While former coach Mark Bernardino’s management of the swim program during his tenure would seem to have set the team up for a bright future, any continued success the men’s program was poised for was quickly dismantled by Augie Busch’s leadership.
Dating back to 1984, Virginia has had a player selected in the NFL draft for 31 consecutive seasons. And in 2015 — with the likes of Eli Harold, Max Valles and Anthony Harris headlining a list of 18 draft eligible alumni — the streak is sure to continue to 32 years.
Eighteen alumni of Virginia football participated in the team’s Pro Timing Day on Monday morning. There, 34 scouts representing all 32 NFL teams made evaluations that will ultimately factor into the professional aspirations of those assembled.
The No. 2 Virginia men’s basketball team clinched the ACC regular season title for the second consecutive year with a dominating 59-47 victory over Syracuse at the Carrier Dome Monday night. The Cavaliers (28-1, 16-1 ACC) defeated Syracuse at home a year ago to clinch the same honor.
Sophomore Jordan Young set the tone Thursday. Young’s weight throw of 22.92 meters — 1.56 meters farther than any of his opponents’ — shattered his own school record and secured a first-place finish.
With four seconds remaining in the game, Virginia senior attacker Casey Bocklett scored a goal to seal the 16-15 victory for the eighth-ranked Cavaliers over No.9 Penn State Saturday afternoon, closing out their season-opening road trip. Virginia had previously lost to No. 3 Syracuse and No. 5 Northwestern by one goal apiece.
The Virginia women’s tennis team downed Notre Dame by a 6-1 final score Sunday afternoon at Eck Tennis Pavilion in Notre Dame, Indiana. The No. 5 Cavaliers (9-2, 3-0 ACC) swept the singles after dropping the doubles point, extending their winning streak to four matches.
For the 11th-ranked Virginia (7-2) men’s tennis team, the beginning of the spring 2015 season has been an increasingly complicated puzzle. Although it boasts the top two singles players in the nation in sophomore Thai-Son Kwiatkoski and junior Ryan Shane, the Cavaliers have now dropped two matches in 15 days, both to the fifth-ranked Baylor Bears (9-2), following seven straight wins to begin the year.
The Virginia softball team (4-14, 1-2 ACC) traveled to the FMU Softball Stadium in Florence, South Carolina, where it sandwiched a win between two losses to drop the series to Pittsburgh (15-2, 2-1 ACC). The Cavaliers began their first series of conference play with a doubleheader on Saturday.
After suffering suspensions, transfers and injuries, the No. 25 Virginia men’s swimming and diving team suspected its usual standard of excellence would be tough to meet in 2015. However, that knowledge did little to ease the pain of its ACC Championship Meet performance.
The Virginia women’s basketball team ended its regular season at John Paul Jones Arena with a bang Sunday afternoon by upsetting No. 8 Louisville 75-59 on Senior Day and securing its first win against a ranked opponent and 13th win at home this year.
The annual Virginia-Syracuse tilt is known as one of collegiate lacrosse’s best rivalries — not only because of the two programs’ tradition, but also due to its exhilarating finishes.
Top-ranked Virginia baseball won all three round-robin games at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The Cavaliers had just won their 27th game in 28 tries, matching the best start in Virginia history and clinching at least a share of their second consecutive ACC regular season title.
The Skinny on weekend competition for Virginia’s baseball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s basketball and track and field teams.
The Virginia women’s basketball team battled to the last second Thursday night against No. 15 North Carolina, but a buzzer-beater by the Tar Heels, who hadn’t scored in four minutes, sent the Cavaliers home with another top-25 loss, 72-70. Sophomore forward Stephanie Mavunga scored the game-winner on a last-second putback.
The No. 2 Virginia men’s basketball dominated Wake Forest 70-34 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina Wednesday night. Junior forward Anthony Gill led the way for the Cavaliers with 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
Though the field may be covered in snow right now, the grounds crew is no doubt working tirelessly to uncover the glistening Patriot Bermudagrass and prepare The Park for another season of Virginia softball.
The second-ranked Virginia men’s basketball team plays its final home game of the 2014-15 regular season Saturday, when in-state rival Virginia Tech (10-18, 2-13 ACC) comes to Charlottesville.
The Virginia women’s basketball team is looking to channel the positive energy from it’s win against Virginia Tech Sunday into its two remaining regular season games, against No. 15 North Carolina and No. 8 Louisville, and beat a top-25 team for the first time this season.
