The 2015 Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame class is highlighted by seven talented All-American and record-breaking performers plus a legendary veteran coach.
The class includes Matt Gentry (’05 wrestling), Alex Karakozoff (’77 football), Ogonna Nnamani (’05 women’s volleyball), Kyle Peterson (’97 baseball), Nicole Powell (’04 women’s basketball), Dr. Rick Schavone (diving head coach), Tara Kirk (’04 women’s swimming) and Dana Sorensen (’04 softball).
The eight inductees will be honored at a private reception and dinner at Bing Concert Hall on Friday, Oct. 16. The class also will be introduced at halftime of Stanford’s football game against UCLA on Thursday, Oct. 15.
Matt Gentry
In 2004, Gentry became the only athlete in the 109-year history of Stanford wrestling to be crowned an NCAA champion, going 42-0. He was named the Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year. A three-time team captain and three-time NWCA Academic All-American, Gentry captured 64 consecutive matches from 2003-05, the longest streak in school history. He now ranks second at Stanford for career (138) and single season (42) victories. Gentry also coached on The Farm for five seasons. In 2008, he became the school’s first and only male wrestler to qualify for the Olympics, and qualified again in 2012, finishing fifth in London. Although he was born in the U.S., Gentry has dual citizenship and represented Canada both times. He was also a Pan Am Games champ in 2012 and was a two-time bronze medalist. Gentry is currently living in the Chicago area with his wife, Emily, and young son, Lucas. He runs a youth wrestling program and is attending physical therapy school.
Alex Karakozoff
He played as a true freshman and anchored the offensive line at guard, where he was the school’s first two-time All-Pac-8 first team selection at that position and AP/UPI All West Coast in 1975 and 1976, as well as an Honorable Mention All-American. The football team captain, Karakozoff also played lacrosse at Stanford and was the Contra Costa Arm Wrestling champion. He attended St. Ignatius Prep in San Francisco and earned his bachelor’s degree in economics. He is a co-patent holder for two innovative social media applications. A serial entrepreneur and angel investor, Karakozoff is the current founder and General Partner at ALK Angel Holdings.
Ogonna Nnamani
One of the most prolific players to compete at Stanford, Nnamani was a four-time All-American and First Team All-Pac-10 selection, leading the Cardinal to NCAA titles in 2001 and 2004. As a senior, she was named the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player, the ESPN CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, the AVCA National co-Player of the Year, the recipient of the NCAA Top VIII Award and the Honda-Broderick Cup for 2004-05 given to the best college female athlete in the nation. An outside hitter, Nnamani holds the NCAA record for kills and solo blocks, and recorded a school-record 2,450 career kills and is first in sets played (498). She represented the United States in the Olympic Games in 2004 and 2008, earning a silver medal in the latter. After graduating with a degree in human biology, Nnamani played overseas in Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Turkey, Italy and the Czech Republic. She helped lead two professional teams to national league championships in 2007 (Swiss Volleyball League) and 2010 (Czech Extraliga), and led her team to a second-place finish in 2006 (Puerto Rico LVSF), and made two appearances in the European Champions League Final Four in 2007 and 2008. In 2012, she married former Stanford football player Mike Silva, and earlier this year they had a daughter, Anya. Nnamani grew up in Normal, Ill., and was the 2000 Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year. She is a clinical research assistant at the Cancer Center at Stanford and is currently applying to medical school.
Kyle Peterson
One of the best pitchers in Stanford history, Peterson was named the National Freshman of the Year in 1995, recording a 14-1 record and 2.96 ERA. In 1995 and 1997, he an All-American and Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year and led the Cardinal to the College World Series both seasons. Peterson is tied for second with Jack McDowell for career wins with 35, is tied for second in strikeouts with 363 and ranks third in innings pitched with 398.1. He was the 13th overall pick in the first round of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and played professionally for five years, including two in the Major Leagues. A native of Elkhorn, Neb., Peterson earned his bachelor of arts degree in communications in 2001, and went to work for ESPN in 2003 as an analyst on regular and postseason college baseball telecasts, including the College World Series, Little League World Series and Major League Playoffs. He is also President/CEO of Colliers International/Nebraska.
Nicole Powell
The versatile guard/forward was a three-time All-American and three-time finalist for the James Naismith National Player of the Year Award. She finished her career with 2,062 points (seventh all-time), 1,143 rebounds (fifth), 577 assists (fifth), 457 free throws made (fourth), .829 free throw percentage (second), 201 3-point baskets (seventh) and a 17.3 scoring average (fourth). She was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2001, and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2002 and 2004, posting six triple-doubles. During her four-year career, Powell sparked the Cardinal to a 105-26 record. After graduating with a degree in urban studies, she played professional in the WNBA for 11 seasons and was the third overall draft pick in 2004 by the Charlotte Sting. She won a WNBA Championship with the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005, earning the league’s Most Improved Player award, and was named a WNBA All-Star in 2009. Powell led the league in three-point field goals made (66) in 2005 and was first in field goal percentage in 2007 (96.4) and 2009 (97.9). She also played overseas, leading Fenerbahce to Turkish League titles in 2009 and 2010. Powell is in her second season as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Oregon.
Dr. Rick Schavone
One of the most-decorated diving coaches in the country, Schavone spent 36 years as Stanford’s head diving coach before retiring last April. A four-time NCAA Diving Coach of the Year (1992, 1993, 2007 and 2013), he also earned nine Pac-12 Diving Coach of the Year Awards. Schavone has coached divers to 18 national team championships (9 — NCAA men’s, 8 — NCAA women’s, 1 — AIAW women’s), 50 conference team championships, 40 individual Pac-12 titles and 92-All-America honors. He coached at least one All-American in 30 of his last 32 seasons. Schavone guided many United States diving teams and coached at the last seven U.S. Olympic Trials. In 2012, he was assistant head coach of the U.S. Olympic Diving Team and helped coach Cardinal standout Kristian Ipsen to a bronze medal in London. He received the USA Diving’s Coach of the Year Award in 1984. A 1971 graduate of University of New Hampshire, where he was inducted into Hall of Fame last summer, Schavone completed his Ph.D. at Stanford in 1978.
Tara Kirk
She became the first swimmer in NCAA history to win a breaststroke event for four consecutive years in the 100 breaststroke. Kirk won 11 NCAA titles in record-breaking times, swimming the breaststroke leg on Stanford’s winning 200- and 400-yard medley relay teams in 2001 and 2002 in addition to her seven NCAA individual crowns from 2001 to 2004. Kirk also won 14 Pac-10 titles, was a 17-time All-American and two-time team captain. She held American records in seven different events (five individual and two relay) while at Stanford, holding the American record in the 100-yard breast for 10 years. Kirk was undefeated in all 35 of her college races in the 100 breast and won her final 19 collegiate 200 breast races. During her senior year, Kirk set a world record in the 100-meter breast (short course), captured the Honda Award, presented to the nation’s Most Outstanding Collegiate Women’s Athlete for swimming and diving, was named the NCAA Swimmer of the Year, and received the Honda-Broderick Cup, presented to the best college female athlete in the country. She has won 15 medals in international competition, including a silver medal in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Her younger sister, Dana Kirk, also a Stanford swimmer, also made the 2004 U.S. Olympic team, and they became the first sisters to swim on the same U.S. Olympic team. Kirk graduated with a BA in human biology and MA in anthropological sciences and was a Rhodes Scholar finalist in 2005. She works as an associate at the UPMC Center for Health Security, where her primary focus is improving public health policy and practicing to reduce the impacts of disasters and terrorism.
Dana Sorensen
One of the best pitchers in school history, she posted a career record of 105-34 — second all-time — and a school-best 1.05 ERA. She was named a first-team NFCA All-American in 2001 and 2004 and was a second team selection in 2000. A three-time All-Pac-10 first-team recipient, Sorensen helped lead the Cardinal to two appearances in the Women’s College World Series and was twice picked to the NCAA Regional all-tournament team. She won 34 games as a senior. Sorensen finished with 1,154 strikeouts (second all-time), 946.2 innings pitched (second) and 32 shutouts (third). As a sophomore, she threw a perfect game against Long Beach State. A three-time Pac-10 All-Academic choice, Sorensen was an NFCA Scholar-Athlete in 2003 and earned bachelor’s degrees in sociology and communications. She pitched for two years in the National Pro Fastpitch League, was a member of the USA Softball Elite Team in 2005, and attended the USA Softball National Team Camp five times. Sorensen received a master’s in exercise and sport science at North Carolina in 2006, became an assistant softball coach at UC Davis and Oregon State, and is now co-owner of One2 events in San Diego and does private pitching instruction.
By Stanford Athletics
By Stanford Athletics
By Stanford Athletics