’s invitation to join the American Athletic Conference confirms our approach and aligns with our aspirations to offer an unparalleled experience for our students. The commitment to athletics by our university administration has been crucial for our efforts to move forward, and we’re grateful for their close partnership. We have strong alignment as we embark on the next chapter in the history of Rice Athletics.”

Ultimately, the timing of the move will at least partially be dependent on the dominoes that came before. Texas and Oklahoma will have to reach some sort of agreement with the Big 12 to move to the SEC sooner than 2025. Then the four new additions to the Big 12 would “free up” space in the AAC allowing these new six schools to slot in. The 2023 season has been thrown around as a possibility. It’s a bit messy, but the important part for the Owls is this: they’re in.

As previously reported, the Owls’ newfound conference will include these 14 teams, with two divisions most likely position as follows:

West: Rice, SMU, Tulsa, Tulane, Navy, North Texas, UTSA
East: USF, FAU, Temple, Memphis, UAB, Charlotte, ECU

Other than Navy, currently part of the AAC West because of a longstanding desire to have connections to Texas, the Owls’ furthest road trip would be to Tulsa, an eight-hour drive or an hour and a half flight. For reference, it’s an 11-hour drive from Houston to El Paso and a three-hour flight from Houston to Norfolk, Virginia, sites of current Conference USA opponents.

Podcast: Rice Athletics to the AAC, instant reaction

Regionally, this move is a no-brainer. Financially, Rice stands to more than double its television revenues, with the potential to drastically outpace its current numbers pending further renegotiations down the line. Altogether, this is a banner day for Rice Athletics.

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Olympian Ariana Ince, a fitting ambassador of Rice Athletics, on and off the field

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Ariana Ince will represent Rice Athletics and the State of Texas in the Tokyo Olympic Games, the culmination of many years of preparation.

A decade removed from her time as an undergraduate student at Rice University, the former Rice Athletics star Ariana Ince hasn’t forgotten her roots. Even though she’s since moved out west to California and works full time in the Golden State, she’s still very much connected to her time in Houston and her journey that began there so many years ago.

Now 32, Ince spends her days in the ergonomics industry. But that’s where the similarities between her and many of her classmates stop. Ince isn’t like every other young business professional. While others juggle commutes and deadlines, Ince has added another, much more expeditious projectile: the javelin. And she’s taken that passion as far as it can go, earning a spot to represent the United States in the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Her journey began at Rice in 2010 where she won Conference USA Championships in the pole vault. Then one day, during a workout at Herman Park, her focus began to shift. She’d stumbled upon a collection of apples near the bottom of a hill near the auditorium. In a bid to get out of the remainder of the workout, Ince made a bet with her coach that she could hit a chain fence at the top of the hill.

“I don’t remember how far away it was,” Ince recalled, “but it was car enough that [coach] thought I couldn’t do it.”

Ince grabbed an apple and let it fly. It sailed through the air, not only hitting the fence but going straight through it and exploding into a million pieces. And so the switch to javelin began. In the years that followed, she’s continued to hone her craft, spending time as a volunteer coach at Texas A&M and later training at the Olympic Training Center in California.

“Zoom doesn’t have a smell function,” she jokes as she relays the daily rigors of training in conjunction with the more normative challenges of the 9-to-5 life. Whether it’s dashing back and forth from the track to meetings without time to shower or the contrast of teaching others proper posture while contorting her own body to hurl a spear after hours, Ince has remained focused in the midst of it all.

Ince qualified for the Olympics based on her World Rankings score after placing fourth at the US Olympic Trials in late June. That comes months after the Games were delayed by COVID-19 and Ince, like many others, saw their professional athletic aspirations put on pause.

During the limbo, she continued working, spending time with a teammate in Colorado to train before returning to California. Months later, with a spot in the Games secure and a ticket punched to Tokyo, she can hardly process the magnitude. “I think probably I’ll feel a little bit incredulous,” she said, “that like, I actually did it.”

When she steps onto the field in Tokyo later this month, she’ll join Funmi Jimoh as the only two female Rice athletes to represent the United States at the Olympics. Ince says she knows Jimoh and the two have already joked about having meetings as the lone members of the exclusive club. The magnitude of that realization continues to loom large.

That connection, to Jimoh, to Rice and to her hometown of Gonzalez, Texas are things she’ll proudly bring with her on the journey. “Those ‘Come and Take It’ Flags,” she said with a grin, “We’re very proud of that.”

When the Olympic fanfare comes to an end, Ince has no plans to slow down. She’s already charted out a course of international competitions that span the next five years beyond Tokyo. The javelin is still very much in her future, just like it’s been a part of the present. And all the while, she’ll be helping others with their posture when the time comes to her “day job”.

“It makes me feel really balanced,” Ince says of her simultaneous pursuits of athletic and professional life, “I don’t have that same concern like ‘What do I do after sport?’ My whole thought process is life after sport is going to be so easy. All I have to do is go to work? Please, that’s going to be too easy.”

An observer of our zoom call to this point, current Rice Track and Field coach Jim Bevan chimes in with a brief, but a fitting review. “It’s such a treasure to listen to a Rice athlete being interviewed because they bring more to the page than just athletics,” he said. “I think it speaks well to Rice because we do truly feel we’re the home of the true student-athlete.”

Student. Check.

Athlete. Check.

At the risk of mixing metaphors, in so many ways, Ince has knocked both facets of her life out of the park. She admits she’ll probably have to find a new hobby when it does come time to hang up the cleats. But for now, she’s enjoying the ride. Now it’s onto Tokyo, and hopefully, a spot in the Finals.

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