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Rachael Acker, a senior at Gunn High, has come into her own as a swimmer with the Palo Alto Stanford Aquatic club this summer. She finished fourth in the 100 free and qualified for the Olympic trials.
Tosky shakes off fatigue to grab for gold Adam Hinshaw also earns gold at Junior Nationals; Acker, Sims, Howe and Sanborn also headed for Omaha by Colin Becht he real Jasmine Tosky showed up to swim in the Speedo Junior Nationals Championships this week. The one who stumbled through the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships last week just had to be an imposter. The Palo Alto High senior, who swims for Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics, never came close to sniffing a final last week. Not only did Tosky qualify for the finals in the first two of her events in the USA Junior Na-
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tionals at the Avery Aquatic Center at Stanford, she took home a pair of gold medals for her trouble.
“We’re way past where her prime was for this summer,” PASA coach Tony Batis said. “We peaked for (the FINA World Championships) in Shanghai, came in here to Nationals straightaway and tried to race but was definitely tired.” Tosky has earned her way to next summer’s Olympic trials in Omaha. She’ll be joined by many of her PASA teammates who have swam well enough to make the trip. Adam Hinshaw, who has two gold medals this week, Rachael Acker, Haley Sims, and Byron Sanborn
will also be making the trip. Stanford incoming freshman David Nolan also punched his ticket to Omaha this week. Tosky nearly sleepwalked through Nationals while recovering from jetlag that had her awakening at four in the morning. “Nationals was not a very happy meet for me, not one of my best,” Tosky said. “But I guess since I came back from Shanghai, that kind of has to do with my performance at (continued on page 33)
STANFORD FOOTBALL
Knapp keeps his eyes focused forward as Stanford prepares for the season M-A grad could find himself playing more this season by Rick Eymer enlo-Atherton High grad Sam Knapp enters his third season with the Stanford football team and this time around he can think about receiving a little more plying time. He’s earned the chance. Knapp saw action in three games last year and caught his first collegiate pass against Wake Forest; a modest seven-yard reception from Josh Nunes that remains the major highlight of his career. “Once you get a taste of it, you want more,” Knapp said. “It makes you want to work even harder,” The catch motivated Knapp, the son of Stanford men’s associate head swimming coach Ted Knapp, into what he believes was his best week of practice. Heck, he acknowledges that even now the play gets relived in his mind a few times. The wide receiving corps is a little less crowded this year and there’s a chance Knapp
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can work himself into the rotation. “He’s Mr. Steady,” Stanford coach David Shaw said. “He understands the offense and he is still competing for playing time. He’s a guy we can depend on.” Another M-A grad set the precedent. Greg Camarillo walked onto the Cardinal football team as a punter and pleaded with then coach Tyrone Willingham for a chance to work out with the wide receivers. His first reception was a two-yard gain from Chris Lewis. “It wasn’t a wonderful catch, but it got me in the record books,” he said after that Stanford win over Arizona State on Sept. 22, 2001. Camarillo went out to find a home in the NFL. Perhaps it’s far too early for Knapp to start thinking in those terms. He does have the support of his teammates, though. “First of all he has an unbelievable person(continued on next page)
John Todd
BARBEQUE AND VOLLEYBALL . . . Stanford will host a barbeque for its fans, along with a meet and greet on Sunday, Aug. 21 at 1 p.m. The barbeque will be held at Jimmy V’s Sports CafÈ, as will the get-together with the team. The squad will hold an open practice prior to the barbeque from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Advance registration for the event is required. Please e-mail aebrown@stanford. edu to register. The cost is $15 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under. Cash and checks (payable to Stanford Women’s Volleyball) are accepted. . . . Stanford grad Foluke Akinradewo and the U.S. national women’s volleyball team return to action this weekend in the FIVB World Grand Prix. The Americans, who swept their first three matches last weekend in China, play the Dominican Republic on Friday; host Japan on Saturday and Serbia on Sunday. Akinradewo recorded 13 points in Team USA’s 25-20, 25-17, 25-16 victory over the Chinese on Sunday . . . The United States men’s junior national volleyball team lost to Serbia, 25-15, 25-20, 23-25, 25-13, in the match for the bronze medal Wednesday at the FIVB Volleyball Men’s Junior World Championship at Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro. Stanford sophomore Brian Cook had nine kills. Cardinal sophomore Eric Mochalski contributed three kills . . . Kawika Shoji, Erik Shoji and Brad Lawson were members of the Stanford men’s volleyball national championship team of 2010. Now they are hoping to help the United States win a gold medal at the World University Games, which begin Friday in Shenzhen, China.
Allie Shorin
MARATHON RUNNER . . . Stanford grad Lauren Fleshman is one of several runners who will make their marathon debuts at the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 6, it was announced by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. Fleshman, a two-time 5,000 meter USA champion, five-time NCAA champion, and 15-time All-American, hopes to parlay the marathon training into an Olympic berth in the 5,000. The 29-year-old Eugene, OR resident won the 5,000 meters at the Aviva London Grand Prix last weekend. “My dream for the past 11 years has been to do something special with the 5,000 meters in the 2012 Olympics,” Fleshman said. “I know I need to get a lot stronger, so it became obvious that I need to throw some new wood on the fire. I’ve seen the marathon work its magic on many women I admire, and I’m convinced: Nothing will change my physiology, stretch my mind and freshen my perspective more than running the ING New York City Marathon.” Fleshman will also represent Team USA in the 5,000 at the IAAF World Outdoor Track and Fields Championships, which begin Aug. 27 in Daegu, Korea. Stanford grad Jillian Camarena-Williams is also on the team in the shot put.
M-A grad Sam Knapp hopes one won’t be enough as he battles for playing time with the Stanford football team. *> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ Õ}ÕÃÌÊ£Ó]ÊÓ䣣ÊU Page 31