PALO ALTO, Calif. (KRON) — Katie Meyer, a star goalkeeper and team captain of the Stanford Women’s Soccer Team, died by suicide in her dorm room, investigators said Friday.
According to the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office, Meyer’s “manner of death is suicide,” and no foul play is suspected.
She was 22.
Her sudden death sent shockwaves through the Stanford University campus and the sport of soccer nationwide. Meyer was just months away from graduating with a degree in International Relations.
Meyer was a fiercely competitive and passionate student-athlete. She led her team to an NCAA women’s soccer championship in 2019.
In a 2020 interview with Just Women’s Sports, Meyer said, “there’s no purer joy” than winning a championship.
“If there’s a day where I don’t feel that amount of joy after saving a PK in the championship game, I’ll stop playing. I’ll go to law school,” she said.
Her family is in shock.
“We had no red flags,” Meyer’s mother, Gina, told the “TODAY” show Friday.
Meyer talked to her parents over FaceTime just a few hours before she died. They saw no signs that their daughter was struggling with mental health.
“She was excited. She had a lot on her plate. She had a lot going on. But she was, she was happy. She was in great spirits,” Gina told “TODAY.”
Gina said many college athletes struggle with the pressure of being “perfect.”
“There’s so much pressure I think on athletes, right, especially at that high level balancing academics and a high competitive environment. And there is anxiety and there is stress to be perfect, to be the best, to be number one,” Gina told “TODAY.”
In her most recent Instagram posts, Meyer wrote about how excited she felt launching her first episode of “Be The Mentality.”
“I’m hyped. ‘Be The Mentality’ … is a project I’ve been sitting on for about the last two years. That project is finally starting. It’s a livestreamed talk show hosted by me. We’re going to be talking life, sports, college, all the good stuff,” she wrote on social media.
For her first episode, Meyer interviewed her father, Steven, on Feb. 13.
Meyer was born in Burbank, Calif.
She went to Newbury Park High School, where she was a trailblazer for women in sports. She used her soccer skills to become a starting kicker for the high school’s varsity football team.
A GoFundMe page created by family friends wrote, “She was a role model and mentor to many of our young local athletes- she touched so many lives in so many ways.”
Susie Brubaker-Cole, Stanford University vice provost for student affairs, wrote, “Katie was extraordinarily committed to everything and everyone in her world. Her friends describe her as a larger-than-life team player in all her pursuits.”
According to the Stanford Daily, students saw ambulances and law enforcement vehicles arrive at Meyer’s dorm room in Crothers Hall at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Students held a candlelight vigil for Meyer on campus Wednesday night.
Stanford University grief counseling staff are on-site at Meyer’s residence hall and athletics counseling staff are working with student-athletes.
“There are no words to express the emptiness that we feel at this moment. 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,” Cole wrote.
Grieving and counseling support services for Stanford University students are listed here.
If you or someone you know may need suicide prevention support, you can contact The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, available 24 hours a day, by calling 800-273-8255. To learn more about the National Suicide Prevention Lineline click here.
Santa Clara County officials released the following statement:
“The County of Santa Clara Medical Examiner-Coroner is investigating Kathryn Meyer’s death. There is no indication of foul play, and Meyer’s death was determined to be self-inflicted. The Medical Examiner-Coroner extends sincerest condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Katie Meyer.”
The County of Santa Clara offers free and confidential counseling services from highly trained phone counselors 24 hours a day, every day, to anyone in crisis. Residents who may need support, resources or information can call 855-278-4204 or contact the Crisis Text Line: Text RENEW to 741741.
