Mike Montgomery returns to the Farm

The winningest coach in Stanford basketball history officially stepped back onto campus on Aug. 30, but not to correct players’ shooting form or run rebounding drills. Mike Montgomery returned to Cardinal Athletics, accepting a position as an assistant to Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby.

Montgomery, 60, went 393-167 in his 18 years at the helm of Stanford basketball, leading Stanford to a Final Four in 1998 and multiple Pac-10 titles over the last decade. He took the Cardinal to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 10 straight years before taking over as the Golden State Warriors’ head coach for two years starting in 2004.

“Mike Montgomery will be a tremendous asset to our program in a number of ways,” Bowlsby said. “His wealth of knowledge and experience as an 18-year coach at Stanford University is something from which the entire athletic department will benefit.”

As an assistant to Bowlsby, Montgomery will be responsible for much of Stanford’s fundraising and public relations, while providing a steady influence on many of the department’s coaches.

It is unclear what Montgomery’s involvement will be in the men’s basketball program, if any at all. Current coach Trent Johnson was an assistant for several years under Montgomery.

Candice Wiggins represents USA on senior team

Senior Candice Wiggins received the honor of representing the United States after she was named to the USA Senior Women’s Basketball team that plays two exhibition games against the 2006 World Championship gold medal-winner Australia. The first game took place on Sept. 16, and the second will take place tomorrow.

“I’m very excited about the opportunity to play for the USA Senior Women’s Basketball team, it has been a life-long dream of mine,” Wiggins said to GoStanford.com. “The experience of training with Team USA and playing at the senior international level is something I am looking forward to.”

“I am very excited that Candice has been invited to the US National Team Tryout,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer also added. “She is extremely talented, competitive and coachable. I have complete confidence that she can make valuable contributions to the team.”

Wiggins was one of five players added to the US roster, and the only collegiate one. The other four were the WNBA’s Rebekkah Brunson (Sacramento Monarchs), Asjha Jones (Connecticut Sun), Kara Lawson (Sacramento Monarchs) and Loree Moore (New York Liberty).

Field Hockey Starts Off Hot

Boasting a record of 6-0, the No. 19 Cardinal field hockey team is ranked for the first time in nearly six years. This is the first time that the program has been ranked since 2001.

The team has been led by senior midfielder Jess Zutz, who has six goals so far on the year to go along with her 14 total points. Zutz was instrumental in the Cardinal’s 2-1 upset of then-No. 9 Boston College on Aug. 25. She also had the game-winner in a 1-0 win over Longwood on Sept. 5.

“We are excited to break into the top-20 this week,” head coach Lesley Irvine said to GoStanford.com. “We have had an excellent start to the season, and it means a lot to be receiving national recognition.”

The Cardinal is in the midst of two weeks of rest; its next opponent will be rival Cal on Sept. 23.

Men’s Water Polo Falls in Semis of NorCal Open

The No. 4 Stanford men’s water polo concluded this past weekend with a fourth-place finish in the NorCal Open, which took place at UC-Berkeley.

The team finished the tournament in a disappointing manner, with consecutive losses to USC (9-5) and UCLA (13-9). Despite the performances of freshman driver Sage Wright (two goals against USC) and junior driver Andrew Drake (who earned a hat trick against the Bruins), the Cardinal did not have nearly enough firepower to match that of its Southern California rivals.

The two losses dropped the previously unbeaten Cardinal’s record to 3-2. Stanford resumes regular season action this Saturday against the Pacific Tigers at 12 p.m. The match will take place at the Avery Aquatic Center.

Cross Country Sweeps at Chico

Both the men’s and women's cross country teams started their seasons off well, sweeping the competition at the Sept. 8 Chico State Invite at the Lake Oroville Aquatic Center.

The men captured the Invite with a low score of 29, while the women followed suit with a tally of 28.

Cardinal freshman Justin Marpole-Bird led the men's team, completing the 8,000 meter course in a time of 26:20. His time was the best of the event for all collegiate entries.

For the women, senior Teresa McWalters won the 6,000 meters with a time of 20:57. The Cardinal had four other runners finish in the top six: senior Lindsay Allen (21:56), junior Alicia Follmar (21:56) and Madeleine OíMeara (22:07).

Stanford will not compete in another event until Sept. 29, when they will host the Stanford Invitational, to be held at the Stanford Golf Course.