TCU Sports Roundup: rifle school?, track and field school record, and more

Sure, Gary Patterson just showed off his recruiting prowess yet again, Dixon’s Frogs are on a five-game skid, and Schloss and the baseball team are a stone’s throw away; but what’s going on with the other teams that don the purple and white?

Here’s a quick update on how some of the lower-profile TCU squads are faring this season.

Women’s Basketball

Like the men’s team, TCU women’s basketball was shoved to the side before the 2019-2020 season ever began. After losing their top two scorers, the Frogs were listed at eighth in the Big 12 preseason poll.

Since then, head coach Raegan Pebley’s squad has popped off. After winning their first seven games, TCU entered Big 12 play at 9-2. A win against No. 25 Texas started off conference play on a strong note, and the Frogs haven’t looked back.

A few hours after Udoka Azubuike and Kansas handled TCU in Schollmaier Arena on Saturday, the Lady Frogs got revenge in Lawrence. TCU shook off an early deficit to dominate Kansas down the stretch, outrebounding the Jayhawks by nine and forcing 17 turnovers. Guard Lauren Heard led TCU to an 87-74 win with 23 points and two blocks.

TCU currently sits at 8-2 in conference place with sole possession of second place and a potential NCAA tournament berth in sight. This weekend, the Frogs have a dance with No. 2 Baylor in Waco.

Rifle

TCU’s most successful sport in recent years doesn’t play on a field or a court or even a track. It’s the Horned Frog Rifle team. The program won three national titles in the last decade, with the latest coming in 2019.

The Frogs, whose lone loss came in nail-biting fashion to No. 1 West Virginia, finished their regular season out on Saturday with a resounding 4,702-4,604 win over UTEP.

Ranked second in the country and hungry to defend their title, TCU will host the Patriot Rifle Conference Championships this weekend in preparation for the NCAA Championships, which come in mid-March.

Track and Field

This weekend, TCU Track and Field finished sixth in both the men’s and women’s team standings at the Charlie Thomas Invitational in College Station.

Freshman Sam Corley made TCU history with the program’s first-ever Heptathlon record, scoring 5034.

Derrick Mokaleng led the men’s team with a first place finish in the 400m race. The senior from South Africa clocked in at 46.35.

Also finishing first in the meet was Jill Johnson, who jumped 1.73m to win the women’s high jump.

Other Frogs set season-highs over the course of the weekend. Mariah Castillo finished second in the women’s mile with a season-best 4:43.89, while the TCU men’s 4x400 team did the same with a time of 3:08.24.

The Frogs will compete in the Texas Tech shootout this weekend to wrap up the regular season.

Other Highlights

Men’s Tennis ranks 11^th nationally, but they fell 6-0 to No. 1 North Carolina on Sunday. No. 7 Equestrian took down No. 9 Baylor in their spring opener last week. Women’s golf is currently opening their season at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic in Rio Grande, P.R.