We'll have to wait until May to find out the 2016 recipient of the Bob Murphy Award, presented annually to the student-athlete whose unforgettable performance is memorable enough to secure a place in Stanford Athletics history.
But why hold off until May to discuss this year’s early nominees? Five months into the 2015-16 athletic campaign, the latest edition of Farm 5 has already identified a few that might be up for consideration in the spring.
Farm 5: Top Fall Rookies (Nov. 1)
Farm 5: Best Wins To Date (Sept. 21)
Farm 5: Summer Standouts (Aug. 30)
Bret Bonanni
Former All-American Tony Azevedo has long been regarded as not only a Stanford icon, but one of the greatest players in the history of men’s water polo. Azevedo still owns that distinction, but now he’s got some company. Bonanni broke Azevedo’s career scoring record in an Oct. 31 victory over Long Beach State, securing his place in school and conference history while eventually finishing his career with 360 goals. Bonanni is the only Cardinal player to post multiple 90-goal seasons, achieving the feat in each of his last three years while totaling 94 as a senior. A science, technology & society major, Bonanni was named an ACWPC Second Team All-American as a rookie and is a lock to earn his third first-team nod this season.
Aisling Cuffe
Running in her first Pac-12 Championships meet since winning it all in 2013, Cuffe captured her second career title in the event by clocking in at 19:53.1 over the 6-kilometer (3.73-mile) course at Colfax Golf Club. Cuffe, who edged out Colorado’s Kaitlyn Benner by two seconds, became the first Stanford woman to claim multiple titles since Arianna Lambie’s Pac-10 three-peat from 2005-07. The victory was especially rewarding for Cuffe, who was unable to compete during the 2014-15 campaign due to injury. One of only four runners in school history to win multiple conference titles, Cuffe, a biology major, was also honored with the Pac-12 Cross Country Athlete of the Year award.
Andrew Epstein
Jordan Morris will receive – and deserves – much of the credit for leading Stanford to its first NCAA championship in school history, scoring twice in the Cardinal’s 4-0 rout of Clemson in the final. But Stanford might not have even been in that position without a clutch performance from Epstein in the semifinals two days earlier. After holding a high-scoring Akron squad scoreless over 110 minutes, Epstein saved two penalty kicks in a dramatic 10-round shootout in which the Cardinal prevailed 8-7. All the pressure immediately shifted to Epstein, especially after the Cardinal misfired on its opening kick. An electrical engineering major, Epstein also made a huge save in overtime and punched away a dangerous free kick in the final seconds of regulation.
Simone Manuel
Manuel was the recipient of last year’s Bob Murphy Award, thanks to her school-record and NCAA title in the 50-yard free followed by the sport’s fastest 100-yard split of 45.45 in Stanford’s record-setting 400-yard medley relay. And while Manuel has elected to redshirt this season in order to train for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, don’t expect her to disappear. Less than two weeks ago, Manuel set a world record in the 400 medley relay and an American record in the 100 free, guiding Team USA to a 153-109 victory over the European All-Stars at the Duel in the Pool. Manuel’s mark of 51.69 in the 100 free bested Natalie Coughlin’s five-year-old American record and her split of 51.23 as the anchor was part of a world record in the 400 medley relay.
Christian McCaffrey
McCaffrey produced show-stopping performances throughout his Heisman-worthy campaign, especially over the second half of the season as Stanford made a serious push for a College Football Playoff bid. Presented with a final chance to make an impression on voters, McCaffrey seized his moment on the national stage as the Cardinal powered past USC 41-22 in the Pac-12 Championship Game. McCaffrey gained 461 all-purpose yards – the fifth-highest single-game total in FBS history, scoring rushing and receiving touchdowns while passing for another. More impressively – if that’s possible – McCaffrey (3,496) shattered Barry Sanders’ FBS single-season all-purpose yardage record of 3,250 established in 1988.
