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In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - Printable Version

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RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - Gary86 - 12-09-2025

Certainly easier to pick now than in August. Women's water polo. Stanford is going to be great again this year, and is one of only three schools to ever win the NCAA championship. Multiple Olympians on the team and John Tanner knows what he is doing.

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - fullmetal - 12-09-2025

Would love for it to be women's volleyball, but it's a tough field.   How's women's tennis looking?  Women's water polo is looking good for sure.  Women's rowing is a possibility as well, though Stanford did graduate a few more rowers than the other top teams.

Note that men's rowing is not an NCAA sport and wouldn't count as a championship depending on who's asking.

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - Papa John - 12-09-2025

Right, I didn't include men's rowing in the poll because the streak is for NCAA championships. I know there are reasons why Men's Rowing has stayed away from the NCAA, but I wonder if that decision will be reconsidered?

According to Google, men's rowing was the first ever intercollegiate event: the Yale vs Harvard regatta in 1852.

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - BostonCard - 12-09-2025

not going to be WVB. I think this tournament is Nebraska’s to lose, and even if they somehow do lose, we have not been playing the crisp sort of volleyball you need to play to win a national title (eg losing one set against our first and second round opponents).

BC

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - fullmetal - 12-09-2025

A large part of it is Title IX.  No schools are rushing to add large numbers of male varsity athletes to their rosters because of Title IX, so you will be unlikely to see increased sponsorship of men's rowing teams due to NCAA recognition.  The NCAA also has some ticky tack, nitpicky rules that would prohibit an old tradition where in certain races, the losers of the race give their shirts to the winners. This is, unfortunately, considered betting in the sense that the athletes are betting their shirts on the outcome of the race, and the NCAA does not allow betting.  (mindblown)

Anyway, there is an Intercollegiate Rowing Association whose existence predates that of the NCAA, and they've seen fit to steer the men's rowing, men's lightweight rowing, and women's lightweight rowing collegiate scenes on their own apart from the NCAA.  No real benefit to inclusion, they think.  Certainly there's incentive to not give up control of those sports to the NCAA, where the openweight women's rowing situation has departed substantially from the rest of collegiate rowing (not altogether bad).  The IRA does crib off of several NCAA administrative rules.  

So if NCAA recognition isn't going to grow the sport, the current administrators will probably not see any benefit to handing over governance to a largely non-rowing population of administrators.  The downside is that the NCAA media rights (tv broadcasting) is currently superior to whatever is going on right now.  I think the Ivy League has some races broadcast on ESPN+ or ESPNU, which is nice, but the other conferences are still a bit behind the times.

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - paloalto - 12-09-2025

Beach volleyball has a decent possibility.

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - qwerty49 - 12-09-2025

I saw an SI online article talking about the 50-year streak the other day — the very same day women’s soccer lost to FSU. So the famous SI “jinx” is alive and well.

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - 2006alum - 12-09-2025

This whole thread is bad juju. I can't believe Stanford decided to tempt the woofing gods with that whole Hyperion nonsense. Just wait and celebrate if we get it - don't jinx it. Sheesh.

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - BostonCard - 12-09-2025

“Stanford will not win a national title” is not an option, and I echo 2006alum’s concern.

BC

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - Papa John - 12-09-2025

Dear Woofing Gods,

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumbered here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
If you pardon, we will mend...

Mods, please close this thread!

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - MV72018 - 12-11-2025

Canasta, although the "Cards" are getting a bit frayed at the edges.

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - 82lsju - 03-25-2026

up next Men's Gymnastics....

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - Bruce Wang - 03-26-2026

Lacrosse!

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - PalmTree - 03-26-2026

(03-26-2026, 07:52 AM)Publius Wrote:  Lacrosse!

I like the enthusiasm but am taking things one at a time. We have a YUGE one with BC coming up. Let's GOOO!!!

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - Bruce Wang - 03-26-2026

I know!  I'm headed to the game in an hour or so.

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - paloalto - 03-26-2026

Women's Lacrosse loses their first game of the season to BC 13-11.  They started out down 0-3 then scored five straight goals.  BC came back and the game was close throughout.  I watched the game on TV.  Maybe someone with more knowledge of the sport can explain why the team had so much difficulty.

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - Bruce Wang - 03-27-2026

(03-26-2026, 04:54 PM)paloalto Wrote:  Women's Lacrosse loses their first game of the season to BC 13-11.  They started out down 0-3 then scored five straight goals.  BC came back and the game was close throughout.  I watched the game on TV.  Maybe someone with more knowledge of the sport can explain why the team had so much difficulty.

Stanford plays too much isolation ball.  It looked like middle school girls lacrosse at times where the team relies on one or two players to drive to the net against well positioned defenders rather than open shots created by passing. Iso ball is a particularly bad approach against BC's goalie Shae Dolce who is the best in the game at any level.

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - Spiny_Norman - 04-05-2026

I don't think it will be MGym this year. They competed yesterday in the MPSF conference championship. The team posted its best score of the year and still finished 5 points behind Oklahoma. Michigan is also ahead of Stanford this year. 

The NCAA meet is up next in 2 weeks.

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - Nurdyguy - 04-05-2026

(04-05-2026, 01:42 PM)Spiny_Norman Wrote:  I don't think it will be MGym this year. They competed yesterday in the MPSF conference championship. The team posted its best score of the year and still finished 5 points behind Oklahoma. Michigan is also ahead of Stanford this year. 

The NCAA meet is up next in 2 weeks.

I've been training Grok to rank the most likely possibilities.  Here is Grok's latest ranking:

Ranked by Likelihood of Winning the NCAA Title
  1. Women’s Water Polo (still the top favorite) Record: 11-1 overall (5-1 in MPSF) Ranking: #2 nationally Natty Date: April 26, 2026 (NCAA championship game in La Jolla/San Diego).
  2. Beach Volleyball (excellent shot — rolling) Record: 27-2 overall Ranking: #1 nationally (AVCA Collegiate Beach Poll) Natty Date: May 1–3, 2026 (NCAA Championship in Gulf Shores, AL).
  3. Women’s Golf (very strong contender) Record: Extremely dominant in events (~70-3-0 style across competitive/match-play) Ranking: #1 nationally (unanimous, Clippd/Scoreboard) Natty Date: May 27, 2026 (NCAA finals at Omni La Costa).
  4. Women’s Rowing (elite perennial contender) Record: Regatta-based (no traditional W-L) Ranking: #1 nationally (Pocock CRCA Coaches Poll) Natty Date: May 31, 2026 (NCAA grand finals at Lake Lanier).
  5. Men’s Gymnastics (strong podium threat) Record: 9-1 overall Ranking: #3 nationally Natty Date: April 18, 2026 (NCAA Championships in Champaign, IL).
  6. Women’s Gymnastics (now officially advancing to nationals!) Record: 14-5 overall (6-0 in ACC) Ranking: #7 nationally / #7 overall NCAA seed Natty Date: April 16–18, 2026 (NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, TX).
  7. Women’s Lacrosse (solid dark horse) Record: 11-2 overall (7-1 in ACC) Ranking: #8–9 nationally (ESPN/Inside Lacrosse & NCAA RPI) Natty Date: May 24, 2026 (NCAA championship game in Evanston, IL).
  8. Women’s Tennis (postseason wild card) Record: 9-7 overall (5-3 in ACC) Ranking: ~#36 nationally (ITA) Natty Date: Mid-May 2026 (NCAA team finals window).

Need to keep the natty streak alive!

RE: In what sport will Stanford win its first 2025-26 NCAA championship? - Jamesy - 04-05-2026

(04-05-2026, 06:34 PM)Nurdyguy Wrote:  
(04-05-2026, 01:42 PM)Spiny_Norman Wrote:  I don't think it will be MGym this year. They competed yesterday in the MPSF conference championship. The team posted its best score of the year and still finished 5 points behind Oklahoma. Michigan is also ahead of Stanford this year. 

The NCAA meet is up next in 2 weeks.

I've been training Grok to rank the most likely possibilities.  Here is Grok's latest ranking:

Ranked by Likelihood of Winning the NCAA Title
  1. Women’s Water Polo (still the top favorite) Record: 11-1 overall (5-1 in MPSF) Ranking: #2 nationally Natty Date: April 26, 2026 (NCAA championship game in La Jolla/San Diego).
  2. Beach Volleyball (excellent shot — rolling) Record: 27-2 overall Ranking: #1 nationally (AVCA Collegiate Beach Poll) Natty Date: May 1–3, 2026 (NCAA Championship in Gulf Shores, AL).
  3. Women’s Golf (very strong contender) Record: Extremely dominant in events (~70-3-0 style across competitive/match-play) Ranking: #1 nationally (unanimous, Clippd/Scoreboard) Natty Date: May 27, 2026 (NCAA finals at Omni La Costa).
  4. Women’s Rowing (elite perennial contender) Record: Regatta-based (no traditional W-L) Ranking: #1 nationally (Pocock CRCA Coaches Poll) Natty Date: May 31, 2026 (NCAA grand finals at Lake Lanier).
  5. Men’s Gymnastics (strong podium threat) Record: 9-1 overall Ranking: #3 nationally Natty Date: April 18, 2026 (NCAA Championships in Champaign, IL).
  6. Women’s Gymnastics (now officially advancing to nationals!) Record: 14-5 overall (6-0 in ACC) Ranking: #7 nationally / #7 overall NCAA seed Natty Date: April 16–18, 2026 (NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, TX).
  7. Women’s Lacrosse (solid dark horse) Record: 11-2 overall (7-1 in ACC) Ranking: #8–9 nationally (ESPN/Inside Lacrosse & NCAA RPI) Natty Date: May 24, 2026 (NCAA championship game in Evanston, IL).
  8. Women’s Tennis (postseason wild card) Record: 9-7 overall (5-3 in ACC) Ranking: ~#36 nationally (ITA) Natty Date: Mid-May 2026 (NCAA team finals window).

Need to keep the natty streak alive!

I think women's lax is better than the 7th most likely team to win a natty for us. WWP clearly 1, rowing and BVB just behind WWP (it's likely either us or Texas in rowing and BVB has beaten every other top team in the sport at least once this year), women's golf in the third tier solely because of match play format, then women's lacrosse, men's gymnastics, men's tennis, women's gymnastics, women's tennis.