Earlier this week, Stanford soccer player Katie Meyer, who helped lead the Cardinal to victory in the 2019 NCAA College Cup championship game, died by suicide. She was 22.
Meyer was pronounced dead on Tuesday at 10:45 a.m. after being found in her Stanford dormitory, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
“There is no indication of foul play, and Meyer’s death was determined to be self-inflicted,” the Santa Clara County medical examiner said in a statement. “The County of Santa Clara is not releasing additional information about the case at this time.”
Speaking with Today for an interview that aired on Friday, Katie’s mom Gina Meyer described her daughter’s tragic death as “a parent’s worst nightmare.”
“The last couple days are like a parent’s worst nightmare and you don’t wake up from it,” Gina said. “So it’s just horrific.”
Katie’s father Steven said that, leading up to her death, Katie “was defending a teammate on campus over an incident and the repercussions of her defending that teammate (were possibly resulting in disciplinary action).”
Gina also mentioned the pressure, as an athlete, to be perfect, that her daughter must have felt. “This is the only thing that we can come up with that triggered something,” she said. “There is anxiety and there is stress to be perfect, to be the best, to be No. 1.”
You can watch Katie Meyer’s parents’ interview with Today up top, and check out her championship-winning play below.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255), texting “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or by visiting suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
