22-year-old Katie Meyer, a captain and goalkeeper for the Stanford University women’s soccer team, has died.
According to a statement by Stanford Vice Provost for Student Affairs Susie Brubaker-Cole, Meyer was found dead in a campus residence. Her cause of death has not been revealed by the school.
Stanford initially reported the passing of an unnamed undergraduate student on Tuesday.
Meyer was a senior majoring in International Relations and minoring in History. She made headlines in 2019 when she helped Stanford win the NCAA title against the University of North Carolina thanks to two incredible saves.
“Katie was extraordinarily committed to everything and everyone in her world,” Brubaker-Cole said. “Her friends describe her as a larger-than-life team player in all her pursuits, from choosing an academic discipline she said ‘changed my perspective on the world and the very important challenges that we need to work together to overcome’ to the passion she brought to the Cardinal women’s soccer program and to women’s sports in general.”
In her bio on Stanford’s official website, Meyer spoke about the challenge of balancing class work with her responsibilities as a member of the team.
“Traveling during Fall Season can be stressful because I miss classes, but my professors have been so accommodating and understanding… my teammates and I try to pay them back by getting big wins for the Farm,” she wrote.
She added, “Balancing a tight schedule becomes a little bit easier when you have your best friends by your side to help motivate you.”
“There are no words to express the emptiness that we feel at this moment,” said Brubaker-Cole. “We are reaching out to all of you in our community, because this impacts all of us. Please know you are not alone. There are resources available to support us during this difficult time.”
“We can all help by checking in on friends and loved ones,” she continued. “Be caring to yourselves and one another. We will grieve this great loss together, and we will be here for each other. More details about opportunities to remember Katie as a community will be communicated as soon as we are able.”
