For Quarterback, Two Perfect Outings
Behind the arm of fifth-year senior quarterback Randy Fasani, Stanford opened the 2001 football season 3-0 for the first time since 1986. With four touchdowns in a season-opening win against Boston College and four more to beat Arizona State on September 22, Fasani became the first Cardinal signal-caller since John Elway to throw four or more touchdown passes in back-to-back games. Fasani did not have a pass intercepted until September 29, against USC. He is a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, presented to the nation’s top senior quarterback.
Azevedo Makes a Splash
The man the media dubbed “the Michael Jordan of water polo” is living up to his reputation. In his first five games in Cardinal swim trunks, Tony Azevedo scored 18 goals, including three against second-ranked USC and another three against the two-time defending NCAA champion UCLA Bruins. Top-ranked Stanford won all five games. Azevedo, a redshirt freshman who was the youngest member of last year’s U.S. Olympic team, was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Week for his five goals in the 12-9 Cardinal victory over UC-Irvine on September 23.
Victory on Their Home Turf
The men’s and women’s cross country teams, both ranked second in the nation, swept the short- and long-course team competitions at the Stanford Invitational on September 28, when more than 90 college teams fielded some 4,500 participants. Fifth-year senior Grant Robison and freshman Alicia Craig placed first in the 4,000-meter short course. In the long-course competition—8,000 meters for men and and 6,000 for women—four runners from the men’s team finished in the top 10, and the women took five of the top eight places. The Cardinal teams also won meets at Cal State-Fullerton, Arizona State and the University of Maine.
Kicking Off the Season with 7 Wins
With eight starters returning from last year, the women’s soccer team racked up three big wins—against Texas A&M, 4-2, Texas, 2-1, and Florida, 3-2—on an opening 17-day road trip, boosting their NSCAA/Adidas national ranking from 16 to 7. Junior Marcia Wallis, who scored the game-winning goal in sudden-death overtime at Florida, was named Pac-10 Player of the Week on September 5. Back in California, Stanford racked up four additional wins, over Fresno State, 2-1, Dayton, 6-0, San Diego State, 2-1, and Southern Methodist, 4-0, then lost to Santa Clara, 2-1. Despite the defeat, the Cardinal appeared ready for a challenging Pac-10 season under second-year head coach Andy Nelson.
