Entering as the 20th-ranked team in the country, the Jackets marched into their first official games of the season at the Road 2 Tampa Bay Invitational. Tech showed great strength in their exhibition match against the Auburn Tigers, winning four of the five sets played. Looking to carry this momentum into Tampa, Tech matched up against a pair of opponents for the weekend: South Florida and Penn State. 

The South Florida (USF) Bulls, the host of the invite, were the Jacket’s first challenger. The first set saw an energized Bulls team rally behind their home crowd as they leaped out to a 14-9 lead early; however, Tech woke up fast and pushed a comeback to knot the set at 21-21 in the final stretch. The Jackets rallied to score four of the last six points and took the first set 25-23. 

The second set saw Tech return to the typical dominance the program accustomed itself to versus unranked opponents. The Jackets poured it on  a 13-point scoring spree in a 15-point stretch, putting them ahead 21-8. It was all but over in the last few points as Tech took the 2-0 lead in the match with a definitive 25-12 second set victory. The third set was simply a formality as Tech went on a 14-0 run and ran away with the match in a 25-13 third set. The Jackets grabbed their first win in a resounding sweep over the Bulls, moving Tech to 1-0 on the year.

The second of Tech’s opponents was tougher, as the Penn State Nittany Lions came into the match as the eighth-ranked team in the nation. Seeking their first ranked win of the season and 29th in program history, the Jackets played point for point with the Nittany Lions in the first set; however, the breaking point came with the game knotted at 18 when sophomore middle blocker Liv Mogridge got a kill that sparked a four-point run. The Jackets maintained the lead, emerging victorious in the first set 25-21. 

The second set saw an even exchange of runs from the two teams, but ultimately Penn State strung together two four-point surges that pushed the set out of reach for Tech at 24-18. The Nittany Lions took the second set 25-20, evening the match at 1-1. The third set, again, started with runs from both sides, but Tech put on a clinic in a five-point surge that put the set at 18-11 in the Jackets’ favor. From there, the team easily ran away with the third set in a 25-19 victory.

On the cusp of a massive ranked win, Tech looked to take the match in the fourth set with their 2-1 edge. The Jackets jumped out to an early 6-3 lead and never looked back. Advancing the lead on almost every serve, Tech cruised to a 25-16 fourth-set victory, gaining their first ranked win of the season and the third-highest-ranked win in program history. 

The two game invitational saw Tech’s veterans make the biggest impact as junior outside hitter Bianca Bertolino, senior outside hitter Tamara Otene and senior setter Isabella D’Amico owned the floor. Bertolino led the team in the USF match with 15 kills and a .448 hit percentage, while D’Amico tallied 28 assists. Otene led the way for the Penn State game with a double-double on 17 kills and 15 digs. Bertolino also had a double-double against the Nittany Lions on 10 kills and 14 digs, while D’Amico had 46 assists. 

The offense was heavily reliant on the veteran trio, and the three shined when it really mattered. However, the team is in need of depth if they are to make a serious run. New players need to step up, and Mogridge appears to be the player to watch. With the veterans playing at such a high level, the team looks to have no drop off from last year’s level of play. The Jackets now jump up to 11 in the national rankings and look to continue climbing after an undefeated start to the season. Tech travels to the 2022 Elite Eight finalist Ohio State for two games against the Buckeyes and looks to avenge the loss to them last year. 

The Jackets take to the football field for the first time in the 2023 season on Friday, Sept. 1st. 

Tech looks to start off on the right foot as they take on the Louisville Cardinals, who have become an annual opponent for Tech under the ACC’s new non-divisional structure, in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Jackets have made significant strides in the offseason, and the beginning of Head Coach Brent Key’s era appears promising. 

The offseason has featured a three-way quarterback battle with redshirt freshman Zach Pyron, redshirt sophomore transfer Haynes King and redshirt junior Zach Gibson all vying for the starting job. All three have their upsides as Pyron led a huge 28-27 comeback victory at Virginia Tech in his first career start last year, King transferred in from Texas A&M as a former four star recruit, and Gibson led the team last season to its most notable win in a tremendous upset at No. 13 North Carolina. 

Quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke is no stranger to developing sensational talent, and these three have progressed exceptionally well in his system this offseason. The question of who the starter is frequents Coach Key’s press conferences, but it took until Tuesday, Aug. 22 for him to officially announce his choice. In his first official game as a Jacket, King will lead the offense onto the field. King was named the starter in an incredibly competitive battle and has high expectations that come with this, but it is likely that fans will see all three quarterbacks get a drive at some point during the opener. 

Tech’s running back room also has substantial depth and will be exciting to watch with senior Dontae Smith, junior Trey Cooley, sophomore Jamie Felix and freshman Evan Dickens all getting reps in the spring game. Smith and Cooley appear to be the top two backs coming out of practices and will most likely take the most snaps against Louisville. 

At the wide-out position, Tech struggles a bit with depth, but the healthy players on the depth chart are encouraging as they continue to perform at a high level. 

Redshirt freshman DJ Moore, junior Christian Leary, redshirt junior Chase Lane, redshirt sophomore Malik Rutherford, junior Avery Boyd, redshirt junior Dominick Blaylock and redshirt junior Abdul Janneh all highlight a talented group of receivers that could power a great passing game this season. It is probable for viewers to see all these players on the field against the Cardinals. 

The offense was the highlight of the spring game in a 42-24 result, with both teams firing on all cylinders at times. Tech looks to continue this type of offensive performance going into the season. On the defensive side of the ball, the Jackets look to have one of the strongest secondaries in the country. Redshirt senior Myles Sims, junior LaMiles Brooks, redshirt junior Kenyatta Watson, sophomore Clayton Powell-Lee and redshirt junior KJ Wallace are the frontrunners for a sensational defensive back unit. This incredibly experienced group should be able to lock up and shut down any receiving core in the country. 

At linebacker, Tech has the biggest shoes to fill and junior Trenilyas Tatum and senior Andre White Jr. look to be the ones to step in. The pair had the best spring game on the field and appear to have a good knowledge of commanding a defense. The outcome of the game rides largely on the linebacker position. If Tech is to win, the linebackers must play a large part in it. 

Taking a look at Tech’s opponent, the Louisville Cardinals are coming off an 8-5 record last season and a bowl game win over Cincinnati. The Cardinals are rumored to be a dark horse candidate for the ACC Championship and have received a lot of hype this offseason. Their head coach, Jeff Brohm, will also be making his debut in this game. There is an interesting parallel between Brohm and Key, being that the two are both coaching for their alma maters. 

This game is high stakes as it will reveal a lot about the coming season for both teams. 

The Cardinals will also be experimenting with new quarterbacks on the field coming into the game as their longtime starter Malik Cunningham has moved to the NFL after starting for Louisville since 2018. Rumors stipulate that California transfer Jack Plummer will be the starter and see most of the snaps during the game. Plummer was alright at California, but he certainly has the talent to expose a defense.

Thankfully, Tech’s coverage team is strong and will most likely make Louisville rely on the run. 

The run game for Louisville lost significant depth in the offseason, especially with Trey Cooley transferring over to play for Tech, so fans can expect that Cooley will be highly motivated to take down his former teammates. Louisville will most likely start their best returning back in Jawhar Jordan. Jordan accounted for 815 yards last year on 142 touches. Tech’s defense will need to shut him down in order to have any chance in the game. 

Louisville comes into the game as an eight point favorite, which Key will likely use as motivation for the team. There is no reason to suspect that Louisville is better than Tech in this game, and it really could go either way. 

With a raucous, anticipative crowd there, Tech is likely to have the home field advantage, which could be just what propels the Jackets to an opening game victory for the first time since 2020 against Florida State.

Before the 2022 football season, Texas and Oklahoma announced their departure from the Big 12 Conference to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in July 2024. This move surprised most, as super conferences had largely been just talk up to that point. Texas and Oklahoma joined the Big 12 in 1996 and have greatly supported the conference in revenue ever since. With their departure, the Big 12 had to adapt quickly to sustain funds, so they added Brigham Young, Cincinnati, Central Florida and Houston to the league starting in
the 2023 season. 

Following the Texas and Oklahoma departure, actual conference realignment remained relatively quiet while fans frantically theorized about huge conferences of the current juggernauts. 

It appeared that Texas and Oklahoma were the only ones with eyes to make such a move until UCLA and USC made an announcement of their departure from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten. 

This move received a lot of scrutiny on the basis of geographical common sense as Texas and Oklahoma are relatively close to the other SEC schools, being in the south themselves. 

However, all the Big Ten teams are located in the midwest or near there. USC and UCLA are both on the West Coast and in a completely different time zone, so their joining of the Big Ten alarmed most for the future of college sports as the move was clearly only for financial benefit. 

Unfortunately, USC and UCLA’s move inspired others of the west coast to realign as well. Washington and Oregon then announced their moving to the Big Ten from the Pac-12, putting four west coast teams into a league full of midwest opponents. However, the Pac-12 was now without their top four revenue generating teams and had no action plan to combat this. With no signs of action from the Pac-12, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah jumped ship for the Big 12, leaving just four teams in the Pac-12. 

All this movement now leaves the Big 12 with 16 teams, the SEC with 16, the Big Ten with 18, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with 15 and the Pac-12 with four. However, these numbers are still subject to change as rumors emerge of teams departing their respective conferences. The president of Florida State made a threat to leave the ACC due to not receiving enough revenue from the conference for how much the school brings to it. This threat scared most fans, as Florida State would never leave the ACC without other teams leaving alongside them.  Clemson, North Carolina and Miami are estimated to be the other primary targets for
conferences to acquire. 

With conferences becoming far larger than before, quantitatively and geographically, the future of college sports comes into question. College sports have always been about the money, but on a far more discrete level than they are becoming. Football is the biggest fund generator for all schools, and most realignments have been made with that in mind. However, if these moves fail, it could mean the end of some non-revenue programs at schools. For example, with Oregon’s move to the Big Ten, the Oregon athletic department has to fly their softball, volleyball and track teams to the Midwest almost weekly. 

This is a cost that will surely add up on the program, and if their revenue generation for the Big Ten is not enough, the school could lose money. 

A lot of these programs are at risk in the eyes of fans, especially the fans of schools that did not make the big moves. Former President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice have even gotten involved, lobbying for Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Stanford to join the ACC. Stanford and SMU are both on the outskirts of these big moves, and without a move to a major conference, the schools are in danger of losing large portions of their athletic departments. 

The ACC originally voted not to accept the pair to the conference, but since the former President and Secretary of State’s involvement, a re-vote has been called. 

With some of the highest revenue-generating teams of the ACC threatening to leave, Tech is in danger of needing to adjust. Head football coach Brent Key expressed that he was “worried about Georgia Tech and the ACC,” when asked about it in a press conference. 

Many Tech fans share Key’s sentiment, as the program is not in the best position to make a bid for one of the new super conferences. It is in Tech’s best interest that the ACC remain intact and not succumb to the major changes going on outside of the conference. 

Despite all this, one thing is sure: conference realignment is here, and it is not going anywhere. 

Chris Eubanks left Tech in 2017 as a two-time ACC Player of the Year and All-American. The Atlanta native made his professional debut soon after in the 2017 BB&T Atlanta Open, where he reached the quarterfinals through victories over Taylor Fritz, a player who was ranked fifth in the world in February 2023, along with
Jared Donaldson. 

From this performance, Eubanks received his first bid to a Grand Slam event: the US Open as a wildcard. 

Although he would fall in the first round event, Eubanks’ performance made a statement that he could compete with anybody on the big stage. 

Eubanks spent the following six years making various appearances in tournaments but was unable to make a big run to solidify himself among the elite. 

It was at the 2023 Mallorca Championships that Eubanks got his run. After a sensational performance that ended in the quarterfinals at the 2023 Miami Open, Eubanks came into the Mallorca Championships as a top 100 singles player for the first time in his career. 

Eubanks knocked off everyone who  stepped on the court against him as he went on to win his first Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Championship. This win boosted Eubanks’ confidence going into Wimbledon, a tournament he had been working to qualify for since 2018.

Eubanks then stepped into Wimbledon this year as the 43rd-ranked player in the world, his highest ranking so far, and was up against the world’s best. 

With much to prove and a dream at stake, Eubanks took down Thiago Montero in the first round in a four-set match. Montero had no answer for his  opening serve as Eubanks dropped 28 aces compared to Montero’s 10. The second round was a new match but a similar story. 

Eubanks took down 12th-ranked Cameron Norrie in four sets where he had 21 aces to Norrie’s 8. Moving into the third round, players were yet to have an answer for Eubanks’ quick serve, and he was beginning to attract attention with an underdog storyline. 

In a three-set nailbiter of a sweep, Eubanks would take down Christopher O’Connell in a match where every set went to a tiebreaker. 

Eubanks had the edge in the match as O’Connell, much like everyone else, had no answer for his quick serve as the ace advantage was 23 for Eubanks and just 5 for O’Connell. 

Eubanks was now living his long-standing dream as he was in the Round of 16 and was the last American competing in the entire tournament. The nation and the world’s eyes were now watching and rooting for him as he took on the famed Stefanos Tsitsipas, the fifth-ranked player in the world. Tsitsipas dominated Eubanks in the first set of the game, toppling him 6-3. 

Eubanks appeared to be out of his league as Tsitsipas became the first player in the tournament to answer his serves. 

However, Eubanks stormed back in the second set, taking it in a tiebreaker. Tsitsipas took the third set 6-3, but Eubanks made an in-match adjustment in the fourth set in a way that stumped Tsitsipas. 

He outsized Tsitsipas by three inches and had a wingspan that could shorten the
court for him in comparison. 

Thus, Eubanks changed his strategy and began moving up to the front half of the court to challenge Tsitsipas to either play over or past him. 

Point after point went to Eubanks, and Tsitsipas had no answer as Eubanks took the fourth set 6-4 and forced a fifth set to determine who would move to the quarterfinal. 

Tsitsipas could not contest his opponent’s fourth set adjustment as Eubanks took the final set 6-4, moving him to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in his first-ever appearance. 

Eubanks had pulled off his first win over a top-five international player and was looking to pull it off again as third-ranked Daniil Medvedev awaited him in the quarterfinals. With a shot at the semifinals of Wimbledon on the line, Eubanks had the entire country on his side. The first set went to Medvedev 6-4, but the second set
saw Eubanks dominate. 

He hit ace after ace and could not stop. Fueled by a dream, Eubanks took the second set 6-1 and carried over into the third set, taking it 6-4. 

Thus, he went into the fourth set with the upper hand and a shot at the semifinals. 

Eubanks and Medvedev exchanged game after game and remained gridlocked. 

Entering a tiebreaker, the pair clearly wanted this for themselves. Medvedev, however, was able to pull away in the tiebreaker 7-4 and forced a fifth set. 

After that, Eubanks appeared to be tiring and could not battle back as Medvedev dominated the fifth set and ended Eubanks’ run on a 6-1 final set. 

Chris Eubanks journeyed to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in his first appearance and kept pace with the best players in the world. 

He has since reached a ranking as high as 29th in the world and continues to
compete in tournaments. 

Eubanks’ run was something of a dream and truly pushes the classic moniker of
Tech: “We can do that.”

Being a “Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech” is much more than just going to sleep, class and repeat. It is all about expressing school spirit and bleeding white and gold, and there is no better way to do this than to cheer on the Jackets athletic teams as they take on schools from around the country. Tech is home to 14 Division I programs that represent the Jackets in the Atlantic Coast Conference. With some of the most storied programs in the country, Tech has a rich history of traditions and success in sports.

A lot revolves around the football team in the fall where the Jackets play in Bobby-Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field, the longest-used on-campus stadium in the country. Tech has a new coach at the helm this season: Brent Key. Key is an alumnus of Tech, and his love and passion for the school bring a new fire to the team. Key served as the interim head coach for eight games last season, where the team beat two ranked teams on the road for the first time since 2005. With big wins like that, there are high expectations for this coming season, and the team looks to be in for an exciting ride. They open their season on Friday, September 1st against the Louisville Cardinals in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Downtown Atlanta. 

Aside from football, the volleyball team also competes in the fall. Playing in O’Keefe Gymnasium, Michelle Collier leads the volleyball team for her tenth season. The Jackets have been quite successful recently, with three straight NCAA tournament appearances and an Elite Eight finish in 2021. The team is full of veterans this season, and with a schedule that hosts three of last year’s Final Four teams in Atlanta, the Jackets look to have a big year. 

Basketball heats up in the latter parts of the fall semester and goes into the spring as the teams host their games in McCamish Pavilion. The men’s team this year will see Damon Stoudamire take the reins for his inaugural season. Tech returns the top talent from the previous year and has brought in a lot of new talent as well, providing several reasons to be excited about basketball season. The men pulled some stellar upsets last season, toppling Miami, a final-four team, in Atlanta. 

Olympic gold-medal-winning coach Nell Forter leads the women’s team and has built up the program to a great stature. The women have beat some of the nation’s most storied programs in the past two years: Connecticut in 2021 and North Carolina State in 2022. The Jackets have been a consistently ranked program and look to return to that point this year. 

The spring sees the most sports come to fruition with baseball, softball, golf, tennis, track and field and swim and dive all competing at once. The baseball team has been Tech’s pride in the past few years as Head Coach Danny Hall continues to keep the program competing at a high level in Russ Chandler Stadium. The Jackets have been a consistent top-25 team and frequently compete for the annual ACC Championship. The Jackets return top talent this year and welcome a new pitching coach, inspiring many to believe it will be a stellar year for the team. 

Softball plays on Mewborn Field under the direction of Aileen Morales. The Jackets have made great strides in recent years and are returning to the national stage as a team. The pitching for this team has been stellar in recent years, and this season should be no different with a majority of the starters returning. The challenge arises in the Jackets’ schedule as the ACC is one of the most competitive conferences in the country in softball, with top teams like Florida State and Duke coming to call every year. 

Golf just had their best year ever as they won their 19th ACC Championship, tied for the most of any school in the conference, and a Salem Regional Championship all on their way to the National Championship match. The Jackets fell just short against Florida as they finished as NCAA runner-ups for the fifth time in program history. Golf has been a dynasty in recent years and is showing no signs of falling off as they go into the year looking to finally claim a national crown. 

Tennis has seen some of the most exciting stories in recent years, with Carol Lee of the women’s team getting to the quarter-finals of the NCAA singles tournament, along with  Andres Martin and Marcus McDaniel of the men’s team making it  to the semifinals of the NCAA doubles tournament. Look for these three seniors to have amazing seasons this year and lead their respective teams to a great year. 

Track and Field and Swim and Dive both had national qualifiers who all return to the teams this season, looking to continue their successes. On top of these sports, Tech also has club sports that compete against other schools, such as soccer, lacrosse and men’s volleyball. The teams play at the Campus Recreation Center and provide a fun atmosphere for any casual player to enjoy the sport. 

Tech sports have long stood as a storied part of the school’s history, and they continue to add and bolster to the Tech brand year after year. Welcome to the Institute new Jackets, and make sure to show your school pride at all the athletic events you can!

After a rough three-week stretch consisting of back-to-back series against the ACC’s top three teams, Tech softball made a trip to Macon, Ga. to take on the Mercer Bears in a Tuesday night clash and then returned to Mewborn Field for an ACC series against Boston College for the weekend. 

The team looked to rebound from a three-game streak of losses, all to No. 7 Florida State the previous weekend, as they stepped up to the plate against Mercer. From the get-go, Tech showed they were not there to mess around as the Jackets smacked home three runs in the first inning and proceeded to knock another two home in the second, putting them up 5-0 early. 

Mercer had no answer for Tech’s bats as another run came home in the third to give the Jackets a 6-0 edge; however, the Bears found a bit of ground in the bottom of the third as they found three runs of their own to edge the game to 6-3. Tech responded with their own three runs to put the game to 9-3 at the end of the fourth inning. 

Senior pitcher Chandler Dennis refused to allow another run the rest of the way as she pitched her fourth complete game of the season and held Mercer to just three points while having eight strikeouts, tying her season best. The seventh inning ended with a resounding 11-3 victory for the Jackets, a win that would set the tone for the weekend series to come. 

The Jackets were sitting at 2-10 in ACC play coming into the weekend against Boston College looking to turn things around as they stared down the barrel of a double-header on Friday, April 7. Tech took the first game 5-1 behind a furious effort by senior pitcher Blake Neleman. Neleman dealt nine strikeouts and allowed just one hit as she owned the mound the whole game. 

The second game of the day did not prove as successful as the Eagles rallied late to take the game 4-3. The Jackets jumped out to a 3-1 lead entering the sixth inning where BC would find a rally cry. The Eagles found three runs to go ahead 4-3 and stifled Tech the rest of the way to even the series. 

In sight of a second ACC series win, the Jackets would not be denied in the third game of the weekend. The scoring got started early and often for Tech as junior right fielder Sara Beth Allen launched a three run shot into the atmosphere in the first inning to get the day started. Allen currently leads the team with nine home runs this season. Behind solid batting, Tech found themselves up 6-0 after two innings and never looked back. The Eagles attempted a comeback in the top of the third with a two-run homer that was succeeded by a quiet couple of innings. Tech’s bats came back alive in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Eagles walked a pair of Jackets. Junior third baseman Mallorie Black then stepped to the plate to dish a double that brought the pair home for an 8-2 lead. Tech was not done just yet though as junior first baseman Abby Hughes finished the game on a double that sent two Jackets home to secure Tech’s first ACC mercy rule victory of the season in a 10-2 triumph over Boston College. Tech grabbed just its second ACC series of the season with this win and pushed their ACC record to 4-11 and overall record to 20-19. The Jackets are back in action again this week as they travel to Pittsburgh for another ACC series and hopefully another series victory. 

Tech softball took to the mound four times in the past week, first on Tuesday, March 28 for an in-state square off against Kennesaw State and then for a weekend series against the seventh best team in the country: Florida State. The Jackets traveled to Kennesaw to take on the Owls for a midweek battle where the team secured its fourth mercy-rule victory of the year: 8-0 in the sixth inning. 

The team came into the game riding a rough sweep of losses from battling No. 5 Clemson the week prior, so a bounceback win was important. Senior center Emma Kauf led the way for Tech as she went 3-4 from the plate, including two doubles and four RBIs. Kauf also advanced up in the Tech record books as she took another step closer to becoming the Tech all-time leader for career doubles. She stood tied for fifth with 44 doubles all time after this game. 

Senior pitcher Blake Neleman also went off, pitching the whole game and successfully securing a shutout. She only allowed two hits and joined the 100 strikeouts club for the season, putting forward seven strikeouts in the game and bringing her season total to 101 KOs. 

The Jackets’ successful night from the field thrust them into a big weekend series in Tallahassee, Fla. as the team readied for a big face off with the No. 7 Florida State Seminoles. Looking to knock off one of the best teams in the ACC and find some rhythm in conference play, the team tried their best, but fell just short with a 6-4 loss in the end. In a game that sat with Florida State up 2-0 until the fifth inning, the Jackets found some fight off a three-run bomb from junior slugger Sara Beth Allen. This was Allen’s eighth home run of the season, which leads the team. Tech ran one more home in the inning and held a short but sweet 4-2 lead going into the bottom half of the fifth inning. Florida State responded to the Jackets’ attack and hit home two runs in the next pair of innings, sealing the game at 6-4 in favor of the Seminoles.

The Jackets scared Florida State on their own field and the Seminoles responded to this by not allowing Tech to see the seventh and final inning for the rest of the series. Saturday saw an 8-0 game called in the fifth inning. Sophomore second baseman Grace Connelly was the only player to get a hit on the day as Tech could not find much going from the plate or the mound. The next day proved a similar result as Tech was run-ruled in the sixth inning by a score of 9-1. The Jackets showed fight at the start with an RBI in the top of the second that made the score 2-1. Florida State quickly responded to this though with a three-run bottom of the second performance that put them at a comfortable 5-1 lead. They added on some more runs and finalized the game in the sixth with a shot off the back wall of the stadium that gave them the 9-1 mercy rule edge. 

Tech continues to struggle in ACC play, pushing to a 2-10 record; however, this could be expected with back-to-back-to-back series against Virginia Tech, Clemson and Florida State: the three top teams in the ACC. The team holds a 17-18 overall record and looks to add to the win column this coming week. The Jackets return to Mewborn Field on April 7 at 6 p.m. after a long hiatus for a series with Boston College. The Eagles are a competitive group, but if the Jackets get the bats hot and the pitching going, they should have no problem.

Tech softball played host to four teams this previous week: University of Georgia, Northern Iowa, Southern Mississippi, and Brown. In-state rival UGA came to Mewborn on Tuesday, Feb. 28 for the annual Clean, Old Fashioned Hate matchup, which Tech dominated 12-3 last year, mercy ruling the Bulldogs in five innings. However, the story was flipped this year as the Jackets never could find their footing in the game. 

The No. 18 Bulldogs were the favorite coming into the game and Tech played stubborn early, solidifying a scoreless first inning between the two teams. UGA found contact in the top of the second though, as they scored five runs on a pair of RBI-doubles and a ground-out run to put the game at 5-0. 

Tech was unable to respond in the following frame and a quiet third inning preluded more UGA runs as the Bulldogs brought home another two in the top of the fourth, making it 7-0. Tech, again, could not find any consistent batting and it led to UGA running in another in the top of the sixth followed by another scoreless inning for the Jackets, which ended the game in the sixth inning at 8-0. 

The Jackets took the rest of the week to regroup before hosting the annual I-75 Tournament, slotting the team against Northern Iowa, Southern Mississippi, and Brown throughout the weekend. Friday, March 3 brought the Northern Iowa Panthers to town and Tech made quick work of them. After a scoreless first inning, the Jackets found their stride as sophomore second baseman Grace Connelly hit her first career grand slam in a five run second frame. The Jackets did not let off from there as they closed in on a mercy rule with four runs on four consecutive at-bats in the third inning to make it 9-0. The team added three in the fourth to make it 12-0. Northern Iowa would add on two runs in the fifth, but it was over by then and the game was called at 12-2 in the fifth, securing a great bounce back win for the Jackets. 

The team moved on to a tougher opponent in Southern Mississippi on Saturday. Tech needed all the pitching help they could get as the game itched on. The first three innings went scoreless, but Connelly found home plate in the bottom of the fourth for the Jackets, securing a 1-0 lead and what would be the go-ahead score in a game which only saw seven hits between the two schools: six being by Tech. Senior pitcher Blake Neleman took it from there as she pitched the last three innings, allowing no runs and only one hit as Tech took the game 1-0 over the Golden Eagles. 

Tech moved on to their final matchup of the weekend, looking to remain undefeated in their tournament and defend home field against the Brown Bears. For the first time all week, Tech scored in the first inning as junior right fielder Sara Beth Allen launched a ball over the left field foul pole to give Tech a 1-0 edge off the bat. Senior pitcher Chandler Dennis continued her amazing work from the bump as she threw four strikeouts and held Brown scoreless in five innings of her pitching. Dennis kept the score 1-0 for Tech until the sixth inning when the Jackets batting started heating up. Junior shortstop Jin Sileo batted in two runs on a single and Connelly came shortly after to get a three-RBI which put Tech up 6-0 going into the seventh and final inning. Tech emerged victorious by the same score, cementing an undefeated weekend in the I-75 Tournament. 

The Jackets climbed their way to a 11-8 record this week and now will travel to Virginia for their first ACC series of the year. 

Tech swim and dive traveled to Greensboro, N.C. for the ACC Championships and emerged with two podium finishers. The Jackets came into the meet having won most of their dual meets and were looking to be competitive in a conference full of stars. The first day opened with Tech placing in the latter half of competition in the four events hosted that day: men’s 1M, women’s 3M, 200 medley relay and 800 free relay. Dive missed on scoring team points as sophomore Luke Dotson placed 25th in the 1M dives while senior Carmen Woodruff and junior Anna Bradescu placed 25th and 26th respectively in the 3M dives. 

However, Tech found points in both of the relay events as the men’s 200 medley finished 10th while the women came in at 11th. The 800 free brought the women an eighth place finish and the men with ninth to finish off the first day of competition. The Jacket men and women sat at 10th and 11th at the end of the first day and looked to climb higher the next day. 

The second day brought some big wins for Tech as the Jackets competed in the 500 free, 200 individual medley (IM), 50 free, women’s 1M and 200 free relay. The day began well as breakout freshman Deniz Ertan became an ACC Champion in the women’s 500 free, breaking her own school record twice: once in the preliminaries and then again by two seconds in the finals. She is just the third women’s ACC Champion in Tech history and achieved so as a freshman. The podium placements continued as junior Batur Ünlü took home the silver medal in the men’s 500 free. Ünlü is the first All-ACC honoree for Tech since 2005 and also broke his own personal record at the meet. In the 200 IM, junior Rei Kuramoto broke the school record with a time of 1:59.36, advancing herself to the final. 

Sophomore Berke Saka and freshman Nils Bognar also placed first and third in the men’s 200 IM B final while freshman Anna Hadjiloizou was the only swimmer to advance to the finals of the 50 free where she finished with a 22.78 time in the C final. Both of Tech’s divers scored on the second day as Bradescu and Woodruff placed 12th and 24th in the women’s 1M. The day finished with the Tech men at ninth and the women at 11th. The third day saw Tech compete in the 400 IM, 100 Fly, 200 Free and Men’s 3M Event. Ünlü once took home another silver medal; this time in the 200 free and became the first Tech swimmer since 2009 to be All-ACC in the event. The day was not as strong team wise for Tech, but six Jackets qualified for finals events and freshman Elijah Klier scored points for the Jackets with his 19th place finish in the men’s 3M diving. 

The day closed with the men holding steady at ninth and the women advancing up to tenth. The fourth day was the best team effort all meet with 14 Jackets qualifying for finals in their events which were the 200 Fly, 100 Back, 100 Breast and Women’s Platform. 

The outstanding performance of the day came from Saka who placed fourth overall in the men’s 100 back with a time of 45.70. Bradescu also delivered the best diving performance of the weekend for the Jackets with a fourth place finish in the women’s platform event, scoring 295.50. Tech proceeded to record the second best time in school history in the women’s 400 medley at 3:37.77. The day capped with the men holding their ninth place spot and the women leaping up to ninth. The fifth and final day of competition saw more podium finishes for the Jackets. Ertan finished at the top of the podium in the women’s 1650 free, making her the first female multi-champion in Tech history. Sophomore Mert Kilavuz took silver in the men’s 1650 free, placing for the second year in a row. 

The meet rounded out with the Jackets having 35 athletes qualify for finals in their respective events while both teams rounded out at ninth place. The Jackets will be heading to the NCAA Championship in Knoxville, Tenn. at the beginning of March.

Super Bowl LVII saw the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles come to Glendale, Ariz. for the ultimate crown: a national championship. The Eagles, just five years removed from their last Super Bowl win, were riding a huge 14-3 season behind the arm of star quarterback Jalen Hurts and entered the playoffs as the number one seed in the NFC. The Chiefs, coming off a Super Bowl Championship just three years ago, came in having been the NFL’s premier program as of late and entered with a 14-3 record as the number one seed in the AFC. The Super Bowl was set to be a classic as the two heavy weights of the season collided, and it indeed gave viewers what they anticipated. 

The opening kickoff went to the Eagles and Hurts would trot on the field to then easily lead his team 75 yards in 11 plays for an opening touchdown. The Eagles moved the ball fairly easily and it raised a cause for concern among Chiefs fans of whether or not they could stop this high-powered Eagles attack. The key matchup coming into the night however was the Eagles defense versus the Chiefs offense and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. 

The Chiefs made easy work of the first glimpse of this matchup as Mahomes had two big completions to veteran tight end Travis Kelce on a six play drive that ended in the endzone, knotting the game at 7-7. The Eagles stalled and the Chiefs once again had no problem moving right down the field until the Eagles got bailed out by Mahomes missing an easy pass. Tech alum and Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker trotted onto the field for his first attempt of the game which he doinked off the left upright. Philadelphia turned around and took full advantage of the defensive stop, moving the ball 68 yards in five plays for a huge score that came off of a 48-yard bomb to wideout A.J. Brown. The Eagles then forced the Chiefs to go three and out, but on the ensuing possession Hurts coughed up the ball at the 44-yard line where Kansas City linebacker Nick Bolton scooped it up and took it all the way home to tie the game at 14. Hurts came back on the field to conduct a masterful 12 play, 75-yard, seven minute drive that resulted in the Eagles retaking the lead 21-14. Philly forced another Kansas City punt and proceeded to cash in a field goal right before the break, putting them up 24-14 as Rihanna prepared to take the stage for halftime. The Eagles’ game plan could not have been going any better as they were significantly dominating the time of possession thus limiting the amount of the Chiefs’ possessions — possessions in which they were forced to punt. The second half told a different story though as the Chiefs would score on every possession they had. Mahomes came out of the locker room and took the Chiefs down the field in 10 plays to pull within three at 24-21 Eagles. The Eagles then tied for the longest drive in Super Bowl history, going 17 plays in just under eight minutes, but they only cashed in a field goal, putting the game at 27-21.

Mahomes took the Chiefs down the field again to put the Chiefs up for the first time all game: 28-27. The Eagles proceeded to stall and receiver Kadarius Toney took the ensuing punt all the way down to the Philadelphia five-yard line on the longest punt return in Super Bowl history. The Chiefs had an easy time from there as Mahomes found receiver Skyy Moore for the 35-27 push ahead. For the Eagles, it was do or die now. 

They got what they needed in large thanks to a 45-yard dime to receiver Devonta Smith that put them down at the goal line. From there Hurts did it himself, rushing in for the score and then doing it all on his own again as he trotted in for the two-point conversion to knot the game at 35 with just over five minutes to go. 

The Chiefs then mounted one of those drives that causes fans everywhere to bite their nails. They slowly and methodically took the ball all the way down to the Philadelphia 15-yard line. With just under two minutes to go and the Eagles with just one timeout remaining, the Chiefs were faced with a 3rd & 8 that would determine if the Eagles would have a chance at another possession. 

Mahomes took the snap and fired to the left where no receiver was; however, a flag came flying in. In a questionable call, the officials gave the Chiefs a new set of downs off of a defensive holding that was not blatant in the slightest. Regardless, the game went on and Kansas City took the clock down to the lowest they could and it was all on Tech grad Butker. 

Butker trotted out and sent the 27-yarder straight down the middle, giving the Chiefs a 38-35 edge with just eight seconds to go. There was no miracle to be had in Glendale and the red, yellow and white confetti shot from the cannons, ringing in the Chiefs’ second Super Bowl in just four seasons. 113 million people tuned in to watch the Chiefs win. 

This game has been considered an all-time classic by viewers, but the win is facing scrutiny due to the questionable defensive holding call that came in the most crucial part of the game. NFL officiating has been long scrutinized, but for it to shine in the big game was disappointing to fans. The FOX broadcast announcers of the game even expressed their frustrations with the call. 

Despite this, Super Bowl LVII belongs to the Kansas City Chiefs, the AFC West and Tech alumnus Harrison Butker who proved to be an incredibly important piece in the world’s most watched game.