Courtesy: Stanford Athletics
STANFORD, Calif. – Former Stanford indoor volleyball player and three-time Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh-Jennings punched her ticket to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro Wednesday.
With partner April Ross, Walsh needed to participate in a minimum of 12 tournaments before Olympic qualification closes in mid-June. After a shoulder injury to Walsh in the Fall, this was the final major obstacle before reaching the requirements to compete in Rio.
A four-time first-team All-American for the Cardinal, Walsh was named AVCA National Player of the Year in 1999 while helping Stanford win two National Championships (1996, 1997) during her time on The Farm.
In 2000, Walsh helped the United States indoor team finish fourth at the Olympics, before making the switch to beach in 2004. With then-partner Misty May-Traenor, Walsh delivered the first U.S. gold medal in the history of the sport at the Athens games in 2004.
The pair went on to win two more gold medals (2008, 2012), becoming the first pair of either gender to win three beach volleyball Olympic gold medals. Arguably the greatest beach team in the history of the sport, Walsh and May-Treanor were 21-0 in Olympic matches going back to Athens and 42-1 in Olympic sets. This will be Walsh's fifth trip to the Olympics, the most of any former Stanford volleyball player.