Cardinal recruits have made the cut Cardinal recruits have made the cut (June 25, 2004)

Wiggins and Pierce are among finalists for the girls' USA Junior World Championship qualifying basketball team

by Rick Eymer

Candice Wiggins and Cissy Pierce, who will both be freshmen at Stanford this fall, were among the 17 finalists to the USA Junior World Championship qualifying team after three days of team trials were completed on Wednesday.

"I was thinking to myself that even if I didn't make it, I was so proud of my play that I would still feel good about the trials," Wiggins said. "There's nothing greater than representing your country. That would be my ultimate goal, if I ever make a USA team."

Wiggins, who is also a standout volleyball player, prepped at La Jolla Country Day School on Poway.

Pierce, out of Heritage High in Littleton, Colo., joins Wiggins as being regarded as one of the top freshmen guard tandems in the nation.

"I didn't really know what to expect," Pierce said. "It's a great feeling but also kind of a surprise. I'll be resting a lot and training a lot. That's all I'll be doing."

The finalists resume training in Denver on July 22, where the official 12-member tam will be selected. The final team plays in the Americas Junior World Championship Tournament beginning Aug. 4 in Puerto Rico.

In related news, Stanford women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer announced that guard Susan Borchardt will return to Stanford for her senior season.

Borchardt missed most of two seasons (2000-01 and 2001-02) with a knee injury. She started all 34 games last season and helped the Cardinal reach the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament.

Stanford has won the Pac-10 title and Pac-10 tournament the past two years.
Men's basketball

Anthony Goods, a 6-foot-3 guard who has given a verbal commitment to attend Stanford in the fall of 2005, was named to the USA West team for the USA Youth Development Festival which begins today at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Goods, who prepped at Centennial High in Corona and is considered one of the top five point guards in the West heading into his senior season, is one of four guards on the West team, which will be coached by Denver East High's Rudy Carey.

The Development Festival continues through Sunday.
Women's swimming

Before Stanford women's swimming coach Richard Quick found success on The Farm, he was one of the most successful coaches ever at the University of Texas.

Texas recognized Quick, and he'll be among six people inducted into the Texas Women's Athletic Hall of Honor at a luncheon and ceremony in November.

Quick, Stanford's coach the past 16 years, won the first five of his 12 NCAA titles while with the Longhorns in successive years between 1984-88.

Quick came to Stanford in 1989 and won his sixth straight national title.

In 28 years, Quick-coached teams have won 19 conference championships, including 13 straight in his first 13 years at Stanford. His Cardinal teams also won 57 consecutive dual matches to open his stint.

He owns a 173-29 career mark as a woman's coach, and is 205-38 overall. Quick has also served as the head coach for the United States women's swimming team at three Olympics, and as an assistant at five other Olympics.
Track and field

Stanford grad Adam Tenforde was named CoSIDA first team Academic All-American. Tenforde helped Stanford win two NCAA men's cross country titles, and is currently training for the Olympic trials in the 5,000 meters.

He recently graduated with a 3.88 GPA with a degree in Human Biology.
Women's volleyball

Stanford senior Ogonna Nnamani scored a match-high 12 points as the United States women's national volleyball team earned a 25-16, 25-22, 25-19 victory over Argentina in the Pan American Cup on Monday in Tijuana, Mexico.

Team USA lost to Cuba, 25-17, 25-19, 25-15, on Tuesday and finished 3-1 in pool play.

The U.S. was scheduled to meet Puerto Rico on Thursday night with an automatic berth in next year's World Grand Prix at stake.

Against Argentina, Nnamani recorded nine kills, two blocks and a service ace. She had 10 kills against Cuba.

"We struggled maintaining our rhythm while Cuba did a great job serving and executing their middle attack," said Team USA middle blocker Wiz Bachman. "We will definitely use this match as a learning experience as we refocus and prepare for our upcoming matches."

While many of the veteran players stayed at home, the United States women's national volleyball team won its first two matches.

Team USA defeated Guatemala, 25-10, 25-9, 25-12, to open tournament play and then beat Canada, 25-50, 25-16, 25-21 in the second game. Nnamani had six points in the win over Guatemala and eight points against Canada.

Team USA's veteran players, including Stanford grad Logan Tom, did not make the trip to Mexico, remaining in Colorado Springs to prepare for the upcoming World Grand Prix in Asia next month.

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