After 20 Years, a Season Without Shaw
For the first time in 20 years, Don Shaw won't be consulting his clipboard on the sidelines when the women's volleyball team takes the court this fall. The winningest coach in NCAA women's volleyball history, Shaw announced in April that he will take a nine-month leave of absence to care for family members. Shaw, who has led the Cardinal to four NCAA championships during his 14 years as head coach, is expected to return in January 2001. Associate head coach Denise Corlett will step in as interim head coach in his absence. Corlett served as an assistant coach for eight years before being promoted after the team won its national championship in 1996.
For Football, Two Stellar Recruits
Fresh from its first Rose Bowl appearance in 28 years, Stanford's football team has snared 14 new recruits, including nine All-Americans. One of those is Kwame Harris, a 6-foot-7-inch, 320-pound left tackle from Newark, Del., who is considered the best offensive-lineman recruit in the country. Cardinal coach Tyrone Willingham also landed Teyo Johnson, a 6-foot-7-inch, 256-pound quarterback from San Diego. Johnson, whose brother is current Cardinal senior Riall Johnson, will also play basketball at Stanford. Some scouts consider him the top two-sport recruit in the nation.
Synchronized Swimmers Sink to Second
For two years, Stanford's synchronized swimmers dominated their sport and came home with national titles. But this March, facing Ohio State on the Buckeyes' home turf proved to be too much. The Cardinal ended the Collegiate National Championships with 89 points, finishing second behind Ohio State, which earned 95 points. One bright spot was junior Shannon Montague's first-place finish in the solo finals. Montague and teammate Julie Enos, a senior, also placed second in the duet final. Six of Stanford's athletes were named All-Americans.
Foiling the Competition on the Farm
Senior Felix Reichling seized the home-court advantage and successfully defended his title in the foil at the fencing championships held on the Farm in March. Reichling fought his way past Ozren Debic of Notre Dame, 15-10, to win the event for the second year in a row. Other Stanford men, including freshman Robert Owens, who finished seventh in the sabre, completed the team's strong showing. The Stanford women -- led by senior Monique de Bruin, who took second in the women's foil -- also put up points to help the combined team to its fourth-place finish. Penn State took first place, and Notre Dame and St. John's tied for second.
