500 Wins for the Coach, a Ranking for the Team
After capturing his 500th coaching win against the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in December, men’s basketball head coach Mike Montgomery led the Cardinal to upsets over two highly ranked opponents in January. Stanford held No. 12 Oregon to 33 percent shooting and outrebounded the Ducks 45-26 in an 81-57 win, then stunned No. 1 Arizona on the Wildcats’ home court, 82-77. The Cardinal came back two days later to eke out a 58-57 win over Arizona State, lifting the team to a 16-5 record (7-2 in the Pac-10) and a No. 25 ranking heading into February.
After 21 Dual Meets, Gentry Still Undefeated
Sophomore wrestler Matt Gentry captured his 10th dual-meet win of the season and the 21st consecutive dual-meet victory of his career by defeating Cal State-Bakersfield’s Brian Cobb, 8-6, on January 26. The following week, the 157-pounder, who has not lost a dual-meet match since January 2002, took second place at the All Cal Invitational at San Francisco State. The Cardinal was 3-10 (1-4 in the Pac-10) heading into its final dual meets against UC-Davis and Fresno State.
Somersaulting to Early-Season Victories
The men’s and women’s gymnastics teams, ranked fourth and eighth respectively at press time, opened the season with wins at home. The men’s squad beat Cal 212.75 to 211.10, outscoring the Golden Bears on the pommel horse, rings and vault, with senior Marshall Erwin, the 2002 NCAA champion, continuing his dominance on rings. The Cardinal women won their January 31 meet with a team score of 196.575, besting Oregon State’s 196.275, San Jose State’s 193.425 and Seattle Pacific’s 187.825. “I think we are in a perfect spot for this time of the season,” said women’s head coach Kristen Smyth.
The NFL Draft Claims Two
Bob Whitfield was first, in 1991. Then, in December, two-sport star Teyo Johnson became the second Cardinal football player to leave school early for the NFL. A month later, Kwame Harris—the Pac-10’s top offensive lineman in 2002 and an honorable mention All-American—became the third. Johnson, ’04, who had two years of collegiate eligibility remaining in both football and basketball, told the San Jose Mercury News, “I’m ready to test my skills at the next level.” Harris, ’04, will skip his senior season, saying, “My heart yearns for the challenges of the NFL.” Both expect to be selected in April’s draft, and both plan to return to Stanford someday to complete their degrees. The football program had some good news, too. In early February, head coach Buddy Teevens announced a recruiting class that ESPN rated among the top 20 in the nation.
