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Articles by Sofia Scekic
Rowing News | Olympic Rotation
STORY BY SOFIA SCEKIC | PHOTO BY LISA WORTHY It’s a tale of two rowing generations for the five women competing for the two coveted seats in the U.S. lightweight double for the 2024 Paris Olympics: Mary Jones and Michelle Sechser have nearly a decade of international racing experience, while Sophia Luwis and Audrey Boersen both were graduated from college in 2020 and made their first U.S. National Team just last year.
Stanford’s massive wealth still might not save its Olympic sports Original
When the pandemic rocked college sports in 2020, more than 200 athletes at Stanford University had a wrench thrown in their future plans. School administrators announced their shocking decision to eliminate 11 varsity sports that July, citing “harsh new financial realities imposed by COVID-19 on all university operations.” Less than a year later, in May 2021, Stanford walked back that decision, reinstating all 11 sports after fundraising efforts improved the school’s financial outlook.
Stanford struggles offensively in first Men’s BB loss of the season
In front of a raucous crowd wearing red — Wisconsin red, that is, not Cardinal red — Stanford men’s basketball (1-1, 0-0 Pac-12) lost to Wisconsin (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) on Friday night in the first edition of the Brew City Battle at American Family Field in Milwaukee. In a defensive battle that saw both teams struggle to sink their shots, the Badgers took an early lead and held on for a 60-50 victory to hand the Cardinal their first loss of the young season.
“This is just the beginning:” Stanford beach volleyball continues to reach new heights
Andrew Fuller has been involved in college women’s beach volleyball since the first program, Long Beach State, was established in 2012. He was also integral in starting USC’s program, which has since developed into a national powerhouse. So when Fuller made his way back to the Bay Area before the 2017 season to coach Stanford beach volleyball, which was still in its infancy, expectations were high.
Photo gallery: Stanford advances to Sweet 16
On Sunday evening, No. 1 seed Stanford women’s basketball (28-3, 16-0 Pac-12) defeated No. 8 seed Kansas (20-9, 11-7 Big 12) 91-65 behind a career-high 36 points from senior guard Lexie Hull in her last game at Maples. The Cardinal now advance to the Sweet 16, where they will face No. 4 seed Maryland (21-8, 13-4 Big 10), a team they handily defeated in late November when the Terrapins were ranked No. 2 in the nation. Daily photographer Michal Kheir captured the victory from the sidelines.
Women’s basketball begins NCAA Tournament on Friday
Stanford women’s basketball (28-3, 16-0 Pac-12) earned a berth in the women’s NCAA Tournament for the 34th consecutive season. The team was selected as one of the four No. 1 seeds for the second consecutive year and will kick off the Round of 64 against No. 16 seed Montana State (22-12, 14-6 Big Sky) at Maples at 7:00 p.m. PT on Friday.
On Saturday’s Senior Night at Maples, No. 2 women’s basketball (25-3, 16-0 Pac-12) defeated Washington (7-15, 2-12 Pac-12) in a close game, 63-56. The Huskies had hoped to play spoiler to the team’s perfect Pac-12 regular season record and kept things close for the majority of the game.
This student paper got shut out by the athletics department. Here’s how they continued to break university sports news.
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Photo gallery: Stanford takes down Cal in Maples Original
Stanford men’s basketball opened the month of February with a 57-50 win over cross-bay rival Cal in Maples Pavilion on Tuesday night. Despite both teams struggling on offense in the first half — they combined for 41 points as Stanford led 21-20 heading into the locker room — freshman forward Harrison Ingram and senior forward Jaiden Delaire both broke the double-digit point barrier to lead the Cardinal with 12 points each for the game.
Women’s, men’s cross country teams take on NCAA Championships in Florida
On Saturday, both the men’s and women’s cross country teams will race at the NCAA Championships at the Apalachee Regional Park located in Tallahassee, Florida. 31 teams and 38 individual qualifiers on both the women’s and men’s sides will toe the starting line; the women will race at 7:20 a.m. PT and the men will start at 8 a.m. PT. The Stanford women won the regional championship behind fifth-year Julia Heymach’s somewhat surprising victory.
Football roundtable: Our Axe
Photo: BOB DREBIN/isiphotos.com The 124th Big Game is upon us. Despite the fact that the Cardinal (3-7, 2-6 Pac-12) have lost their last five, there’s still a sense that a win versus UC Berkeley (3-6, 2-4 Pac-12) can somewhat mellow the sour note on which the season has descended. For better or worse, the Golden Bears will enter the game on a bye-week of sorts after being forced to postpone last week’s game due to 44 positive COVID-19 cases within the California program.
Women’s, men’s cross country teams to travel cross-country for FSU Open
Fresh off a weeklong training trip to Bend, Ore., the men’s and women’s cross country teams will travel to Tallahassee to compete in the FSU Open on Friday. After the men and women placed first and second, respectively, in last weekend’s USF Invitational even without key runners on both sides, each team will look to continue its strong start to the season on the same course that will host the NCAA Championships in November.
Fred Haywood ’71 talks water adventures and more in autobiography ‘Racing with Aloha’
Growing up in Maui, Hawai’i, it’s difficult not to immerse oneself in multiple water sports. That’s what Fred Haywood ’71 did, swimming and surfing before he moved to California at age 17. His Maui upbringing led to multiple NCAA and American records in swimming, world records in surfing and sailing and now, an autobiography called “Racing With Aloha,” which is set to be released on Aug. 24.
Athletes sue Stanford over decision to eliminate 11 varsity sports teams
Student-athletes filed two lawsuits against Stanford in federal court on Wednesday, challenging the University’s decision to cut 11 of its 36 varsity sports programs. Athletes from eight of the teams that will be eliminated allege breach of contract and intentional misrepresentation because Stanford misled them into joining the programs. In a separate legal challenge, athletes on five of the women’s teams accused the University of Title IX sex discrimination stemming from the cuts.
Men’s swim and dive notches another top-15 finish at NCAAs
Stanford men’s swim and dive finished 14th at this year’s NCAA championships in Greensboro, N.C. to extend its streak of consecutive top-15 finishes that dates back to the 1978-79 season. The team earned 19 All-American awards over the four-day championship meet, with freshmen earning eight of the honors. Freshmen Luke Mauer and Preston Forst, junior Mason Gonzalez and senior Grant Shoults started the Cardinal off with a strong showing in Wednesday evening’s only event, the 800 free relay.
Prep football: Carlmont wins defensive battle against El Camino
Breaking News Newsom: California will make vaccines available to everyone within 5 1/2 weeks Carlmont rode its strong running game to 35 carries for 185 yards and a season-opening 15-6 victory against El Camino at home Friday night. The first score of the game did not come until there was less than a minute left in the second quarter when Carlmont brought down an El Camino player in the end zone for a safety.
Women’s swim and dive finishes ninth at NCAA championships
Since 1983, the first year that the NCAA held a championship meet for women’s swimming and diving, the Cardinal has never finished lower than 10th overall.
Possibility of another COVID-19 surge uncertain, Stanford experts say
Despite the emergence of numerous variants and relaxed restrictions, some infectious disease experts at Stanford remain optimistic that the ongoing vaccine rollout will be enough to fend off a fourth COVID-19 surge in California. Others, though, are taking a more cautious stance because case numbers in California are still relatively high and the efficacy of vaccines is unknown against some variants.
Women third, men fifth at cross country championships
Senior Ella Donaghu finished 10th overall in 20:26.7 and the fourth-ranked Cardinal women took third at the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championship on a hilly course in Stillwater, Okla. on Monday. This is the second consecutive year that the team finished third and the fifth consecutive year finishing among the top five. Senior Julia Heymach finished six seconds behind Donaghu, earning 13th place for her first All-American honors in cross country.
Unfinished Business
Photos: John Todd, Lyndsay Radnedge and Bob Drebin/isiphotos.com; Illustration: Mhar Tenorio / The Stanford Daily This article is part of a series reflecting on the anniversary of Stanford’s shutdown due to COVID-19. Click here to read the rest of the stories.
Women’s, men’s cross country win Pac-12 titles
For the first time since 2010, both the men’s and women’s cross country teams are Pac-12 champions. Behind second place finishes from senior Ella Donaghu in the women’s race and redshirt freshman Charles Hicks in the men’s race, the Cardinal ran to the conference championship in just their third meet of the season. After winning two consecutive races to start the season, Donaghu finished second in 19:09.0 at the Pac-12 championships for the second straight year.
‘Now we’re champions’: Former Cardinal tight end Alex Smith ’04 wins first Super Bowl with Buccaneers front office
It took some time before Alex Smith ’04 was able to convince his parents to let him play football — until high school, to be exact. Despite his comparatively late start, he earned a scholarship to play tight end at Stanford, spent over 10 years in the NFL and recently won his first Super Bowl as a pro scout with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Champions, history makers and soon-to-be pros: Madison Haley and Kiki Pickett reflect on soccer careers
Women’s soccer senior Madison Haley was watching the 2021 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) draft on Jan. 13 with her teammates, unsure of whether she would hear her name called. As the midway point of the first round approached, so did her next Zoom class. “I was like, I’ve got two minutes so if they’re gonna call my name they got to call me right now,” she recalled.
Women’s swim and dive finishes second at Pac-12 Championships
Senior Brooke Forde won two events for the Cardinal as No. 10 Stanford scored 1,445 points to earn a runner-up finish at the 2021 Pac-12 Championships. No. 1 California won 12 races over four days to capture its fifth Pac-12 title with 1,519.5 points. On Wednesday, the first day of the competition, junior Daria Lenz got the Cardinal rolling with a score of 293.55 and a fifth place finish in the 1-meter dive.
Around the Farm roundtable: March Madness prospects, national title streak in jeopardy?
Men’s basketball suffered a devastating blow to its NCAA tournament hopes in the form of a heartbreaking triple-overtime loss at Washington State this weekend. With games against Oregon and USC and the Pac-12 tournament on tap, a clear path still remains for the Cardinal to get into the field of 68. Will the team turn it around and secure its first March Madness berth since 2014?
Women’s, men’s cross country teams finish second in Las Vegas
Senior and four-time All American Ella Donaghu picked up right where she left off, winning her second race in as many meets this season with a first place finish on Friday in the 6k at the UNLV Battle Borne Challenge. True freshman Zofia Dudek finished about four seconds behind Donaghu in 19:48.9, good for second place overall, as the No. 6 Cardinal women finished second as a team with 85 points at their final meet before the Pac-12 Championships.
Final road game of season on tap for women’s basketball
No. 5 Stanford (18-2, 15-2 Pac-12) will face perhaps its toughest test of the season as it plays its final road game against No. 11 Oregon (12-4, 9-4 Pac-12) on Monday in Eugene. The Cardinal squeaked past Oregon on Jan. 8 in Santa Cruz with a 70-63 win in what was Stanford’s “home” game of this season’s duet of matchups against the Ducks. However, the team played a sloppy game, turning the ball over 17 times.
Women’s swim and dive falls to rival Cal on senior day
The Golden Bears won nine of 16 events at the Avery Aquatic Center on Saturday as No. 10 Stanford fell to its cross-bay rival 178-117. Despite the Cardinal posting 19 NCAA provisional standards, it was not enough to upset No. 1 California in the team’s third meeting of the season. The other two meets, which took place on Nov. 15 and Nov. 21, were unscored, making Saturday’s meet the first official competition of the season for the Cardinal.
Final road trip of the season up next for women’s basketball
After a short two-game return to Maples, No. 5 Stanford women’s basketball (17-2, 14-2 Pac-12) will travel north to face Oregon State (6-5, 4-5 Pac-12) on Saturday followed by No. 11 Oregon (12-4, 9-4 Pac-12) on Monday for the team’s final road trip of an unusual season. Compared to the Beavers, the Cardinal has been comparatively lucky to have to deal with only four COVID-19 cancellations and postponements this season.
Stanford researchers develop real-time biosensor for continuous blood concentration monitoring
Stanford researchers have developed a new biosensor with the ability to continuously detect and monitor the blood concentration of insulin and glucose in real time. The system, dubbed the Real-time ELISA or RT-ELISA, is a breakthrough in continuous patient monitoring technology and could revolutionize the way doctors treat disease.
Men’s hoops takes on rival Cal in two-game series this weekend
Coming off two consecutive losses to Arizona State and USC, Stanford men’s basketball will face California (7-12, 2-10 Pac-12) in a two-game series on Thursday and Sunday. Sunday’s game will be just the second true home game of the season for the Cardinal (10-7, 6-5 Pac-12), who returned to Palo Alto this past week after playing their first 16 games of the season away from Maples Pavilion. The team will first travel to the Haas Pavilion in Berkeley for the first game of the series.
Women’s basketball senior Maya Dodson to transfer to Notre Dame
Women’s basketball senior Maya Dodson announced today on her personal Twitter and Instagram that she intends to transfer to Notre Dame to finish her college basketball career during the 2021-22 season. Dodson is the third Cardinal women’s basketball player in the last four years to transfer to the Fighting Irish, joining Lili Thompson and Marta Sniezek, who transferred to Notre Dame during the 2017-18 and 2019-20 seasons, respectively.
Women’s basketball aims to win 10th straight against Huskies
The road has treated No. 6 Stanford (14-2, 11-2 Pac-12) kindly for the last two months, but, following Santa Clara County’s updated COVID-19 guidelines that allow contact sports to resume within county limits, the team is looking forward to returning to Maples Pavilion for the first time since early December. First, the Cardinal have one more game to play to complete their extended road trip: a Sunday matchup afternoon against Washington (4-7, 1-7 Pac-12) in Seattle.
Back-to-back games at Washington State on tap for women’s hoops | The Stanford Daily
67-0 — That’s the all-time record between No. 6 Stanford (12-2, 9-2 Pac-12) and Washington State (8-4, 6-4 Pac-12). It is excusable if one thought both Wednesday’s and Friday’s games will be easy wins for the Cardinal, a team that looked nearly unstoppable through its first nine games.
Buffaloes up next for Cardinal women’s basketball | The Stanford Daily
Undefeated Stanford (11-0, 8-0 Pac-12) enters Sunday’s game at Colorado (5-6, 3-5 Pac-12) on a roll both offensively and defensively, holding all 11 opponents to 41% field goal shooting or worse while averaging over 80 points per game. The No. 1 team in the country, unable to return home to Maples Pavilion since Dec.
Breaking down Power 5 football coaches’ salaries | The Stanford Daily
As NCAA football coaches’ salaries continue to rise, members of the public have voiced their disapproval through numerous op-ed articles and, more recently, a proposed federal law to provide oversight to prevent salaries from continuing to spiral out of control. In response to such conversations, here is a breakdown of the salaries of all Power 5 football coaches to allow readers to draw their own conclusions about collegiate coaching salaries.
9th straight game away from Maples on tap for women’s basketball | The Stanford Daily
The Stanford football team grabbed the nation’s attention in late 2020 after practicing in a public park in Bellevue, Wash. Following Santa Clara County’s ban on contact sports, the self-proclaimed “Road Dogs” lived on the road for their final three games of the season and had to creatively adapt to their lack of a home stadium for nearly a month. Now, the Cardinal women’s basketball team is in a similar predicament.
New year, new opponents for Cardinal women’s hoops | The Stanford Daily
No. 1 Stanford (7-0, 4-0 Pac-12) has the opportunity to start 2021 with two statement wins that would strengthen their hold on the top spot in the AP Poll, as the team will travel to Arizona for matchups against No. 6 Arizona (7-0, 5-0 Pac-12) and Arizona State (6-2, 2-2 Pac-12). The matchup against the Wildcats will mark the Cardinal’s second-straight Top-10 matchup, and although the Sun Devils are not ranked, they received votes in the most recent Top 25 poll.
Bruins look to spoil women’s hoops’ perfect season | The Stanford Daily
No. 1 Stanford (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) will conclude play in 2020 with a matchup against the No. 11 UCLA Bruins (5-1, 3-1 Pac-12) at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles on Monday. The 12 p.m. PT matchup features two of the five ranked teams in the conference and will be the Cardinal’s first major test of the season. The Cardinal have blown out each of their first six opponents, with Saturday’s 20-point win at USC representing the smallest margin of victory thus far.
Trojans up next for undefeated women’s hoops | The Stanford Daily
Head coach Tara VanDerveer made history in No. 1 Stanford’s last game, a 104-61 win at Pacific (0-1, 0-0 WCC), as she became the winningest coach in NCAA women’s basketball history. Since then, the Cardinal (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) have shifted their focus to Saturday’s matchup against USC (1-3, 0-3 Pac-12). Pac-12 Networks will broadcast the game at 6 p.m. PT from the Galen Center in Los Angeles.
Football roundtable: 4 straight for the Cardinal? | The Stanford Daily
After three straight wins on the road, Stanford is headed for the bounceback year many expected in 2020. Stanford will practice in Santa Barbara to prepare for Saturday’s game against UCLA. The Daily’s Jibriel Taha, Sofia Scekic and Ells Boone gathered for one last time to tie up loose ends. The Daily ran the headline “Season Bruined” after UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson picked apart the Stanford defense last season. How does Stanford prevent a repeat performance?
VanDerveer looks to overtake Summitt’s all-time win record against Pacific | The Stanford Daily
Two days after matching Pat Summit’s record for most career wins in women’s Division I college basketball history, head coach Tara VanDerveer will have the opportunity to break Summit’s record when No. 1 Stanford (4-0, 2-0 Pac-12) plays Pacific (0-0, 0-0 WCC) on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. PT, and if the Cardinal win, it will be VanDerveer’s 1,099th career win.
Football roundtable: Oregon State showdown | The Stanford Daily
Stanford will travel to Oregon State with a chance to move above .500 for the first time since 2018. The Daily’s Sofia Scekic, Jacob Neidig, Ells Boone and Jibriel Taha huddle up to discuss signal callers, Stanford’s trajectory and their thoughts on “whatever it takes.” The offensive line neutralized the Washington pass rush behind senior center Drew Dalman, the top-graded Pac-12 center by PFF.
Women’s basketball faces UNLV in second game of season | The Stanford Daily
As the saying goes, “third time’s the charm” — and it looks like, after two cancellations, the women’s basketball team will finally play their second game of the season. Following Stanford Athletics’ announcement of schedule modifications on Dec. 2, including the postponement of the Cardinal’s next three home games, women’s hoops will travel to Las Vegas for a matchup against UNLV on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT. Originally scheduled to play Pacific on Sunday, Nov.
Stanford releases updated guidelines for fall, winter sports | The Stanford Daily
Following Santa Clara County’s designation of “Purple Tier,” the tier with the strictest COVID-19 restrictions, Stanford Athletics released updated competition and training guidelines for football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving as well as all other winter sports.
Football Roundtable: A second win? | The Stanford Daily
Stanford did just enough to leave Berkeley with a win and The Axe. Meanwhile, Washington has looked like the class of the Pac-12 North. On Saturday, the Cardinal and the Huskies will meet in Seattle. The Daily’s Ells Boone, Jeremy Rubin, Sofia Scekic and Jibriel Taha discuss Big Game, the running game and winning on the road. Stanford took offense to Cal’s decision to put up “our axe” and reveled in the ability to take postgame photos in front of the sideline, holding The Stanford Axe.
Women’s basketball to play San Diego for first time since 1994 | The Stanford Daily
Fresh off a season-opening rout of Cal Poly, the No. 2 Cardinal (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12) women’s basketball team will face off against the University of San Diego (0-0, 0-0 WCC) at Maples Pavilion on Monday for their second game of the season. The game, scheduled for 2 p.m. PT, was added to the Cardinal’s schedule on Thursday following the cancellation of Sunday’s game against Pacific due to a positive COVID-19 test within its program.
Football Roundtable: The Axe’s fate | The Stanford Daily
For the first time ever, winless Stanford is playing winless Cal in the Big Game. For the first time since 2010 (when the freshman class was in the third grade), Stanford is coming into the rivalry game without the Stanford Axe on its side. The Daily’s Sofia Scekic, Jibriel Taha and Ells Boone discuss what it will take for Stanford to win the 123rd Big Game. By the end of Cal’s previous game, the offensive line had just one starter remaining from its preseason group.
Women’s hoops to tip off against Cal Poly in season opener | The Stanford Daily
Stanford women’s basketball ended the 2020 season with a bitter taste in their mouth. The last time they were on the court was in last season’s Pac-12 title game loss to then-No. 3 Oregon. After a nearly nine month hiatus, No. 2 Stanford (0-0, 0-0 Pac-12) now has a shot at redemption. The Cardinal will take the court on Wednesday for a matchup against Cal Poly (0-0, 0-0 BWC) at Maples Pavilion. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. PST.
Recruiting roundup: Athletes join softball, swim, dive | The Stanford Daily
The women’s softball and swimming and diving teams were two of the many Stanford sports teams to sign their newest classes of commits to National Letters of Intent last week. The softball team added five, while the swimming and diving team signed six swimmers and one diver to add depth for the reigning national champions.
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