Last week was one of the toughest weeks in Temple University history as we suddenly lost a remarkable woman, a dear friend and a selfless leader, Dr. JoAnne A. Epps on September 19. Her sudden passing has left a gaping hole in our community, but we will celebrate her life this week and persevere, as she would want and inspire us to be, and continue with the mission of our great University.

To honor President JoAnne A. Epps and her service to Temple University, Athletics will “reserve” a seat in the stands at all home sporting events that will have a jersey (Epps #1). A moment of silence was held before our Football game on Saturday against Miami and helmet decals with her initials, JAE, have been added to the helmets, black armbands with JAE have been distributed to teams, decals with her initials were added to the volleyball court in McGonigle Hall, and her initials were added to the soccer and Howarth surfaces at the Temple Sports Complex.

On Wednesday, September 20, the University held a vigil at the Bell Tower to reflect and remember the life and legacy of President Epps.

This week the University will hold a viewing at The Liacouras Center on Thursday (1-7 pm) and Friday (8-10 am) with a Celebration of Life service to follow at 10 am. If you are unable to attend the Celebration of Life in person, the stream can be accessed on Sept. 29 at president.temple.edu/services-epps.

President Epps served as a model of leadership and mentorship, with an unwavering belief that education is a powerful catalyst for positive social change. Her impact changed the lives of Temple students. To honor her, two scholarship funds have been established to provide financial assistance to Temple students who embody her spirit of pursuing accomplishment for the greater good. Click here to learn more/donate.

On September 21, our men’s and women’s basketball schedules were released by the American Athletic Conference, rounding out an already exciting non-conference slate for both teams. Coach Adam Fisher’s men’s team opens conference play at South Florida on Jan. 4 with the team’s home opener on Jan. 7 against Wichita State. Coach Diane Richardson’s women’s squad starts the conference season with a two-game home stand against new conference members UTSA (Dec. 30) and North Texas (Jan. 2).

Single-game tickets will go on sale Tuesday, October 3 at 10 a.m. by visiting OwlsTix.com. Full season ticket packages are still available by calling the Temple Ticket Sales Office at 215-204-8499 and include benefits such as exclusive access to a preseason party with the Temple players and coaches, a season ticket holder gift, and savings off single-game pricing. Information regarding partial season ticket packages (Weekend Plan) will be announced soon.

Last Saturday we celebrated our great Temple Athletics history with a halftime packed with some of Temple’s finest. For the second straight year we honored the anniversaries of Temple championship teams from all sports with over 50 former athletes from 13 championship teams on hand to take part in the celebration. Capping that off we recognized Temple Football great Joe Klecko, who became the first Owl player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this August. It truly was nice to see so many former Temple greats back to celebrate during the game.

Temple Football opens its American Athletic Conference schedule Thursday (Sept. 28) with a PrimeTime ESPN showdown (7:30 pm) against Tulsa. The game will be available on 97.5 The Fanatic.

Speaking of big days ahead, Homecoming & Family Weekend is quickly approaching and we are hosting the University of Texas at San Antonio at 2 PM on Saturday, October 7. Please click here to learn more about all the activities planned for the entire week leading up to the game.

Along with our Homecoming festivities, we will induct our newest members into the Temple Athletics Hall of Fame at halftime of the game. This is a special day and I look forward to welcoming this well-deserving group of individuals into the Hall!

The Hall of Fame Gala will be held at The Liacouras Center on Friday, October 7 from 5:30-8:00 pm. The event is open to the public. Click here to purchase a ticket.

Football split two games since the last update, defeating Norfolk State while falling to #20 Miami this past Saturday. The team opens AAC play on ESPN this Thursday at Tulsa (7:30 pm).

Field Hockey went 2-1 (1-1 BIG EAST) over the last two weeks, opening its conference slate with a 1-0 victory over UConn before falling at Old Dominion 1-0. The team entered the rankings for the second straight season, coming in at No. 19 on Sept. 19. This marked the first time that the Owls have cracked the top-20 since finishing the 2014 season ranked No. 16. The Cherry and White will continue league play this weekend, hosting No. 9 Liberty on Sept. 29 at 1 p.m.

After a week away from competition, Men’s Golf will travel to North Carolina next week to play in the Ironwood Collegiate Classic. The Owls have placed in the Top 5 in each of their first two tournaments of the fall season.

Women’s Volleyball earned its 10th win of the season (10-4), equaling its 2022 total. Over the last two weeks, the Owls are 4-2 with wins against Princeton, Saint Francis (PA), Sacred Heart, and FAU. At the Villanova Classic, Chelci Banks and Olivia Vance earned all-tournament honors with Banks tallying career highs in 11 kills and blocks (7) versus Saint Francis. Vance’s .600 hitting percentage against Sacred Heart ranks fifth all-time in school history. The Owls will look to earn win number 11 this Friday, Sept. 29 as they host Tulane.

Women’s Soccer posted a win over city rival Penn for the first time since 2006 last Sunday, defeating the Quakers, 2-1. The Owls are home again this Thursday against new AAC member Charlotte. The match kicks off our Pride Week of games.

Men’s Soccer has played in two AAC matches since the last newsletter, falling on the road to FIU in the conference opener and drawing with UAB, 2-2, at home Saturday. Next up is another new conference member, Charlotte, on the road this Friday.

Men’s and Women’s Cross Country returns to competition after three weeks off this Saturday at the Paul Short Run hosted by Lehigh.

Women’s Tennis kicked off its fall slate, staying in Philadelphia for the Penn Invite, the Temple Invite, and Cissie Leary Invitationals. Samantha Nanere led the team with five singles wins while Nanere and Jessie Zhen went 4-0 as a doubles pair. The Cherry and White will get a week off before heading to New York for ITA Regionals at Columbia.

Men’s Tennis also opened the fall 2023 season at the Penn Invite. In singles, Greg Varety went 2-1 while doubles pair Varety and Dante Russo went 2-1. The Owls will head to Tulsa this weekend for the ITA All-American Championship.

Special shoutout to our Athlete of the Week since our last edition of From The Nest. Football – Joquez Smith for OwlSports.com Athlete of the Week (9/11); Women’s Volleyball – Olivia Vance named OwlSports.com Athlete of the Week (9/18).

Congratulations to Senior Associate Athletics Director for Mental Health Dr. Stephany Coakley on being named to the American Athletic Conference Medical Advisory Committee. The Committee is comprised of four physicians, two athletic trainers, one mental health professional (Coakley), one nutritionist, one strength & conditioning coach, four student-athletes, one AD, one SWA and one FAR. Dr. Gregory Stewart of Tulane will serve as chair of the committee.

In just over a month the Temple Sports Complex will play host to the four-team BIG EAST Field Hockey Championships. The semifinals will be held on Friday, Nov. 3 with the Championship match taking place on Sunday, Nov. 5.

Our Owls are currently 6-3 overall and tied for third in the conference with a 1-1 record.

The official start to men’s and women’s basketball practice was this past Monday (Sept. 25).

Also, our Cherry and White Night will be Thursday, Oct. 26. Hold the Date as more details will follow.

Temple Talk with Stan Drayton, the popular hour-long football radio show on 97.5 FM the Fanatic is back for another year, but with a new location. Temple Fans can watch the show live on-campus at Maxi’s Pizza, Subs and Bar on Liacouras Walk. Click here for full release and schedule.

Reminder that ESPN+ is the home of Temple Athletics. Watch Temple athletics events via an ESPN+ subscription.

Please come out and continue to support all our Temple Athletics teams. Below is a link to our composite schedule.

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