Katie Meyer, Stanford soccer star, dies by suicide

STANFORD, Calif. - The coroner's office on Thursday determined that the cause of death for Stanford women's soccer player Katie Meyer was suicide.

The County of Santa Clara Medical Examiner-Coroner said there is no foul play related to Meyer's death.

"We are exceedingly saddened to hear about the death of Katie Meyer, a beloved, talented, and respected Stanford student, athlete, and Santa Clara County resident," the coroner's office said in a statement. "The Medical Examiner-Coroner extends sincerest condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Katie Meyer."

The Stanford University's women's soccer team captain and goalkeeper was found dead in a campus residence earlier this week.

Thousands poured onto Maloney Field Wednesday night, the home of Stanford soccer, for a vigil to remember the star athlete.

Meyer, 22, was a senior majoring in International Relations, resident assistant, and was supposed to graduate this year.

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"Katie was extraordinarily committed to everything and everyone in her world," Stanford said in a statement released Wednesday. "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."

"Katie was a bright shining light for so many on the field and in our community," the university wrote.

Meyer's sister, Samantha, posted a message on her Instagram stories Wednesday, saying, "There are no words. Thank you for all the kindness extended to my family. I'm not ready to post anything big right yet. We are broken-hearted and love Kat so much."

Samantha shared a link to a GoFundMe page collecting donations for a memorial fund for Meyer.

Meyer's fierce competitiveness helped Stanford win its third NCAA women's soccer championship in 2019.

"I saw her as goalkeeper on the team and I saw how passionate she is about soccer and how big a support she is for everybody on her team.," said Luise Bachmann, a Stanford sophomore on the rowing team.

"A lot of just blank white faces, a lot of shock," said Stanford sophomore Kieran Wallace. "I’ve seen an unbelievable amount of support among student athletes. We got the chance just to write little notes to our suite mates who are on the team with her, and just showed our support for them and that we’re thinking about them."

If you or someone you know may need support call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is also available 24 hours a day at 800-273-8255.