Trips to NCAA finals Trips to NCAA finals (November 11, 2005)at stake in cross country

by Rick Eymer

With their sights set on possible national titles, both the men's and women's cross country teams take to the Stanford Golf Course on Saturday for the NCAA West Regional intent on securing one of the two automatic bids to the championship race in Indiana later this month.

The fourth-ranked men's team will be going for its 11th straight West Region title when the Cardinal line up for the 10,000-meter race at 11 a.m.

The second-ranked women aim for their seventh straight regional title. The 6,000- meter women's race begins at 12:15 p.m.

The top two teams receive automatic bids to the NCAA championships, scheduled for Nov. 21 at the Lavern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute. Another 13 teams will receive at-large bids.

For the men, redshirt sophomore Neftalem Araia is the top returning finisher for the Cardinal. He ran third at the regional last season and then earned All-American honors after finishing eighth at the NCAA race, also held in Terre Haute.

Redshirt junior Jonathon Pierce ran 10th at the regional but finished in the middle of the pack at the championship race.

Senior David Vidal and redshirt junior Brett Gotcher also competed in both the regional and national races last year as Stanford finished sixth, its lowest finish in 10 years.

Araia, Pierce and Gotcher all finished in the top 10 at the Pac-10 championships in Tucson on Oct. 29. Vidal and redshirt junior Jacob Gomez also scored for Stanford.

Menlo-Atherton grad Jeremy Mineau will be competing for Washington, ranked 29th in the nation. Other top teams include ninth-ranked Arizona, No. 13 Portland and No. 24 Cal Poly.

The Stanford women, who finished fifth in the NCAAs last year, lost their three top runners to graduation but still have plenty of experience back. With six runners who have raced in NCAA competition on the squad, the Cardinal are poised to make a run for the national title.

Both the men and women's teams won national titles in 2003. The men have won four titles overall and the women have won twice.

Redshirt sophomore Teresa McWalters is Stanford's top returning finisher. She ran fifth at the regional race and 46th at the national race. Junior Katy Trotter was seventh and 60th respectively.

Redshirt sophomore Arianna Lambie missed last year to rest a stress reaction problem. She did race when Stanford won the 2003 title, finishing 24th and earning All-American honors.

Junior Amanda Trotter, sophomore Shannon Bergstedt and sophomore Lauren Centrowitz also have postseason experience.

Redshirt freshman Lindsay Flacks helps give Stanford an edge. She finished third in the 10,000 meters at last year's Pac-10 Track and Field championships and was a finalist in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA West Regional. She competed for the United States Junior cross country team which competed in the World championships over the summer.

Lambie won the Pac-10 individual title while Flacks finished third. McWalters was fifth.

Gunn High grad Tori Tyler was Washington's top runner at the Pac-10s, finishing eighth. She'll be running on a familiar course Saturday.
Women's volleyball

Stanford, which will host a NCAA regional later in the month, can help itself secure one of the top seeds with a win over sixth-ranked Arizona today at 7 p.m. in Maples Pavilion.

The third-ranked Cardinal (10-3, 21-4) has a tenuous grip on second place in the Pac-10, three games behind conference leader Washington. Arizona (9-3, 17-4) and USC are both within a half-game of Stanford entering play this weekend.

Stanford was favored to beat visiting Arizona State on Thursday night.

The Cardinal hasn't been able to play its projected preseason starting rotation at all this season because of injuries to several players, including returning starters Bryn Kehoe and Lizzie Suiter and high school Player of the Year Cynthia Barboza.

Barboza is finished for the year, while Kehoe could return in time for the NCAA tournament. Suiter hasn't been at full strength yet.

Senior setter Katie Goldhahn recorded a career high in assists during Stanford's four-game win over host Washington State last weekend. Goldhahn was Stanford's regular setter for most of her first two years, and became a defensive specialist when Kehoe emerged last season.

Goldhahn gives the Cardinal experience at the key position as they enter the final weeks of regular season. She has 1,899 career assists, eight best in program history.

Defense has been a key for Stanford all year. Goldhahn and fellow senior Courtney Schultz have led a solid effort all year. Only top-ranked Nebraska and No. 2 Washington have hit better than .300 against Stanford, and the Cardinal have held opponents to less than .100 on nine occasions.
Women's soccer

Stanford (10-6-3) opens in the NCAA tournament today at 7:30 p.m. against Saint Louis (15-4) at Santa Clara's Buck Shaw Stadium.

No. 10 Santa Clara and Fresno State meet at 5 p.m. in the other first round match. The winners meet in the second round on Sunday at 1 p.m., also at Santa Clara.

The 22nd-ranked Cardinal is making its eighth straight trip to the postseason, and 15th in the past 16 years. Stanford is 12-12-3 in postseason play.

The Billikens, undefeated in eight regular-season conference matches, won the Atlantic 10 tournament to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. It will be the first ever meeting between Stanford and Saint Louis.

Senior Martha West leads Stanford with eight points on three goals and two assists. Senior Leah Tapscott, who has been limited to eight games because of a foot injury, also has three goals, as does Lizzie George. Tapscott could return to action as soon as today.

Stanford has only scored 20 goals as a team but has allowed a mere 15, with senior co-captains Hayley Hunt and Lindsey Hunt anchoring the defense. Freshman Alex Gamble has seen the most time in the goal for the Cardinal, but sophomore Erica Holland has been playing a lot recently as injuries have sidetracked Gamble.

Saint Louis, making its first ever appearance in the NCAA tournament, posted a pair of shutouts en route to the Atlantic-10 tournament title, beating Dayton and Rhode Island each by 1-0.

It will be a homecoming of sorts for Saint Louis Athletic Director Cheryl Levick, who was an associate athletic director under Ted Leland at Stanford, and served as Athletic Director at Santa Clara before taking over at her alma mater.

Both teams make it hard to score, as the Billikens boost a GAA of 0.73, while the Cardinal are at 0.76.
Men's water polo

Fourth-ranked Stanford (4-2, 15-5) hosts 14th-ranked UC Santa Barbara (0-5, 12-14) on Saturday at noon in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match.

The Cardinal own the best home record (7-0) in the conference while the Gauchos are the only team without a road victory.
Men's basketball

Stanford hosts Division II Cal Poly Pomona in its final tuneup of the exhibition season on Saturday at 1 p.m.

The Cardinal, ranked 13th in AP's preseason poll, open the regular season next Saturday with a home game against UC Irvine at 12 p.m.

Cal Poly, which recorded its third consecutive 20-win season last year, lost to the Anteaters in its exhibition opener. Stanford beat Division II Sonoma State last weekend.
Women's basketball

Stanford hosts Love and Basketball in its only exhibition game of the year on Sunday at 2 p.m.

The 11th-ranked Cardinal open their regular season against Long Island in the first round of the Minnesota tournament next Saturday.
Men's soccer

Stanford (1-6-2, 4-10-3) plays its final match of the season against California (5-3-1, 12-3-2) on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Berkeley.

The Cardinal will be looking for their first win against Cal since 2001.
Men's swimming

Hongzhe Sun won two events and Andy Grant won an event on Wednesday at the Stanford Triple Distance Meet against visiting California.

Sun raced to victory in the 100 back in 48.35, and the 200 back in 1:51.94. Grant won the 200 free in 1:38.11.
Women's golf

Stanford opens against seventh-seeded Tennessee today at the Collegiate Match Play Championships at the Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.

The tournament runs through Sunday.
Men's golf

Stanford opens against second-seeded Oklahoma State today at the Collegiate Match Play Championships at the Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.

The tournament runs through Sunday.
Sailing

The Stanford Women won the Pac Coast Fall Championship last weekend at the Mission Bay Yacht Club in San Diego, helping to determine Stanford's in-district ranking, and, therefore, its spring schedule.

Sophomores Evan Brown and Carrie Denning placed third in the A-Division, while junior Caroline Young and sophomore Sarah Schoknecht won the B-Division.

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