STANFORD, Calif. – Eight former student-athletes and one head coach will be inducted into the 2018 Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame this week.
This year's group includes: men's golf coach Wally Goodwin, Kurt Grote from men's swimming, Gabe Jennings from men's track and field, Sara Lowe from synchronized swimming, Erica McLain from women's track and field, Josh Stein from men's gymnastics, Candice Wiggins from women's basketball, Kailee Wong from football, and Felicia Zimmermann from fencing.
Long-time groundskeeper Sam McDonald will receive special recognition.
The class will be recognized at Stanford's football game against USC on Saturday.
Wally Goodwin 1987-2000, Men's Golf Coach
Goodwin helped revive a struggling program and returned it to national prominence by recruiting Tiger Woods, Christian Cevaer, Notah Begay III, Casey Martin, Joel Kribel, Steve Burdick, William Yanagisawa and current head coach Conrad Ray. Goodwin led the Cardinal to the 1994 NCAA title, its first since 1953, by edging Texas on its home course. Stanford finished second in 1995, losing in a playoff to Oklahoma State. A two-time national Coach of the Year (1992, 1994) and two-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year, Goodwin guided the Cardinal to a pair of conference championships and produced seven All-Americans. Prior to arriving at Stanford, he spent six years as the head golf coach at Northwestern. Following his retirement from Stanford in 2000, Goodwin returned to coaching and started a Division I program at Northern Colorado (2003-07). In 2014, Stanford renamed the annual Stanford Intercollegiate to The Goodwin in his honor. Goodwin and his wife Nancy live in Idaho and have two sons and four grandchildren.
Kurt Grote '95, MD '00, Men's Swimming
A walk-on at Stanford who started swimming at age 14, Grote won the 200-yard breaststroke in 1994 and the 100 and 200-yard breaststrokes at the1995 NCAA Championships. He was co-captain of the 1994-95 team under head coach Skip Kenney. Grote captured six U.S. national titles, and competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, winning a gold medal on the 4x100-meter medley relay team, and finished sixth in the 100-meter breaststroke and eighth in the 200-meter breaststroke. He also competed in the 1998 World Championships, winning the 200-meter breaststroke. Having grown up with moderate-to-severe asthma, Grote worked with advocacy organizations and pharmaceutical companies to promote swimming as part of a treatment regimen for asthmatic children. He is a now senior leader in McKinsey & Company's Healthcare Systems & Services practice, and works with health systems in the U.S. and around the world to improve quality, service and performance.Grote graduated from Stanford in 1995 with a degree in English. He met his wife, Amy, during his freshmen year at Stanford. They have two children – Kellen (16) and Lucy (13).
Gabe Jennings '01, Men's Track and Field/Cross Country
One of the unique personalities in Stanford athletics history, Jennings was a 10-time All-American and four-time NCAA champion, and helped the Cardinal capture the 2000 NCAA outdoor track and field team crown, its first in 66 years. Jennings grew up in Forks of Salmon, a remote northwestern California community, majored in math and had a strong interest in music, playing the didgeridoo and the berimbau among other instruments. While a Stanford student-athlete, Jennings won the 2000 Olympic Trials in the 1,500 to earn passage to the Sydney Games. Jennings captured the NCAA outdoor title in the 1,500 and was twice runner-up. Jennings won NCAA indoor championships in the mile (2000) and twice in the distance medley relay (2000, 2001). He claimed three consecutive Pac-10 1,500 titles from 2000-02 and was the 1997 U.S. junior national cross country champion. His best collegiate times in the 800 (1:46.83) and 1,500 (3:35.21) remain No. 2 in Stanford history.
Sara Lowe '08, Synchronized Swimming
The most accomplished performer in program history, Lowe was a four-time All-American, four-time member of the USA Synchro National Team, and three-time member of the USA Synchro Junior National Team. Lowe won a gold medal at the 2003 Pan American Games and captured bronze at the 2004 Olympics. She was nominated for the USOC Sports Woman of the Year as a junior and senior at Stanford, and was twice named USA Synchronized Swimming Athlete of the Year. Lowe sparked Stanford to four consecutive U.S. Collegiate National Championships, earning the High Point Athlete award every year. She won a gold medal in every event at Stanford and was a three-time team captain. As a sophomore, Lowe received the Stanford Athletics Board "Block S" Outstanding Female Award. As a senior, she was chosen the SAB Female Athlete of the Year. Lowe graduated from Stanford with a degree in communication in 2008 and was appointed a Matteson Fellow. In 2013, she was named head coach of the Cardinal and led the team to its eighth national title. Later that year, Lowe was inducted into the United States Synchronized Swimming Hall of Fame. She guided Stanford to another national crown in 2016 and was named USA Synchro Coach of the Year for the second time. Lowe produced 33 All-Americans before retiring in June.
Erica McLain '08, Women's Track and Field
McLain owns the longest triple jump in collegiate history, with a wind-aided 47-10 ¾ that won the 2008 NCAA outdoor championship. In addition, her 2008 jump of 46-7 ¼ is the second-longest in collegiate indoor history, and she holds the Pac-12 record of 46-5 1/4. McLain earned 14 All-America honors, including all of a possible eight in the triple jump, indoors and outdoors. McLain captured three NCAA triple jump titles, including two indoors (2007, 2008) and had six NCAA triple jump finishes of first or second. She was top four at the NCAA Championships nine times, including three in the long jump. McLain is the only four-time conference triple jump champion in Pac-12 history and was a six-time Mountain Pacific Sports Federation indoor champ, with four titles in the triple jump and two in the long jump. The 2008 Olympian also was a three-time U.S. champion. She completed a dual degree in communication and studio art and earned an MBA from the Haas School of Business at Cal in 2015. McLain is a product manager for Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and lives in Palo Alto.
Josh Stein '95, Men's Gymnastics
An eight-time All-American, Stein is one of five in program history to receive the Nissen-Emery Award as top senior gymnast in the country (1995). Stein helped Stanford capture the program's first NCAA title in 1992, and was a key contributor on 1993 and 1995 national champion teams. The Cardinal finished runner-up in 1994. A native of Houston, Texas, he was a member of the 1995 U.S. World Championship Team and an alternate for the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team. Stein's specialty was the pommel horse, where he earned All-American honors in 1994 and 1995. He also was a two-time All-American in the all-around, placing second at the '94 NCAA Championships, and in floor exercise (1993, 1995). Additionally, Stein achieved All-American distinction on vault (1994) and the still rings (1995). He earned his MD degree at Weill Cornell Medical College. Stein is an orthopedic surgeon and lives in Tyler, Texas with his wife and three children.
Candice Wiggins '08, Women's Basketball
Recruited for basketball and volleyball, Wiggins emerged as one of the most prolific two-way guards in school history. She is the program's only four-time All-American and departed as the Pac-10's all-time leading scorer with 2,629 points. As a senior in 2008, Wiggins became the first woman in NCAA Tournament history to score at least 40 points twice, netting 44 against UTEP and 41 against Maryland. Wiggins received the Wade Trophy as the best women's player in Division I. A dynamic playmaker and shooter, she led the Cardinal to a 32-3 record in 2004-05 and was the first to claim Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year honors in what is now the Pac-12. As a sophomore, she buried 90 3-pointers and repeated as Pac-10 Player of the Year. She holds career records at Stanford for highest scoring average (19.2), 3-pointers made (295), free throws made (556) and steals (281), and ranks second in points and 11th in assists (436). Wiggins hit 16 free throws in a contest twice (T-1st) and made eight 3-pointers (T-3rd) once. She was the third overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx and also played for the Tulsa Shock, Los Angeles Sparks and New York Liberty. Wiggins made the All-Rookie team and won a WNBA crown in 2011, later playing professionally in Spain, Greece, Turkey and Israel. She earned a degree in communication, lives in San Diego, and wants to stay involved with sports as a mentor to young athletes.
Kailee Wong '98, Football
A relentless competitor, Wong earned first-team All-America accolades at defensive end in 1997, the first Stanford interior lineman to garner the honor in a decade. Wong was an All-Pac-10 first team performer in 1996 and 1997, and spent considerable time in opposing teams' backfields. His 54 career tackles for loss rank third in program history, and his 28 sacks rate fourth. In 1996, he racked up 24 tackles for loss and 14 sacks, which rank fourth and fifth, respectively, on Stanford's all-time list. He collected 22 tackles for loss (No. 7) and 12 sacks (No. 8) in 1997. Wong was the 51st player selected in the 1998 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. Converted to linebacker, he recorded 134 tackles in 2000 and played nine years as a pro. Wong finished with 500 tackles, 21.5 sacks and six interceptions. He lives in Houston with his wife and four children, and owns The Athletic Room, a sports fitness company.
Felicia Zimmermann '00, Fencing
Zimmermann is the only woman to win NCAA titles in foil (1998) and epee (1999). A team captain and Block S winner, she was known for her ability to out-think opponents and versatility with any weapon. Zimmermann captured four U.S. foil titles – only two women have won more – and was the first American fencer to claim the World Cup overall championship in under-20 category. She competed in the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics, helping the U.S. finish fourth in team foil in Sydney. In 2013, Zimmermann was inducted into the U.S. Fencing Hall of Fame. She lives in Egypt with her husband, Tamerzein. An accomplished pianist, she earned a degree in mechanical engineering, speaks three languages, and works as a management consultant. Zimmermann and her younger sister, Iris, who won an NCAA foil title for Stanford in 2001, are co-owners of the Rochester Fencing Club.
Sam McDonald, Special Recognition
A beloved figure on campus for 51 years (1903-54), the Monroe, Louisiana, native was superintendent of athletic grounds and buildings. He spent much of his free time volunteering at the Stanford Convalescent Home for Underprivileged Children, where he planted large gardens for the kids and barbecued. He was a friend to university presidents, professors, staff and student-athletes. Before his death in 1957, he wrote a book about his Stanford experiences called, "Sam McDonald's Farm." In his honor, a street between Angell Field and the Taube Family Tennis Center was named Sam McDonald Mall.
