Wopat and Howard take weekly Pac-12 volleyball honors.
After hitting a stunning .700 in two Stanford victories over the weekend, junior middle blocker Carly Wopat was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week. Freshman Brittany Howard was also selected as the freshman of the week, as the Cardinal solidified its No. 1 ranking and extended its winning streak to 20 matches.
In the road victories over Oregon State and Oregon, Wopat notched 22 kills and an impressive 13 total blocks<\p><\_><\p>nine against the then-No. 2 Ducks. She also improved her hitting percentage for the season to .405, which leads the Pac-12.
Howard also came up big for the Cardinal, posting a career-high 14 kills against the Beavers and chipping in 13 digs. Overall, the outside hitter finished the weekend with a .328 hitting percentage and 22 kills.
It was the fifth time this year a Stanford player has taken home the freshman of the week award, and the second time Wopat has taken home player of the week honors this season.
Sailing takes third and sixth in ICSA Singlehanded Championships.
Stanford’s sailing program earned its best finish at the ICSA Singlehanded Championships since 2006 with two men finishing inside the top six spots at last weekend’s regatta.
Sophomore Kieran Chung-Wolf finished third overall with 107 points, and junior Oliver Toole took sixth in the 18-person field at the U.S. Sailing Center in Long Beach, Calif.
Head coach John Vandemoer was particularly pleased with their performances given the quality of the field at the event this year.
“This was the deepest field I have ever seen at this regatta,” Vandemoer said. “Both Kieran and Oliver sailed extremely well and were in the battle from start to finish. Kieran ended up holding off last year’s champion for third, and Oliver beat last year’s runner-up for sixth and was very close to finishing fifth.
“To have both men in the top six is an amazing testament to our program’s depth and talent. Realizing that both Kieran and Oliver will be back next season makes it that much better.”
On the women’s side, junior McKenzie Wilson finished 13th and senior Rebecca King right behind in 14th.
Stanford will compete at the Pacific Coast Collegiate Conference Championships next weekend in the league’s dinghy competition in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Stanford men’s crew in action at Newport Autumn Rowing Festival.
The men’s varsity eight and frosh eight boats took to the water on Sunday at the Newport Autumn Rowing Festival in Newport Beach, Calif., with the frosh boat taking first place in its class and the varsity eight taking third.
Cal’s “A” entry won the varsity eight class, finishing the course in 13:11, with the Cardinal’s “A” team crossing the line just four seconds later. Stanford’s “B” entry took sixth in 13:49 and its “C” team 19th in 14:59.
“The focus of the Newport trip has always been on team. Being a good teammate and working together to put one another in the best position for success is paramount on this trip,” said Stanford head coach Craig Amerkhanian. “The racing went well with the varsity eight finishing just four seconds back of Cal. The frosh raced even with Cal also. All in all a strong team building experience for our young squad and a great chance to uphold one another on the road.”
Stanford will compete in the final race of the fall season next Sunday in the Head of the Lagoon event from Foster City, Calif.