In the latest issue of The Bootleg
Magazine, we released the 30 finalists for The Bootleg Honor Roll
award for the 2007/2008 school-year.
The criteria are as follows:
Each academic year, The Bootleg's Honor Roll will
recognize the top ten Stanford student-athletes who have performed at an
exceptional level, with athletic accomplishments that are both extraordinary and
inspirational. While achieving athletic success, these athletes should
also have displayed uncommon leadership, sportsmanship and respect towards their
fellow teammates and opponents. Finally, these honorees' performances and
actions should also demonstrate their love for their particular sport as well as
their school pride, the famed “Spirit of Stanford.”
During the months of June and July, we are releasing the 10
winners of this prestigious award, one by one. We have previously
recognized baseball’s Jason Castro, gymnastics’ David Sender and swimming’s
Julia Smit and Paul Kornfeld as amongst this year’s winners. Our fifth announced
member of The Bootleg's 2007-08 Honor Roll is soccer defender Rachel
Buehler.
Honor Roll Winner: Rachel
Buehler
Rachel Buehler is one of our most well-rounded Honor Rollees
in this 2007-08 class. For while her athletic accomplishments are phenomenal,
it’s her work off the pitch that’s won national awards, sets her up for a bright
future, and earns her a coveted spot on our Honor Roll.
First, let’s not sell Buehler short athletically. The
fifth-year senior was called up to the U.S. National Team in February, and,
though she has logged just 11 caps (soccer lingo for games played), she was
named to the U.S. Olympic team a few weeks ago. Some of Stanford’s most
decorated athletes, for example Candice Wiggins, won’t have the honor of
representing the U.S. in Beijing. For Buehler to make the cut, despite having
just 11 games under her belt, is equally incredible.
On the National team, Buehler has been dominant, as the
U.S. won the Peace Queen Cup, the Algarve Cup, and the CONCACAF Women's
Olympic Qualifying tournament to enter the Olympics as one of the heavy
favorites. As a defender, Buehler doesn’t rack up the statistics of her
teammates, but thanks to her contributions, the National team is allowing fewer
than a goal per game, just like Stanford allowed 0.74 goals (and recorded nine
shutouts) this past season.
Speaking of which, Buehler earned First Team
All-Pac-10 honors and made the All-American Second Team for the
second straight year, after helping Stanford finish 15-3-5
and reach the Sweet 16 this past season as a senior. Buehler, a Stanford captain
for her last three years, was one of only two Cardinal to make an All-American
team. She was also a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy, awarded to the women’s
soccer National Player of the Year, after her junior year. But it was after her
senior season when the accolades truly started to pile up.
Most impressively, Buehler was one of eight NCAA
athletes (along with Ben Wildman-Torbriner, Oregon football star Dennis Dixon
and Nebraska volleyball star Sarah Pavan, among others) to earn the NCAA Top
VIII Award, the NCAA’s top award for athletic success, academic achievement and
community service. Buehler earned it, graduating in December 2007 with a perfect
4.0 GPA in human biology, and volunteering at elementary schools, a nursing home
and with the Special Olympics.
Additionally, Buehler was one of 11 First Team Academic
All-Americans this past season, and one of just three repeat selections on the
First Team. She was ESPN The Magazine’s Academic All-American of the Year and on
Lowe's Senior Class First Team.
Buehler was a pre-med in her time at Stanford, and while
TheBootleg is no admissions counselor, we have to figure her grades, her
athletic accomplishments and her leadership awards leave her with incredibly
bright future prospects. In fact, her prospects are far brighter than those of
most Stanford students, who have the luxury of just focusing on their
schoolwork, and not the full-time job that is varsity athletics.
So congratulations to Rachel for shattering the mold – and
the curve – in her time at Stanford, and TheBootleg wishes her all the best in
the Olympics and afterwards. Judging by the past four years though, it’s not
like she needs our good luck anyways.
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