Winter and spring athletes have been hard at work preparing for their upcoming seasons. Despite many matches being canceled or postponed due to COVID-19 safety concerns, Occidental’s Tigers have stayed fired up and ready to compete.
The Occidental women’s basketball team came out of a three-game losing streak Feb. 5, with a thrilling win in overtime against CalTech. Their current standing is 9-12 wins to losses with four games to go, but sophomore Toni Thompson’s sky-high average of 20.9 points per game has the Tigers optimistic for a good end to the season. Catch the women’s final home games Feb. 9 and 19. The women’s team’s Senior Day, when they will celebrate this year’s graduating athletes, is also Feb. 19.
The Occidental men’s basketball team started its season in November and is now headed into the last month of games. The team played against the University of Redlands Feb. 7, and lost 80-59, resulting in the team’s current standing of 10-11 wins to losses. For those looking to support them in the last games of their season, the men’s team has two final home games coming up Feb. 16 and 19.
The baseball team started its season strong on Jan. 29 with a 9-5 win against Biola University. According to the game recap, senior Antonio Andrade put the Tigers in the lead with a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning. The team has an upcoming weekend of home games Feb. 12–13 where they will face off against George Fox University.
Both men’s and women’s swim and dive teams begin their SCIAC journey this coming weekend Feb. 12 at Cal Lutheran University. Both teams are looking to advance to the NCAA Regionals and DIII NCAA Championships coming in March. Recently the teams had their final Senior Day home meet against Whittier, where they pulled through with an 89-point win.
Also in the pool this semester is the women’s water polo team. Although the team had a slow start to the season, losing both of their first games, they have a chance to turn the tide at the upcoming Macalester Invitational, Feb. 19–20. The team will be back in the Occidental pool for a series of home games from March 2–5 where they will play a handful of other schools during the Convergence Tournament.
The men’s and women’s track and field teams began practicing early this semester to prepare for the annual alumni meet that was scheduled to take place Jan. 22. Due to COVID-19 safety issues the meet was canceled and it is unclear if it will be rescheduled at this time. Both teams are set to kick off their seasons on home turf at the Oxy/Pomona-Pitzer Dual Meet Feb. 12.
The women’s tennis team had its first match Feb. 2, but lost 7-2. According to the game recap, after the match, the team’s new head coach Tim Gray said he was really happy with how hard the team fought given the how difficult the last semesters had been for student-athletes.
Meanwhile, the men’s tennis team had its first match on Feb. 5 where they took the win over Hope International with a 7-0 sweep. As this group of athletes gets their season going, look for the women’s next home game Feb. 25, and the men’s next home game March 3.
To stay updated on this semester’s sports events and stats, follow along on the Occidental athletics website or follow @oxyathletics on Instagram.
