Katie Meyer’s family has spent the years since her death turning unimaginable grief into a campaign for change.
The former Stanford soccer captain died by suicide on March 1, 2022, at the age of 22. She left behind her parents, Steve and Gina Meyer, and her sisters, Sam and Siena.
Four years later, the Meyer family remains closely connected to Katie’s legacy.
In January 2026, the family and Stanford University reached a resolution in the wrongful-death lawsuit filed after Katie’s death. Now another emotional milestone has arrived: Stanford is officially retiring the goalkeeper’s No. 19 jersey on September 3, 2026.
Her parents are expected to receive a framed No. 19 jersey during the ceremony before Stanford’s women’s soccer match against USC.
Who Are Her Parents?
Katie Meyer’s parents are Steven “Steve” Meyer and Gina Meyer.
The couple raised their daughters in Southern California, where Katie developed the competitive personality that eventually carried her into elite college soccer.
Steve and Gina have become the most prominent public voices representing their daughter’s legacy since 2022.
They have participated in interviews, advocated for changes to college disciplinary procedures and helped establish Katie’s Save, an organization focused on student mental health, institutional reform and suicide prevention.
Their work has kept Katie’s story in the national conversation while shifting attention toward changes they believe could protect other students.
Her Father Steve
Steve shared a particularly close relationship with Katie.
One glimpse into that bond came shortly before her death through Katie’s own project, Be The Mentality.
Katie created the podcast to discuss meaningful people, challenges and conversations from her life. Steve became the guest on its first episode.
It would also be its only completed episode.
The recording later became an important element of ESPN’s 2025 E60 documentary, Save: The Katie Meyer Story.
Steve has since spoken publicly about his daughter’s personality, ambition and final days.
He has also been closely involved in the family’s push for reforms surrounding students facing disciplinary proceedings.
Her Mother Gina
Gina Meyer has been equally central to preserving Katie’s memory.
She has described Katie as a determined young woman who loved Stanford and had significant ambitions beyond soccer.
Katie was approaching graduation and had considered attending law school.
In the ESPN documentary, Gina and other family members revisited Katie’s childhood, soccer journey and life at Stanford.
The family’s interviews showed another side of the athlete beyond the memorable celebrations and saves that made her nationally recognizable.
To her family, she was not simply Stanford’s championship goalkeeper. She was a daughter and sister whose personality extended well beyond sports.
Her Sisters
Katie grew up with two sisters, Sam and Siena.
Both appeared alongside Steve and Gina in Save: The Katie Meyer Story, providing a family perspective on Katie’s life and the impact of losing her.
The sisters have generally received less media attention than their parents, but they remain an important part of the Meyer family’s story.
Siena has notably continued the family’s connection to soccer.
She has pursued the sport at the collegiate level, giving the Meyer family another connection to the game that played such a defining role in Katie’s life.
A Soccer Family
Katie’s talent emerged long before Stanford.
She grew up in Southern California and developed into a highly regarded goalkeeper, progressing through the U.S. youth national-team system before beginning her college career.
Stanford became the stage for her most famous sporting moment.
During the 2019 NCAA championship match against North Carolina, Meyer produced crucial saves in the penalty shootout to help Stanford capture the national title.
Her confidence and celebrations after those saves became lasting images from the championship.
She later became a two-time team captain.
For Steve and Gina, however, the competitive edge fans saw on television was something they had witnessed since Katie was young.
Katie’s Death
Katie was found dead in her Stanford campus residence on March 1, 2022.
She was 22.
Her death was ruled a suicide.
At the time, Katie was facing a university disciplinary process connected to an August 2021 incident.
Her parents later said they were unaware of the seriousness of the disciplinary situation before her death.
The Meyer family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Stanford in November 2022, alleging that the university’s handling of the process contributed to acute distress experienced by Katie.
Stanford disputed responsibility for her death.
The competing positions remained at the center of the legal case for more than three years.
Lawsuit Resolved
A major development arrived in January 2026.
Stanford and the Meyer family announced that they had reached a resolution in the wrongful-death lawsuit.
Financial terms, if any, were not publicly disclosed.
The agreement went considerably further than simply ending the legal dispute.
Stanford and Katie’s family agreed to collaborate on an initiative focused on the mental health and well-being of student-athletes through the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance.
Stanford also announced the creation of the Katie Meyer Leadership Award.
The annual honor recognizes a student-athlete who represents qualities associated with Katie, including leadership, spirit and a commitment to excellence.
Former teammate Andrea Kitahata became its inaugural recipient in 2026.
Katie’s Save
One of the family’s most important projects has been Katie’s Save.
Steve and Gina established the organization following their daughter’s death to advocate for systemic changes at colleges and universities.
Its work focuses on protecting students, promoting mental health and preventing suicide.
A central issue has been ensuring that students do not have to navigate potentially serious disciplinary proceedings alone.
That advocacy helped inspire legislation known as Katie Meyer’s Law.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1575 in 2024. The legislation provides protections allowing students involved in disciplinary proceedings at qualifying California colleges and universities to choose an adviser to assist them through the process.
The Meyer family has also supported efforts to bring similar protections to the federal level.
No. 19 Retired
September 2026 brings one of the most visible tributes yet.
Stanford announced that Katie’s No. 19 will become the first retired number in the history of Stanford women’s soccer.
The retirement ceremony is scheduled for September 3 before Stanford faces USC.
Steve and Gina Meyer are set to receive a framed No. 19 jersey during the ceremony.
The game will also serve as Stanford’s annual Mental Health Awareness match.
For Katie’s family, the occasion connects several parts of her legacy: her achievements as an athlete, her leadership as a captain and the mental-health advocacy that followed her death.
Her Family Today
Katie Meyer remains at the center of her family’s work more than four years after her death.
Steve and Gina have moved from grieving parents into prominent advocates for changes in how universities support students. Sam and Siena have helped preserve the personal side of their sister’s story, including through the ESPN documentary.
Their legal dispute with Stanford has now ended, but their advocacy has not.
Katie’s Save continues its work, Katie Meyer’s Law carries her name, Stanford has introduced a leadership award in her honor, and her No. 19 will permanently hold a unique place in the university’s soccer history.
For the Meyer family, those achievements cannot replace the daughter and sister they lost.
They do, however, ensure that Katie Meyer is remembered not only for the final chapter of her life, but also for the goalkeeper, captain, daughter and sister she was—and for the changes her family hopes her story can create for students in the future.
