PARIS – Former Cardinal standout Dani Jackovich made program history on Saturday, becoming Stanford’s first international medalist after helping guide Australia to silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
A two-time ACWPC All-American who competed at Stanford from 2014-17, Jackovich made the most of her Olympic debut. Jackovich participated as a reserve in each game of the tournament, with her signature moment coming in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter in Saturday’s bronze medal match. Jackovich collected a loose ball in front of the net and tapped it home, scoring her first goal of the Games and extending Australia’s lead to 7-5.
Jackovich became the 14th medalist in school history overall and first from a country other than the United States. She also extended Stanford’s streak of at least one Cardinal player taking home a medal at every Olympics. Stanford has produced 21 Olympians overall in program history, with seven first-timers joining Maggie Steffens in Paris.
Jackovich, who finished her collegiate career with 106 goals and 11 hat tricks, was also a four-time ACWPC All-Academic recipient and three-time MPSF All-Academic selection. A biomechanical engineering major, Jackovich was a member of three NCAA championship teams (2014-15, 2017) and the 2014 MPSF title squad.
A native of New Lenox, Illinois, Jackovich moved to Australia to play water polo in 2019. Through membership in their league, Jackovich has been able to secure visas, residency and citizenship necessary to maintain eligibility and compete for Australia in world aquatics competitions.
A center forward for the Aussie Stingers, Jackovich also competed for the Cronulla Sharks senior club team.
With one day of competition remaining, Stanford has already produced a school-record 33 total medals in Paris, surpassing its previous best of 27 overall at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.