Sports Shorts

If all the Stanford-affiliated folks had marched into the Athens Olympic Stadium behind a Cardinal flag, they could have formed their own national team. At least 34 athletes associated with the Farm were winging their way toward Greece at press time, including eight U.S. water polo players, four swimmers, three rowers, three volleyball players and several members of the track and field team, as well as athletes representing the Bahamas, Canada, Austria and Luxembourg. The Stanford contingent also included head U.S. men’s tennis coach Patrick McEnroe, Richard Quick, the U.S. assistant coach for swimming; and John Rittman, U.S. assistant coach for softball . . . . Swimmer Tara Kirk was named the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year in June—the first Stanford student-athlete to be so honored. The winner of the Honda-Broderick Cup is chosen from 12 U.S. women athletes voted most outstanding in their respective college sports. A native of Bremerton, Wash., Kirk won 11 NCAA crowns during her Stanford career and set the world record for the 100-meter breaststroke (short course) . . . . Stanford has received yet another Directors’ Cup for having the best Division I collegiate athletics program in the country. This marks the tenth straight year Stanford has won the crystal trophy, presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the United States Sports Academy and USA Today. During the past year, the Cardinal placed a total of 13 teams in the nation’s Top 10, including women’s tennis (first); men’s and women’s cross-country (first); men’s swimming and diving (second); women’s gymnastics and softball (third); women’s basketball, women’s swimming and diving, and men’s tennis (fifth); women’s outdoor track and field (sixth); men’s gymnastics (seventh); women’s volleyball (ninth) and fencing (tenth).