February 09, 2005

Back to the table of Contents Page

Classifieds

Palo Alto Online

Cardinal women net national tennis title

by Rick Eymer

The Stanford women's tennis team used its U.S. Tennis Association/Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Women's Team Indoor Championship last year as a springboard en route to winning the NCAA team title.

The top-ranked Cardinal hope history repeats itself.

Stanford defeated Kentucky, 4-0, on Sunday to win its second consecutive indoor title, and eighth overall, at Wisconsin.

Sophomore Theresa Logar maintained her dominance at the event, winning four matches and improving to 8-0 at the event. She also recorded the clinching victory against the Wildcats. Logar hasn't lost in a collegiate dual meet yet, winning her 32nd straight.

"We knew this team pretty well," Stanford coach Lele Forood said. "We played them in the NCAA round of 16 last year, and I liked how we matched up with them. We came out strong in doubles and carried that momentum into singles."

Stanford beat Georgia in last year's final, and wound up going 29-0. The Cardinal (5-0) have plenty of time to celebrate, as they return home to host Sacramento State on Friday at 1:30 p.m.

Speaking of celebrating, Pinewood grad Lejla Hodzic gave herself a nice 19th birthday present, winning her singles match and teaming with Whitney Deason to win her doubles match on Sunday.

Stanford outscored its opponents 19-3, and 41-5 in the past-two years.

Stanford, which has appeared in 13 of 18 USTA/ITA finals, has a 34-match win streak that dates to the beginning of last season.

Sophomore Anne Yelsey also won in singles and doubles, teaming with two-time defending NCAA singles champ Amber Liu.

Stanford beat Georgia, 4-0, in the semifinals while unseeded Kentucky upset Duke, 4-3.

The Wildcats were playing in their first ever Indoor final.

Against the Bulldogs, Logar again clinched the victory with her win at No. 4 singles. Alice Barnes and Yelsey also won

"Our sophomores, Anne Yelsey and Theresa Logar, really stepped up," Forood said.

The Cardinal beat Washington, 6-1, in the quarterfinals with Barnes recording the clinching win at No. 3 singles. Liu, Deason, Logar and Yelsey also won.

"We're going to see Washington again in two weeks," Forood said. "It gave us a preview of our Pac-10 match."
Men's tennis

Stanford handed coach John Whitlinger his first two wins at home over the weekend, beating previously undefeated Fresno State, 5-2, on Saturday after sweeping San Diego, 7-0, on Friday.

The seventh-ranked Cardinal (3-0) were schedule to play at St. Mary's on Tuesday. Whitlinger's son, Menlo-Atherton grad J.J. Whitlinger, plays for the Gaels.

Stanford opens Pac-10 play when Arizona visits on Friday at 1:30 p.m., and Arizona State comes to Taube Tennis Canter on Saturday at 1 p.m.

All three doubles teams won on Saturday, setting the tone for the rest of the match. Defending NCAA doubles champion and second-ranked Sam Warburg and KC Corkery won their third straight match.

Warburg, ranked fourth in singles, won in straight sets at the top of the ladder, while Corkery, Phil Sheng and Phil Kao also won.

Sheng clinched the win over San Diego with a win at No. 4 singles.
Baseball

Stanford dropped two out of three at Cal State Fullerton over the weekend, losing 5-3 on Friday and 4-3 on Saturday before coming back with a 15-10 victory on Sunday.

The sixth-ranked Cardinal (4-2) host Kansas in a three-game set beginning with Friday's 5 p.m. contest. The teams meet on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m.

Stanford scored six runs in the first inning on Sunday to set the pace in the slugfest against the Titans, the defending College World Series champions.

John Mayberry, Jr. highlighted the early uprising with a two-run double. Chris Lewis added a home run.

Lewis finished with three hits, including two home runs. Chris Minaker also hit a home run.

John Hester had two hits and drove in three runs, while Jed Lowrie added two hits and two RBIs.

"It was good to get this final game of the series," Stanford coach Mark Marquess said. "We obviously had a nice performance offensively."

Stanford's 15 runs and 15 hits were both season-highs as were the Titans' nine runs and 14 hits as the teams combined for 24 runs and 29 hits.

Stanford ended a five-game losing streak to the Titans, and also avoided getting swept in a regular season series for the first time in two years.

Blake Holler (2-0) earned the victory by scattering six hits without giving up an earned run over 3 2/3 innings. Holler struck out five and walked three. Mountain View's Erik Davis earned his first collegiate save with 3 1/3 innings of solid relief.

On Friday, Stanford took a 3-2 lead into the sixth inning before the Titans rallied for the win in front of a Goodwin Field record crowd of 3,611.

Mark Romanczuk (1-1) suffered the loss, allowing five runs -- four earned -- and four hits with five walks and three strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings. Matt Leva pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.

On Saturday, Mayberry's fourth-inning home run tied the game at 3, but Cal State Fullerton managed to push across a run for the final margin.

Jeff Gilmore allowed three runs on four hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out four. Nolan Gallagher (0-1) took the loss.
Softball

Stanford won three of four games in the Stanford Classic over the weekend, beating Santa Clara 9-0 and 19-4, and beating Pacific 5-0 before losing to the Tigers, 4-3.

On Friday, centerfielder Catalina Morris homered twice to lead the fifth-ranked Cardinal (3-1) to the 9-0 shutout win.

Pitcher Laura Severson allowed one hit over four innings to earn the victory. Becky McCullough finished the shutout.

Junior shortstop Lauren Lappin, and alternate on the United States Olympic team in Athens, hit two home runs in the 19-4 win on Saturday. Michelle Thiry also homered.

Lappin collected four hits and drove in six runs in the game. Tricia Aggabao added two hits, two RBI and two runs scored.

"We have six new players but the core of the team is back after getting a taste of the College World Series," Lappin said. "When you get that close, it makes you want it even more."

McCullough earned the win with Danika Dukes getting the save.

Morris, who like Lappin and outfielder Jackie Rinehart played in the United States national team program over the summer, added her third home run of the weekend in the 5-0 win over Pacific.

"We have a good offensive lineup," Stanford coach John Rittman said. "There are a lot of options. We have good quality talent. We are blessed this year with a lot of depth."

Severson (2-0) pitched a two-hit shutout, striking out six.

Morris broke a scoreless tie in the fifth with her homer.

Anna Beardman had two hits, and drove in three runs. Leah Nelson, who makes the transition to catcher from first base, added two hits.

Nelson had two hits and drove in two runs in Sunday's loss, while Lappin also drove in a run and Rinehart had two hits.

The Cardinal host the Stanford tournament this weekend, taking on San Diego State on Friday at 5 p.m., followed by Cal Poly at 7 p.m. The tournament continues through Sunday.
Men's swimming

Sophomore Andy Grant set a pool record while he and his teammates clocked five times that rank among the nation's top 10 during Saturday's 179-116 victory over visiting USC at the Avery Aquatic Center. The No. 2-ranked Cardinal improved to 3-0 in the Pac-10 (5-0 overall) while winning their 38th straight dual meet.

Grant won the 200-yard free in 1:34.54, breaking a 1993 pool record of 1:35.91 set by Olympian Joe Hudepohl. The time ranks No. 3 in the U.S. this year.

Senior Gary Marshall won the 200 breast in a season-best 1:56.70, the nation's No. 3 time and an automatic NCAA qualifying mark. It also ranks No. 4 all-time at Stanford. Marshall's winning time of 54.07 in the 100 breast ranks No. 4 in the U.S.

Senior Jayme Cramer won the 100 fly in 47.37, a season best and the No. 3 time in the country. Teammate Matt McDonald was second in a season-best 47.84, the nation's No. 8 time.
Women's gymnastics

Stanford lost to host Central Michigan, 195.925-194.675, on Friday night.

Freshman Liz Tricase captured first on the uneven bars with a score of 9.925, while freshman Lauren Elmore posted a career-best 38.850 score in the all-around.

The Cardinal travel to Arizona for a Pac-10 meet on Friday.
Men's gymnastics

Stanford grad Dave Durante and freshman David Sender were named to the United States national team following their performances at the Winter Cup in Las Vegas over the weekend.

Durante won the all-around title with a score of 53.815 on Friday, while Sender earned his spot by winning the vault on Saturday with a mark of 9.600. He recorded a 9.683 in the event during Friday's preliminaries.

The Cardinal travel to Berkeley to meet Cal and Ohio State on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Track and field

Stanford freshman Erica McClain set a school record with a 44-11 in the triple jump on Saturday at the New York Armory Invitational.

McClain, the three-time Texas state prep champion in the triple jump, bettered her own record from last week at the Boise Indoor Invitational, when she jumped 43-10 1/2.

She also went 19-2 1/4 in the long jump, seventh best in school history.

Janice Davis also set a school record, finishing fourth in the 200 meters with a time of 23.82. She also set the school record in the prelims of the 60 meters with a time of 7.32 on Friday.

Laura Mottaz won the 800 meters in 2:12.33.

Other top marks included Wopamo Osaisai, who ran 6.89 in the 60 meters, second all-time at Stanford. Nick Sebes' time of 47.37 in the 400 meters is also second all-time. The men's 1,600-meter relay team's time of 3:12.21 is third best at Stanford.

Katy Trotter raced 4:42.11 in the mile, the third-best all-time at Stanford, while the women's distance medley relay time of 11:07.71 is fourth-best.

Michael Garcia's time of 1:50.82 in the 800 meters is sixth-best in Cardinal indoor history. Adrianna Lambie's time of 4:44.29 in the mile is seventh-best in school history. Michael Macellari's mark of 53-6 1/2 in the shot put is eighth-best in school history, and Graeme Hoste's leap of 16-0 3/4 in the pole vault is ninth-best.
Wrestling

Stanford senior Matt Gentry saw his 64-match winning streak come to an end in Friday's 25-12 loss to visiting Fresno State.

He came back the next night to start another streak, though the Cardinal suffered a 27-12 loss to visiting Arizona State. Imad Kharbush and Josh Zupancic also won.

The defending national champion at 157 pounds, Gentry lost, 4-3 in overtime, to Fresno State's Jim Medeiros. He came back on Saturday to record a 4-1 decision over Sun Devils' Brian Stith.

Stanford hosts Cal Poly on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Burnham Pavilion.

At Saturday's California Collegiate Wrestling Invite in San Francisco, Stanford's Brian Perry (165) and Brennan Corbett (174) both took second place in their weight class.

Zupancic, Rafael Chavez (141), and Ryan Hagen (184) also won on Friday.
Men's volleyball

Stanford dropped a pair of matches to host Hawaii over the weekend.

The Cardinal (2-6, 3-8) were swept on Saturday after taking the MPSF leader Rainbow Warriors to five games on Friday night.

Matt Ceran had 11 digs on Friday and Kevin Hansen had 55 assists.
Women's soccer

Stanford added nine freshmen during the national letter-of-intent period, including Palo Alto senior Austinn Freeman.

Also signed were Marisa Abegg, Kelley Birch, Allison Falk, Austinn Freeman, Alex Gamble, Hillary Heath, Lea MacKinnon, Kate Mannino and Lauren Shapiro.

"We have signed nine exceptional student-athletes for our 2005 recruiting class," Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe said. "Each player will bring a special element to our team and complement our talented returners. We have very high expectations for this group of recruits because they have the ability to make an immediate impact."

Freeman holds the Vikings' school record for career assists, and is a two-time first team all-DAL selection. Freeman also helped her club team to the Futsal California state championship in 2003.

"Growing up in Palo Alto, I have seen countless Stanford women's soccer games and I have continually been in awe of the genuine talent and teamwork," Freeman said. "All the girls are unbelievably skilled, academically motivated and overall fun people. The coaches are motivating, experienced and down to earth. I cannot wait to contribute to the team and I cannot think of a more positive or competitive environment that will help me excel. I am definitely ready to be a Cardinal."
Men's soccer

Senior goalkeeper Robby Fulton and Stanford grad Andrew Terris were selected in the first-ever Major League Soccer supplemental draft on Friday. The San Jose Earthquakes drafted Fulton with the 18th overall pick in the second round, while Terris was chosen by D.C. United in the third round of the draft.

Fulton, who finished his Cardinal career ranked sixth on the program's all-time chart with 171 saves, joins former Stanford teammate James Twellman on the Earthquakes. Fulton posted a career goals against average of 0.89, the second lowest career GAA in program history.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.