May 10, 2010
STANFORD, Calif.- The Stanford field hockey program held its annual awards banquet on Friday, May 7, in front of approximately 100 people at the Stanford Stadium Skybox.
Among the award winners: sophomore Stephanie Byrne receiving the Most Inspirational Player award, redshirt freshman Katie Mitchell earning the Most Improved Player award and junior Xanthe Travlos collecting the Most Valuable Player honor.
Seniors Rachel Bush, Jennifer Luther, Rachel Mozenter, Marlana Shile, Nora Soza and Midori Uehara each gave speeches following the awards session, sharing memories from their four-year careers and offering thanks to those in attendance.
There was also a strong alumni turnout at the banquet, which served as the official kick-off for Alumni Weekend, highlighted by a 7v7 tournament on Saturday afternoon and a golf outing on Sunday.
Stanford (17-5, 5-1 NorPac) enjoyed its best season in program history in 2009, establishing a school record with 17 victories. The Cardinal captured the NorPac Tournament championship for the third straight season and remained a fixture in the national rankings for more than two months. Stanford won its second NCAA Play-In game in three seasons and reached the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in school history. Stanford's record-setting season was due in large part to its high-powered offense, as the Cardinal established single-season school records in goals (87), assists (60), points (234) and shots (410).