The Farm Report: April 29The Farm Report: April 29
Athletics

The Farm Report: April 29

A weekly recap of all things Stanford Athletics, featuring top stories and key highlights from the past week.

MPSF Champions Crowned

MPSF Champions Crowned

                      

Ryann Neushul’s go-ahead overtime goal completed a hat trick, powering No. 2 Stanford past No. 1 UCLA 11-9 on Sunday afternoon in the final of the MPSF Championship.

Stanford (22-1, 5-1 MPSF) captured its eighth MPSF title and third in the past four seasons after repeating in 2022-23. The Cardinal also won the MPSF championship in 2014, 2006, 2003, 2001 and 2000.

Sweeping its third meeting this season against UCLA, Stanford has locked up the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Championship, which gets underway in two weeks. There have been three seasons in which the Cardinal has won both the MPSF and NCAA titles (2014, 2022, 2023).

2025 MPSF Beach Volleyball Champions Web

Stanford Wins Inaugural MPSF Championship

      

No. 3 Stanford captured its first-ever conference title on Friday, edging No. 5 USC 3-2 in the MPSF Championship match to win the league’s inaugural tournament at Spiker Beach in Huntington Beach, Calif.

The clinching point came from Stanford’s No. 3 pair, freshman Charlotta Bell and junior Kelly Belardi, who rallied for a come-from-behind win over USC’s Mabyn Thomas and Maya Gessner, 18-21, 21-13, 15-9. Their victory sealed the Cardinal’s historic first conference crown.

With the win, Stanford earned an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Championship, set for May 2–4 in Gulf Shores, Ala.

FB Ayomanor used for draft story on 4-25-25

Ayomanor Lands with Titans

              

Stanford wide receiver Elic Ayomanor was drafted Saturday by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round with the 136th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. He becomes the 282nd Cardinal to be drafted and the 57th since 2010, the fourth most among ACC schools.

Over two years, the Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada native caught 125 passes for 1,844 yards and 12 touchdowns, leading the team in all receiving categories during that span. Twice, Ayomanor was named all-conference, including Stanford’s first All-ACC honoree in 2024, and he was named the 2023 recipient of the Jon Cornish Trophy, given to the best NCAA football player from Canada.

1V8 vs. Virginia 4.13.25 Web

No. 2 Stanford Tops No. 1 Texas

    

No. 2 Stanford made a splash against No. 1 Texas at the shortened Longhorn Invite on Lake Walter E. Long on Saturday, earning wins over the reigning national champion in all NCAA Championships scoring boat races.

The planned two-day event was condensed into a one-day regatta due to inclement weather in the Austin area. Stanford raced once on Friday, defeating UCF and Oklahoma in the second varsity eight by nearly 13 seconds. All other scheduled races against the Knights and Sooners were canceled. 

Saturday’s competition saw the Cardinal defeat the host Longhorns in all but one race, recording victories in the varsity four, second varsity eight, and varsity eight events.

Card Takes Series Win Over No. 25 Virginia

Card Takes Series Win Over No. 25 Virginia

                 

Game 1:

No. 15 Stanford picked up a key ACC win tonight, erasing an early lead to walk off No. 25 Virginia 4-3. The Cardinal moves to 34-9 (12-7) on the season with the win, including 20-3 at Stanford Stadium.

With the score tied and Jones on second, Berry smacked a ball on the ground that resulted in an error. By the time Virginia had recovered the ball, Jones had already slid into home and started celebrating with her teammates.

Game 3:

The No. 15 Cardinal picked up a big ACC series win, shutting out No. 25 Virginia Sunday to win 2-0 and move to 35-10 (13-8) on the season. Alyssa Houston and Kylie Chung combined for the two-hit shutout in the circle, striking out six.

Stanford was held hitless through the first three innings of play, but all the offense needed came in the bottom of the fourth.

Card Finishes Fourth

Card Finishes Fourth

     

Stanford sailing wrapped the first of the four ICSA national championships on Saturday afternoon, finishing in fourth place at the ICSA Open Team Race Championships. 

The Cardinal finished the weekend with a 14-11 record, using a strong showing on the final day of competition to jump into the top flour of the team standings. Harvard was named Open Team Race champions with a 20-5 record, followed by Yale (19-6) and Roger Williams (18-7). 

“Qualifying for the Final Four is a major accomplishment and we should all be proud of the work and execution it took to get there," head coch Chris Klevan said.

 

Barta's Debut Highlights Payton Jordan

Barta's Debut Highlights Payton Jordan

       

Sydney Barta became the first Paralympian to compete for the Stanford track and field team when she raced in the 200 meters on Friday at the Payton Jordan Invitational.

Racing in the second of two heats, Barta finished in 27.75 in the rain at Cobb Track and Angell Field. Moments after crossing the finish line, Barta was greeted by hugs and a bouquet of flowers.

On Friday, Barta made her collegiate debut. She is the American record-holder at 200 for Paralympians in the T64 classification at 26.87.

Overall, Stanford athletes combined for 10 personal records, including winning marks in the men’s 100 by Olufemi Cole (10.57), and the 400 hurdles by Joseph Bailey (53.16).

Overall, Stanford athletes combined for 10 personal records, including winning marks in the men’s 100 by Olufemi Cole (10.57), and the 400 hurdles by Joseph Bailey (53.16).

FB action photo of Braden Marceau-Olayinka used 4-16-25

Spring Ball 2025 – Week 4

    

 The first spring in the new era of Stanford football has concluded, with the final four spring practices taking place this past week. 15 practices scattered over four weeks in April are over, and improvement was clear from practice one through practice 15.

As spring progressed, there became clear signs as to what this year’s version of the Stanford Cardinal is going to be. This team is going to be physical. This team is going to be fast. This team is going to be aggressive. This team is going to be all-in on being there for each other.

At the end of the week, Coach Reich addressed the team after practice with what he liked from that week’s sessions. That is typical following all practices with Coach Reich, but it had a different energy level than normal. There was an additional fire in his voice, and a palpable excitement reverberated throughout the huddle.

“The first few weeks, there were some ups and downs as we figured things out. This last week, these four practices? We absolutely crushed it!” he exclaimed to the team. “[Andrew] Luck challenged us on Monday, he got after us a little bit, and you guys responded. You came out here to work for four days with monster preparation.”

The TreeCast Episode 230: Spring Football in Fourth Quarter

The TreeCast Episode 230: Spring Football in Fourth Quarter

                    

The final week of Stanford's spring football session is underway! We head inside the locker room and get the latest with Cardinal WR C.J. Williams, a senior transfer who comes to The Farm from Wisconsin. Redshirt sophomore Jenna Flynn looks back on her experience competing for Team USA in Paris last year. Plus, some of Frank Reich's latest football thoughts and a wrap of Stanford Softball's Big Swing.

Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, or listen directly in the GoStanford app!

Smoothies x Spring Ball | Episode 4