Ledecky named top sportswoman
Saint Mary’s picked to win WCC basketball title
Olympic swimming sensation Katie Ledecky of Stanford was selected sportswoman of the year Wednesday night in New York at the Salute to Women inSports hostedby the Women’s Sports Foundation. Ledecky won for the individual sport category. Maya Moore of the WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx won for the team category.
Ledecky won five gold medals and six overall at the 2017 FINA World Championships. She has 14 career gold medals in FINA World Championships competition, a women’s record.
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice received the Billie Jean King Leadership Award at the 38th annual gala. Rice, a professor at Stanford and former tennis player and figure skater, was recently selected to lead an NCAA commission to study college basketball after a federal investigation uncovered bribery and fraud.
Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer also was honored. The longtime Cardinal coach reached 1,000 NCAA Division I career victories in 2017, joining the late Pat Summitt and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski. GAELSGETEARLYNODOVER GONZAGA » Saint Mary’s was picked by coaches to win the West Coast Conference over Gonzaga. The Gaels received 81 points and nine of 10 first-place votes. Gonzaga got the other first-place vote and 73 total points, and BYU was third with 62 points. USF was predicted to finish fourth.
Saint Mary’s will be led by senior center Jock Landale, senior forward Cal- vinHermanson and senior point guard Emmett Naar, who all made the All-WCC preseason team. HALL OF FAME HONOR FOR GOLF COACH » Stanford men’s golf coach Conrad Ray will be inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame, it was announced Thursday. During his 13 years as head coach, Ray has led the Cardinal to 11 appearances in the NCAA championships. LARGE GIFT TO SJSU SOFTBALL PROJECT » San Jose State has received one of the largest individual gifts to a Spartan women’s athletics program in school history. The gift of nearly $450,000 to the Spartans’ softball program, made by a donor who wishes to remain anonymous, is designated for the new Spartan Softball Stadium project now under construction. Phase I of the stadium project is slated to be completed by March, 1, 2018.