Men’s golf
What: Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate
Where: Johnson City, Tenn.
When: Friday-Sunday
The Skinny: The Virginia men’s golf team will compete this weekend in the 20th annual Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate tournament where they will look to repeat as the tournament’s champion.
Last year, Virginia won the tournament in dominant fashion. The Cavaliers shot a three-round score of 829 (-35), which was 13 strokes better than second place Missouri’s score of 842 (-22). Virginia was led in the tournament by current junior Thomas Walsh, who finished individually tied for second overall with a three-round score of 205 (-11).
Walsh, who’s coming off of another top-five finish at the Northern Intercollegiate tournament almost three weeks ago, should again be a contender to individually win the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate. Other players to keep an eye on for Virginia are senior Danny Walker, who has 10 career top-10 finishes in tournaments, and sophomore Ashton Poole, who is coming off of an impressive first place tie at the Northern Intercollegiate.
Virginia’s toughest opponent in the tournament’s 15-team field will likely be Kent State. Kent State finished third in last year’s Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate, and they currently are the tournament’s highest-ranked team in the GCAA Coaches poll at No. 13 in the country.
The tournament is scheduled to tee off at 8:30 a.m. Friday.
— compiled by Jack Gallagher
Women’s golf
What: Tar Heel Invitational
Where: Chapel Hill, N.C.
When: Friday-Sunday
The Skinny: The Virginia women’s golf team will compete in the Tar Heel Invitational this weekend. It will be the first time that the Cavaliers have played since mid-September, when they finished in eighth place at the Mason Rudolph Championship.
The Tar Heel Invitational is an annual tournament that consistently attracts some of the nation’s top women’s golf programs. This year’s field is as strong as ever, as seven of the tournament’s 18 competing teams played in last year’s NCAA Championships — Alabama, Duke, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State and South Carolina.
Last year, Virginia finished in eighth place at the Tar Heel Invitational. The Cavaliers’ top player in the tournament was current junior Morgan Gonzales, who finished tied for 17th overall out of 96 golfers.
Another strong Tar Heel Invitational performance from Gonzales will be crucial to Virginia’s success this weekend. Other players to watch for the Cavaliers in the tournament are junior Anna Redding, who finished in the top 10 individually at the Mason Rudolph Championship, and freshman Beth Lillie, who finished tied for 30th at the Mason Rudolph Championship in her career debut.
Tee off is scheduled for Friday at 8:51 a.m. Live scoring of the tournament can be found at golfstat.com.
— compiled by Jack Gallagher
Men’s soccer
What: No. 10 Virginia vs. NC State
When: Friday at 7 p.m.
Where: Dail Soccer Field, Raleigh, N.C.
The Skinny: After a three-game home stand, the Cavaliers (9-1-2, 2-1-2 ACC) are on the road Friday in Raleigh as they look to continue their winning ways against NC State (6-4-2, 2-3-0 ACC).
Virginia comes off a surprisingly challenging non-conference contest against Lehigh Tuesday night at Klöckner Stadium. Lehigh came to Charlottesville hungry to upset a major ACC power and almost did just that.
Down 1-0 at the half, Virginia had to overcome two deficits to eventually top the Mountain Hawks, 4-2. The resilience shown by the Cavaliers Tuesday is a quality that will be important down the stretch as Virginia looks towards the postseason.
First, however, the Cavaliers will focus on NC State. While the Wolfpack has been inconsistent this season, they will be eager to upset Virginia at home after beating Syracuse a week ago.
The ACC matchup kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday at Dail Soccer Field in Raleigh, N.C.
— compiled by Zach Zamoff