Five months, two weeks and two days ago, the closest thing Virginia has ever had to a Dream Team took the field in front of 47,062 game-crazed, sun-stroked maniacs. On that day in Philadelphia, the largest crowd ever at an NCAA national title game in any sport packed Lincoln Financial Field to the rafters for one reason only: to watch the most dominant men's lacrosse team in history swat the University of Massachusetts.
To say the Cavaliers cruised through the 2005 season would be a lie. "Cruising" implies there wasn't any traffic on the road. In reality, the Wahoos' monster schedule meant they out-dueled virtually every dangerous team in the country and emerged with a flawless 17-0 record. In the world of Division I lacrosse, that's like putting on a blindfold, climbing into a brand-new Mercedes, driving down the Beltway at 90 mph and not even chipping the paint job. Apparently the lacrosse gods have a thing for Charlottesville.
Of course the icing on the Cavaliers' perfect season was the title game in Philly, an offensive barrage featuring some of Virginia's biggest contributors. Seniors Matt Ward and Matt Poskay posted five goals apiece, while Drew Thompson, Charlie Glazer and Chris Ourisman snatched up ground balls like they had something to prove. When the final whistle blew and the Cavaliers' 15-7 lead was secure, celebration was on the mind of every player wearing the V and sabres. For Virginia's seniors, nothing was sweeter than lying on the Eagles' perfectly manicured football field surrounded by teammates, coaches and the national championship trophy after their final game to decide the best team in the country.
Once the champagne bottles were empty and the trophy was locked away in its case, however, those same seniors had to answer a deceptively simple question: what now? How could anyone possibly go from being on top of the world, cheered by almost 50,000 fans, to being just another college graduate most people wouldn't recognize on the street?
J.J. Morrissey answered that question by going back home. Chosen in the third round of the Major League Lacrosse draft, the Winchester, Mass. native headed back to The Governor's Academy, his alma mater, to join the admission staff, help coach his prep school's team and play professional lacrosse part-time.
All-American midfielder Kyle Dixon, taken with the second pick in the MLL draft, decided to bank on his newfound celebrity within the lacrosse world by becoming a regional sales representative for Warrior Lacrosse, an equipment manufacturer. Living at home in Millersville, Md., Dixon split his time between selling sticks and picking up his own as a rookie with the Baltimore Bayhawks.
Michael Culver, an aggressive defender who often matched up against opponents' toughest attackman on the road to the final four, took perhaps the most surprising route after his team returned from Philadelphia. At 23, Culver was named the assistant general manager for the MLL's Chicago Machine. "Michael made a very aggressive proposal" to Chicago, Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. "He's a creative soul and a real student of the game."
At 23, Culver also became one of the youngest front-office managers in the business.
While most of his teammates stayed connected to their lacrosse lifeline, defender Chris Ourisman took his championship ring and returned to what he knew best: selling cars. Joining his father's dealership in Northern Virginia, Ourisman made the switch from closing down offenses to closing mortgage deals on the latest Mitsubishi.
That leaves Matt Ward, Virginia's most prolific scorer on the championship squad and the winner of the Tewaaraton trophy as the best player in college lacrosse. After coming down from his championship high, the attackman took his Comm School degree, deferred law school and began selling commercial real estate near his home in Oakton, Va. Ward also signed on with DeBeer, Virginia's equipment supplier, and has since joined Dixon on the Bayhawks' roster.
In the world of college sports, the space between the thrill of victory and the uncertainty of what follows can be razor thin. Athletes reaching the end of eligibility have no choice but to brace for some roller coaster changes, whether that means heading home to regroup or finding another way to stick with the sport that formed the center of their lives for so many years.
The seniors on Virginia's championship lacrosse team certainly found themselves in that situation: an incredibly successful squad watched by thousands in person and around the country disbanded in a matter of weeks after the biggest athletic success many team members will ever have. In the five months since the Cavalier bus returned from the title game, seniors have scattered -- carving out lives for themselves that don't include afternoon practices in Charlottesville. One thing's certain, though. When Chris Ourisman makes that big sale or Kyle Dixon unloads an order of sticks, nothing will quite match that afternoon in Philadelphia. Not even close.
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