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The Stanford men’s volleyball team highlighted another outstanding season of competition by keeping true to its goal to win the NCAA championship, which was held in Maples Pavilion. The triumph was a fitting honor to assistant coach Al Roderigues, who had passed away earlier in the season.
STANFORD SPORTS 2009-10
Award-winning year for Stanford NCAA title by men’s volleyball team topped the list that included yet another Director’s Cup by Rick Eymer hould the Stanford men’s volleyball team serve as inspiration for a Hollywood movie, it would become an instant classic. The Cardinal season had everything: pathos, adversity, triumph and a cast of characters that lent itself to a truly heart-warming, heroic blockbuster of mythic proportions. Our version of the Oscars is dedicated to the loving memory of a great man and a great motivator who was more than an assistant volleyball coach. He was a close friend. Al Roderigues, who passed away earlier in the season, was highlyregarded as a mentor, administrator
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and educator. Roderigues never wavered in his belief in Stanford’s ability to achieve the unthinkable and thus “Worst to First� was born. The envelope, please: for the best performance by a Male Athletic team in a Drama, the ‘Al’ is presented to John Kosty and his ensemble of volleyball minstrels who captured the 2010 NCAA championship. “This win represents decades of teamwork,� Kosty said. “Every time a team wins a national championship it’s a special journey, and with that special journey, the rewards (continued on page 35)
Marc Abrams/Stanford Athletics
OF LOCAL NOTE . . . Recent high school graduates Rachel Ersted of Palo Alto and Carolyn Rennels of Castilleja were members of NorCal Crew’s Lightweight 4+ boat that won a silver medal at the US Rowing Youth Nationals this past weekend at Harsha Lake outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. Other rowers in the NorCal boat included high school seniors Sofie Madden (Menlo-Atherton) and Victoria Paterson (Menlo School) . . . NCAA men’s singles champion Bradley Klahn and NCAA doubles champs Hilary Barte and Lindsay Burdette, all from Stanford, are among the nation’s top 25 players who have been named to the 2010 USTA Summer Collegiate Team. The squad makes up an elite training program for the top American collegiate players. A fourth Stanford player on the team is Mallory Burdette, will just finished her freshman season by clinching Stanford’s final match in the NCAA team championship finale. Barte is making her third appearance on the team while Burdette is making her second straight squad.
Marc Abrams/Stanford Athletics
CARDINAL CORNER . . . Stanford football Jim Harbaugh scored a major victory Thursday when Tucker High linebacker James Vaughters, the most sought-after recruit in Atlanta, committed to the Cardinal for the class 2011. The bootleg.com said Vaughters is Stanford’s best recruit as far as depth of offers received. He chose Stanford over Georgia, Georgia Tech, Alabama and Ohio State. In total he received scholarship offers from more than 35 schools nationwide. Vaughters, a 4.0 student at Tucker, said he chose Stanford because of its combination of great academics and great football under Harbaugh. “I honestly believe we can do something at Stanford that has never been done and that is win a championship,� Vaughters told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Stanford University is a long distance from home but they have a beautiful campus, perfect climate, and I feel that they have great opportunities that I can utilize. They are a top academic school that is compared to the Ivy League, but compete in Division I football and a top conference in the Pac-10. They are also making great strides to become a championship caliber football team.�Vaughters (6-2, 235) said Stanford had been his top choice for some time. He informed Harbaugh late Wednesday night.
Stanford’s NCAA volleyball title capped a remarkable journey for a team that truly went from worst to first.
Gerhart was the best of the best at Stanford in 2009-10 by Rick Eymer
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n a school year full of outstanding athletes, senior Toby Gerhart earned Stanford’s most prestigious award. The record-setting football/baseball player was honored as the Al Masters Award winner at the annual Stanford Athletic Board Awards Luncheon, highlighting Stanford’s athletic success for the year. The recipient of the Doak Walker Award and Heisman Trophy runner-up, Gerhart was honored as the student-athlete attaining the highest
standards of athletic performance, leadership and academic achievement. Gerhart, who was unable to make the event as he is participating in mini camp for the Minnesota Vikings, taped a brief video message that was played for those in attendance. Four student-athletes were awarded NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships: Elaine Breeden (women’s swimming and diving), David Dunford (men’s swimming and diving), Carly Janiga (women’s gymnastics) and Jimmie Sandman (men’s water
polo). Pac-10 Postgraduate Scholarships were given to four student-athletes: Janet Okogbaa (women’s volleyball), Evan Romero (men’s volleyball), Carmen Stellar (women’s swimming and diving) and Richard Wire (men’s tennis). Janet Okogbaa (women’s volleyball) and Nora Soza (field hockey) received Summer Institute for General Management Scholarships. Newly Elected Members of Phi Beta Kappa included Autumn Albers (softball), David Dunford
(men’s swimming and diving), Adrienne Fritsch (women’s rowing), Bea Gordon (women’s rowing), Kate Niehaus (women’s cross country/track and field), Maggie Sachs (lacrosse) and Midori Uehara (field hockey). Stanford was represented with five winners of the NCAA Elite 88 Award, presented to the studentathlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s (continued on page 36)
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