July 29, 2012
Stanford Olympic Page
Official London 2012 Olympic Page
STANFORD, Calif. - The second full day of Olympic competition in London ended very well for Stanford's contingent, as Cardinal athletes contributed to successed on the soccer pitch, in the water polo pool and on the water in rowing.
In Women's Gymnastics action...
During the team qualification round, Kristina Vaculik and her Canada team earned the eighth and final spot for Tuesday's final with a score of 167.696. The final begins Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. PT
It was a historic performance for Canada, which advanced to the team final for the first time in a non-boycotted Olympics and it guarantees its highest team finish ever among a full field of teams.
Vaculik, who will be a sophomore at Stanford this fall, placed 32nd in the all-around, scoring 53.566, though it wasn't enough to advance her into the individual event competitions. Vaculik's best scores came on the uneven bars (14.366) and vault (14.100). She also scored 13.800 on the floor exercise and 11.300 on the balance beam.
In Equestrian action...
Nina Ligon tied for 48th in the dressage on the opening round of the individual equestrian competition. Ligon, an incoming Stanford freshman and representing Thailand, scored 53.90.
The competition continues with cross-country on Monday and jumping on Tuesday.
In Women's Rowing action...
Elle Logan kept the U.S. eight's run for a repeat Olympic title on track, helping the U.S. boat to a heat-winning time of 6:14.68 over Australia, Great Britain and Germany.
"As NBC's rowing analyst, it's my job to be impartial when I call the races, so I have to mentally separate myself from the fact that Elle put in four incredible years here at Stanford and truly just call the race for what it is," said Stanford women's rowing head coach Yasmin Farooq. "That said, once the boat crossed the line with a decisive win, I felt a great sense of pride, for her and for Stanford. Now, if you asked me to put my impartial NBC analyst hat back on, I'd have to say that the United States showed that they are a force to be reckoned with and they really rowed a passionate race. The final is going to be very exciting."
The win advances Logan and the U.S. eight to Thursday's Gold Medal Final, set for 4:30 a.m. PT (12:30 p.m. local time).
The U.S. is joined in the final by heat two winner Canada. The last four boats in the final will be determined by Tuesday's repechage.
In Men's Soccer action...
Ryan Nelsen captained the New Zealand soccer team to a 1-1 draw with Egypt Sunday morning. The All Whites got on the board first with a Chris Wood goal off a corner kick, but Egypt equalized in the 40th minute on a counterattack.
Nelsen has helped the New Zealand defense to just two goals allowed in two games, but after earning just one point in the first two games, it will be difficult for the All Whites to advance to the quarterfinals.
The All Whites next face Brazil who already has six points and is the tournament favorite.
In Men's Water Polo action...
The U.S. men, featuring the Stanford quartet of captain Tony Azevedo, Layne Beaubien, Peter Hudnut and Peter Varellas, opened their Olympic tournament with an 8-7 win over Montenegro Sunday.
Varellas led all players with a hat trick, while Beaubien and Azevedo each scored once as Stanford's men accounted for five of the eight U.S. goals.
Beaubien and Varellas scored consecutive goals in the final three minutes of the first half to break a 2-2 tie and give the U.S. a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the way.
Varellas added a goal in the third to get the U.S. lead back to three at 6-3. In the fourth period, Varellas added his third to get the U.S. lead back up to two at 7-5, and after Montenegro cut it to one, Azevedo netted his first of the tournament to make it 8-6 U.S. with 57 seconds left.
The Americans, 1-0 in Group B play, take on Romania Tuesday at 11:40 a.m. PT (7:40 p.m. local time).