By Foster Nicholas | Sports Editor
From the turf to the court, Baylor Athletics is back in the swing of things with three season openers placed firmly in the rearview mirror. With all eyes on Baylor football’s 45-3 win over Tarleton State at McLane Stadium, here is everything else you may have missed.
Baylor football topples Tarleton State in season opener, 45-3
Making his first start in the green and gold, sixth-year senior quarterback Dequan Finn led the Bears (1-0) to defeat Tarleton State, 45-3. Finn threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another.
The win marked the 10-year anniversary of McLane Stadium’s opening game, when the Bears defeated SMU in a 45-0 win on Aug. 31, 2014. The 45-3 win over Tarleton marked the fewest amount of points Baylor has given up at home since that 2014 battle against SMU.
With No. 11 Utah next up on the schedule, the Bears will travel to Salt Lake City in hopes of knocking off a ranked opponent for the first time since 2021. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Rice-Eccles Stadium, with the game being broadcast on FOX.
Baylor volleyball records three sweeps in Baylor Classic
The Bears (3-0) swept the annual Baylor Classic in swift fashion, with 3-0 wins against Abilene Christian (1-2), Tulsa (2-1) and Campbell (0-3) over the weekend. During the homestand, junior opposite hitter Allie Sczech recorded her 500th career kill.
Baylor players took home all the hardware at the event, with senior libero Lauren Briseño winning the Top Libero/DS, graduate setter Jackie Barrett Frazier taking home Top Setter, and sophomore outside hitter Kendal Murphy selected as MVP.
The green and gold continue the 2024 season hosting the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge on Friday and Saturday with TCU (1-1), No. 18 Minnesota (1-1) and No. 3 Wisconsin (0-3) heading to Waco.
Baylor soccer beats Texas A&M for the first time since 2000
An 85th-minute goal from junior forward Tyler Isgrig allowed Baylor (4-1) to break a 15-game winless streak against the Aggies (2-2) on Friday. With the 1-0 win, the Bears are off to their best start to a season since they went 4-0-1 in the first five games in 2017.
The green and gold used an airtight defense to block the Aggies from all but one shot on goal. The shut extended junior goalkeeper Azul Alvarez’s shutout streak to over 400 minutes.
Baylor soccer will head out on the road for a pair of matchups: first against SMU (4-1) Thursday in Dallas, then to Iowa City, Iowa to clash with the No. 22 Hawkeyes (3-0-2) on Sunday.
Baylor cross country opens season at UIW Twilight
The Bears opened the fall slate Friday at UIW Twilight in San Antonio, where the women recorded a fourth place finish and the men came in sixth out of seven programs. The women were led by graduate student Jackie Addy, who recorded a career-best finish of eight place finish and time of 14:35.6 in the 4K.
The men’s team was led by sophomore Nolan Keenan, a native of San Antonio, who finished in 19th, recording a personal best 6K time of 18:46.
Cross country will return to action on Friday, Sept. 13 at the Texas A&M Invite in College Station.
