Sports Shorts Sports Shorts (September 27, 2002)

TAKING THE PLUNGE . . . Stanford will host the U.S. National Synchronized Swimming Championships on April 24-May 1, 2004 at the Avery Aquatic Center. The championships will serve as an important stepping stone for the Olympic Qualifying Open which occur in Athens, Greece two weeks later. Stanford has finished first or second in the U.S. Collegiate rankings each of the past five seasons. The bid was presented by Stanford head coach Heather Olson and assistant coach Shannon Montague.

GOLF TOURNAMENTS . . . The 16th annual Friends of Stanford Baseball Golf Tournament will be held on Monday, Oct. 14 at the Stanford Golf Course beginning with a shotgun start at 11:15 a.m. Lunch is available at 10:15 a.m. Cost is $225. A downloadable registration form is available at the Stanford web site . . . The City of Palo Alto Men's and Women's Senior Golf Championships will be held Tuesday at the Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course. The event will feature many of the top golfers, age 50 and older, from the surrounding communities..

MENLO COMECOMING . . . As part of this year's Menlo College homecoming festivities, Menlo College will celebrate its 75th anniversary with a Diamond Jubilee celebration on Saturday, Oct. 5 following the Oaks football game against Whittier College. Homecoming activities begin Friday, Oct. 4 with a reception at 7 p.m. to honor past Athletic Hall of Fame inductees, including two-time NCAA tennis champion Caroline Bodart. An alumni soccer game will be held on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 10 a.m. leading up to the football game. The public is invited to participate. Tickets are $35 and include the reception and bonfire, tailgate BBQ, football game, dinner and entertainment. For more information, or to make a reservation, contact Dorothy Skala at (650) 543-3930 or e-mail at dskala@menlo.edu.

THE FIGHTING KNIGHTS . . . The Palo Alto Junior Midgets hope to keep their perfect record intact when the Pop Warner football team travels to Santa Clara for a game on Sunday at 2:15 p.m. at Townsend Field for a game against the Santa Clara Lions. The Junior Midgets (3-0) defeated East Bay of Oakland, 33-8, at Menlo College last Sunday as Thomas Evans, Evan Warner and Robert Bow all scored touchdowns. Evans also intercepted a pair of passes. Four other Knights teams will travel to Santa Clara on Sunday, with the Mighty Mites playing at 9 a.m. at Townsend Field, followed by the Junior Pee Wees at 10:45 a.m., the Pee Wees at 12:30 p.m. and the Midgets at 4 p.m.

OF LOCAL NOTE . . . Participants in the Moonlight Run who finished among the top three in their respective divisions and haven't picked up their medal can contact Nikki McDonald at the Palo Alto Weekly . . . Menlo-Atherton High is looking to fill coaching positions in the following sports: girls' frosh-soph softball, head track and field coach, girls JV lacrosse, girls' varsity lacrosse, boys JV lacrosse, boys varsity lacrosse. Interested parties can contain M-A Athletic Director Pam Wimberly at (650) 322-5311, ext. 5706 . . . The United States men's water polo team, minus Stanford sophomore Tony Azevedo, but plus Menlo coach Jack Bowen, who serves as an assistant, lost in a shootout to Pro Recco, the Italian Professional League champions, at the George Delacorte Olympic pool in New York City on Tuesday. The score was tied, 7-7, following regulation play. Former Stanford star Wolf Wigo scored a goal for the Americans.