New Haven, CT — Stanford University was named the winner of the 2013 Chaffee Award.
The award, which is named for former Williams coach Clarence C. Chaffee, has been presented annually since 1987 to the coach whose team best demonstrates these qualities. Coaches discuss with their teams which team they feel is deserving of this award. Coaches then vote on the award at the National Team Championships, with each team getting one vote. This year’s award was presented at the 2013 Women’s National Team Championships, which were hosted by Yale University.
The award was presented to Stanford head coach Mark Talbott along with assistant coach Richard Elliott and senior captains Pamela Chua, Julie Koenig, and Kerrie Sample.
At the beginning of the season, Talbott extolled the team’s good-natured attitude and Stanford’s beautiful campus. “It’s a great environment,” he said. “We have the most fun and sun on the most beautiful campus.” That spirit and sunshine translated into a good-natured attitude that pervaded the team.
Stanford finished the season ranked seventh in the nation this year and posted an 11-7 record along the way. The team made multiple cross-country trips to play in round robins on the East Coast, racking up more frequent flier miles than any other varsity squad. After a close 4-5 loss to Cornell in the consolation semifinals at the 2013 Women’s National Team Championships, the Cardinal went out with a 9-0 win over Brown.
Before the final match with Brown, Stanford was presented with the 2013 Chaffee Award during team introductions. It was a banner day for the Cardinal: Chua also received the 2013 Richey Award, and she, Koenig, and Sample were all recognized as Scholar Athletes. The three seniors are proof that high quality play, academic achievement, and sportsmanship can all go hand-in-hand with fun, and together the trio set an example that their teammates have embraced.
This marked the first time Stanford has been recognized with the Chaffee Award.
