Stanford’s Kitahata returns to field after focusing on mental health following teammate’s suicide

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — When Andrea Kitahata’s Stanford soccer teammate and close friend Katie Meyer died by suicide three years ago, Kitahata realized focusing on her grief and mental health mattered more than anything else at that time.

So she stepped away from her sport only six games into her sophomore season, finding her own way to honor Meyer’s memory by becoming an advocate and an example through her outreach around mental health awareness. Meyer was a popular goalie who led the Cardinal to the 2019 NCAA College Cup championship game at age 22.

“Working through the grief of losing someone who was built into my daily routine and suddenly disappeared took everything out of me,” Kitahata said. “Feeling the pressure of playing time, starting spots and my career, I wanted nothing more than to push my emotions down and be on the field. As an athlete you’re taught to muscle through pain. It took me six months to realize that this pain was an indicator that I was not on the right track.”

Kitahata worked on her overall well-being and returned to the team in 2023. Now, as a redshirt senior, the forward is Stanford’s team captain.

She has also been selected as a recipient of the CalHOPE Courage Award for September, honored for her perseverance and courageous comeback path. Mt. San Antonio College sophomore baseball player Jackson Giacone is the other selection.

Once back playing for the Cardinal in 2023, Kitahata appeared in all 25 matches and earned All-Pac-12 second-team recognition. And last year she had nine goals and six assists in 22 matches.

She has supported Katie’s Save foundation dedicated to preventing suicide and also co-created the documentary “It’s Time We Talk About It” to bring awareness to the youth mental health crisis.

Giacone’s collegiate comeback has been far different. Barely underway in college — then at Cal State Fullerton on a scholarship he had long dreamed of receiving — the former Eureka High School star was temporarily paralyzed from the neck down from a freak accident in the batting cages that crushed one vertebrae and fractured others around it.

Giacone needed two major surgeries for his spine and spent nearly two weeks in a trauma center dealing with complications — but only 15 days post-accident he walked back onto the field to stand alongside his teammates. It took four months and he was throwing again and then, remarkably, he returned to competitive baseball by the following summer.

A third baseman and outfielder, he played 48 of 51 games for Mt. SAC this year as a redshirt freshman, batting .237 with two home runs, 32 RBIs, 28 runs and nine stolen bases.

“There were days where it was hard not being able to just be back on the field playing. The physical pain was one thing, but mentally, it was hard to accept that my dream might be over,” Giacone said. “What got me through was learning to ask for help and accepting from my doctors, physical therapists, family, coaches and teammates. Their belief in me reminded me to believe in myself. My goal of playing baseball again gave me purpose, and step by step, it pushed me past every setback.”

The CalHOPE Courage Award has been presented monthly since February 2022 by the College Sports Communicators, in association with The Associated Press; CalHOPE, the California Department of Health Care Services’ crisis counseling and support resource; and the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being.

The Governor’s Council sponsors this awards program for student-athletes who have overcome personal challenges to triumph in their sport. A donation will be made to support mental health at the recipients’ respective colleges.

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