Toby update; soccer stars taken in the draft while their coach wins honors

Some pretty exciting news is coming out of Stanford Athletics these days.
Running back TOBY GERHART announced he will forgo his final year of collegiate eligibility in order to enter the 2010 NFL Draft. Gerhart, who played in 38 career games from 2006 to 2009, had the option of returning to Stanford as a fifth-year senior since he played in just one game as a sophomore in 2007 due to injury.
He also has withdrawn from Stanford for the winter quarter in order to devote his time to prepare for the NFL Combine in February.
“After careful thought and deliberation, I have decided to withdraw from Stanford University for the winter quarter in order to fully devote my energies toward the pursuit of my dream of playing in the NFL,” said Gerhart. “While I certainly will miss patrolling left field on the Sunken Diamond or running through the gaping holes created by my O-linemen on the gridiron at Stanford Stadium, I will forever cherish the camaraderie, friendships and memories that I forged here at Stanford with all my friends, teammates and coaches.”

Speaking of the draft, soccer stars ALI RILEY and KELLEY O’HARA were each selected in the first round of the Women’s Professional Soccer draft by the same team, the Bay Area’s FC Gold Pride.
When O’Hara, who attended the draft in Philadelphia, reached Riley at Stanford, “We were both yelling and screaming and excited that we would get to play together,” O’Hara said. “We’ll get to carry on the Stanford tradition.”

Meanwhile, their coach, PAUL RATCLIFFE, became the first in 14 years to claim back-to-back Division I women’s National Coach of the Year honors, earning the National Soccer Coaches Association of America award Friday at the organization’s annual convention.