Whether on the water, pitch, or slopes, Kristin, Logan, and Sammy Smith share a unique bond: all three are elite athletes who have competed for Stanford.

Kristin, ’90, rowed crew for Stanford before winning the 2008 half-Ironman triathlon world championship for the 40-44 age group. Her daughter, Logan, ’26, just finished up her last season playing on the women’s soccer team. Her daughter, Sammy, ’28, also plays on the women’s soccer team and competed in the Winter Olympics as a member of the U.S. Olympic Cross Country Ski Team.

Sammy is one of the few varsity student-athletes to compete for a national team in a different sport during the same academic year. Sammy said her success in athletics would not have been possible without her family.

“I owe them everything,” Sammy said. “... My parents have done everything they possibly could do to support my siblings and I in our journeys in sports and academics.”

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Courtesy the Smith family

Kristin said it’s special to share a connection to Stanford and athletics with her daughters. “It’s pretty incredible to have an institution that can offer this top-tier academic experience alongside a top-tier athletic experience. Not very many places in the world can do that,” Kristin said. “I am incredibly grateful that the girls have this experience and get to have it together.”

In her Olympic debut, Sammy finished 19th overall out of 89 competitors in the women’s cross country sprint. She said all her family has ever asked of her is to compete with “joy and pride, always enjoying the process and staying true to myself.”

The entire Boise, Idaho, family has competed in sports at an elite level. Sammy and Logan’s father played soccer at Duke, where he was an Academic All-American athlete, and their brother Tucker now plays soccer there.

“My parents both just encouraged us to play as many sports as we could growing up,” Logan said. “That really developed my love for athletics and being outside and kind of soccer altogether.”

Kristin said she and her husband emphasized to their children the importance of staying in the moment, enjoying the process, and focusing on what’s controllable, such as their attitude and effort when competing. Sports teach important life lessons around the value of hard work, discipline, responsibility, compassion, and being a good teammate, she said.

“All of these lessons that I learned during my time at Stanford are things that I’ve tried to pass on to the kids, because when I think back, these values have helped me so much in other parts of my life, in law school, practicing law, as a mother, as a partner, as a friend,” Kristin explained.

Sammy said she’s inseparable from her siblings, always trying to keep up with her older sister and staying ahead of her little brother.

“They pushed me to be the best athlete and person I could be from the day I was born,” Sammy said. “They’ve been my training partners since day one. Even when I’ve doubted myself, their support and belief in me has been unwavering.”

Sammy and Logan even had the opportunity to play soccer together at Stanford.

“Very few people have the opportunity to play a collegiate sport with their sibling,” Sammy said. “It has been such an incredible experience the last two years to get to play with Logan. … On top of that, we’re rooming together this year, which has been so much fun.”

Logan and Sammy grew up hearing their mother’s stories about Stanford.

“It really just became a dream school for me,” Logan said. “And then as soon as I got old enough to realize it’s kind of the pinnacle of academic and athletic excellence in college, it’s just always been my dream to go here.”

Kristin and Logan said they are very proud of Sammy, especially after seeing the years of hard work leading up to her competition as an Olympian.

“We know how much it means to Sammy and how special it is to her to represent her country,” Kristin said. “We are just feeling incredibly grateful and excited for this opportunity and the fact that her hard work and dedication and everything has come together to give her the opportunity to compete on the Olympic stage.”

Sammy said representing the U.S. at the Olympics has long been her dream, and doing so has felt surreal. She added that she’s very grateful for the support of her coaches, family, and teammates.

“To represent your country at the Olympic level is the highest honor someone can have, and I couldn’t be more excited to be part of Team USA,” Sammy said.