As we head to the final weeks of the fall season, let's look at what's on the line for the fall teams in this pivotal time of year.

Football
Regional rankings have the Bears at No. 5 with the top seven making the NCAA Playoffs. Before playoff time, the Bears can clinch some hardware on Saturday. A win over Catawba would earn the Bears the Piedmont Division Title and a spot in the SAC Championship Game on Nov. 11. The Bears could also clinch with a loss by Limestone. The Mountain Division will also be settled on Saturday as the winner of the Tusculum/Mars Hill game will be on the other side of the SAC Championships. With wins over Catawba and in the SAC Championship, the Bears will lock up a spot in the NCAA Playoffs.

Women's Soccer
For the second year in a row, the SAC Regular Season title will be decided in the regular season finale with LR and Catawba squaring off. Last season, the Bears protected their home pitch and clinched the league crown. A win or tie on Wednesday at Catawba would give LR nine regular season titles in a 13 year span. The second round of regional rankings will come out on Wednesday before the LR/Catawba match and will most definitely feature the two programs at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots. The Southeast Region of the NCAA Tournament will be an eight-team field with the 1 and 2 seeds serving as hosts. The Bears will first turn their sights to the SAC Tournament which starts on the weekend. LR will host a SAC Quarterfinal match before the tournament moves to Matthews, N.C. for the semis and championship.

Men's Soccer
Riding a hot streak since the calendar flipped to October, the Bears are 4-0-2 in their last six contests. The hot streak sets the stage for a crucial regular season finale at 5 pm on Wednesday at Catawba. The two teams are playing for an all-important home game in the SAC Tournament Quarterfinal. The top four seeds in the SAC Tournament earn the right to play at home and a plethora of scenarios remain. The 1 and 2 seed are locked up but 3-6 are separated by just three points. A win or a tie on Wednesday will secure a top four seed for the Bears and a home game in the quarterfinals. From there, LR will prepare to defend the SAC Tournament Championship and battle for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Volleyball
The LR Volleyball team is on the brink of a 20-win season but the regular season is one week behind where football and soccer are. This means that the first round of regional rankings will be released early this week with LR to be "in consideration" and the 1-10 rankings won't be announced until next week. The games remain plenty impactful for a program that has achieved plenty of success so far this year. On Halloween night, the Bears will travel to Anderson as both teams are tied for second place in the league at 13-2. On Saturday, LR hosts fourth-place Tusculum who is just one loss behind the Bears. The regular season finale and Senior Day is next Wednesday against Emory & Henry before the SAC Tournament.

Triathlon
It is a rest week for the Bears as they prep for Nationals in Tempe, Ariz. next Saturday. The Bears are the defending USAT National Champions. The sport is under emerging sport status and not under the NCAA umbrella just yet as more teams add the growing sport. However, competition is fierce among the programs that do sponsor it and LR emerged over all in 2022. At the regional meet, the Bears finished in second place trailing Wingate. However, LR finished behind Wingate in regionals in 2022 before putting it all together when it mattered most and capturing the National Championship.

Cross Country
With SAC Championships concluded for the men's and women's cross country teams, the programs turn their attention to Saturday's regional race. The regionals this year are held in Gainesville, Ga. Jacob Parkinson finished third overall at the SAC Championship and Lewis Budgen finished 11^th. On the women's side, Sabrina Fleig finished fifth and Paige Ewald took 11^th. The quartet will look to improve their times in a loaded regional field.