Have you ever thought about how impressive Virginia athletics are?
If you think about it, they’re something to be admired. In 2015, the Cavaliers took home the Capital One Cup for men’s sports after dominating the NCAA and taking home three national championships in one year. With All-Americans like Malcolm Brogdon, Justin Anderson and Leah Smith gracing Grounds alongside numerous other athletes decorated with ACC and NCAA accolades, it’s no wonder Virginia athletics continually impress.
Cavalier fans are not the only ones impressed by Virginia athletes — the U.S. Olympic committee was too. Eighteen current and former Cavalier athletes competed for team USA this summer in Rio as others competed on non-U.S. teams for their home countries.
Michele Vittese, a former Cavalier field hockey midfielder, made her first Olympic appearance for Team USA in the 2012 London games while redshirting for Virginia. Like the athletes mentioned above, Vittese was an All-American and ACC honoree — yet in her final years at Virginia, she never saw past an NCAA semifinals game.
Vittese is one of many incredibly impressive Virginia field hockey players who have never seen an NCAA championship. As a matter of fact, no Virginia field hockey player has ever seen an NCAA championship game. Virginia hasn’t even made the NCAA final four since 2010, nor have they advanced past the ACC semifinals in recent memory. Why, you might ask? Let’s take a look.
Is it the team?
No.
The Cavalier field hockey team brings in some of the best recruits annually, with increasingly impressive recruiting classes continually rolling in year after year. The newest class of freshmen boasts one high school All-American, two players from Fredericksburg, Va. who led their team to four straight state championships, multiple All-State players and two recipients of player of the year honors — just to name a few of their recruiting class credentials.
These young Cavaliers are not the only Virginia players who are exciting to watch. Virginia is home to the reigning NCAA Player of the Year, junior midfielder Tara Vittese. Sound familiar? It should. Vittese is the youngest sister of Michelle Vittese. Tara joins Virginia’s athletic elite as an All-American, clinching her second-straight such honor in 2015 after an incredible season in which she earned a team-high 39 points.
With the reigning Player of the Year and a stellar support system of top-notch teammates for their star scorer, Virginia still couldn’t win its way into the elusive final four in 2015. So no, it’s not the players. All that star power isn’t what’s stopping the Cavaliers, as they play well overall during the regular season. The talent is clearly there, it’s the post-season consistency that’s not.
Is it the conference?
No.
While, yes, the ACC is home to several strong field hockey programs, Virginia tied with UNC- Chapel Hill as conference champions in 2014 before faltering in both ACC and NCAA post-season play. During the regular season, Virginia consistently holds its own in both conference and non-conference play with winning percentages averaging above .500 and .600 respectively in each of the last three seasons.
In the past 17 years, at least one team from the ACC has advanced to the NCAA championship game, but Virginia has contended with, and frequently triumphed over many of those teams during the regular season. During the 2014 regular season, the Cavaliers defeated Syracuse, who then succumbed to Connecticut in the NCAA Championship game. Despite winning the ACC that season, the Cavaliers performed terribly during the ACC and NCAA post-season tournaments while Syracuse stunned.
Is it the coaching staff?
No.
In its 10 seasons under head coach Michele Madison, Virginia field hockey has made it to eight NCAA tournaments, including two semifinal appearances in 2009 and 2010, but hasn’t made it to the final four since 2010. During her time as Cavalier head coach, Madison has been inducted into the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame, just became the 26th coach in NCAA history to surpass 300 wins and has coached countless conference standouts and All-Americans alike.
In case you still doubted her experience, Madison was a former assistant U.S. National Team and Olympic coach and has also led Temple and Michigan State field hockey teams to the NCAA tournament. Assistant coach Ole Keusgen is an enormously accomplished player and coach — having played professionally for the most successful field hockey teams in European history and coached in Europe for over ten years. Also, Assistant coach Adam Matter has experience with the U.S. Women’s National Field Hockey Team.
So what is it?
It’s the post-season pressure.
After losing against No. 1 Syracuse in the ACC Championship semifinals in 2015, the team then lost to Duke in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Even as the No. 1 team in the ACC in 2014 and as regular season champions, the Cavaliers still lost to No. 4 Wake Forest in the ACC Championship semifinals and again faltered in NCAA post-season play. A highly talented team, competitive conference and qualified coaching staff are clearly not the reasons that Virginia struggles to find post-season success.
The pressure of the post-season must be what gets the Cavalier field hockey team. There’s no other explanation. They have all the necessary ingredients for a successful trip to the NCAA Championship or for smooth sailing to ACC Tournament success, yet the results don’t come.
Whether it’s the coaches or the team who weakens under the weight of post-season play is unknown. What is known is that there is clearly a dark cloud looming over Virginia’s post-season play.
Even with the impressive recruits, phenomenal players and amazing coaches — the national championship shoe just doesn’t seem to fit. Despite how impressive Virginia field hockey is, it appears as if the Cavaliers just can’t perform when it comes to post-season pressure.
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