Kirkwood Selected as Finalist for Rhodes Scholarship

Official Release
UVa Athletic Media Relations

Virginia volleyball player Sarah Kirkwood was selected as one of 15 finalists for the Rhodes Scholarship, an award that provides all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England.

Kirkwood interviewed in Birmingham, Ala., for the prestigious honor over the weekend and did not travel with the volleyball team to Maryland and Boston College.

The Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest and best-known award for international study, were created in 1902 by the will of Cecil Rhodes, a British philanthropist and African colonial pioneer. Criteria for applicants include high academic achievement, integrity of character, a spirit of unselfishness, respect for others, potential for leadership, and physical vigor.

"It was an amazing opportunity and I had an amazing weekend," Kirkwood said. "I am very grateful for all the interesting people I had the pleasure of meeting. It was a good experience to be able to go through the interview process and I am honored to have made it so far."

Rhodes Scholars are chosen in a two-stage process. First, candidates must be endorsed by their college or university. Over 1,000 students each year seek their institution's endorsement; this year, 764 students were endorsed by 294 different colleges and universities. Committees of Selection in each of 16 districts then invite the strongest applicants to appear before them for interview. Kirkwood, a native of Tampa, Fla., was chosen as a finalist from District 7. The fourth-year Lawn resident has a 3.9 grade-point average in cognitive science/pre-medicine at UVa and is scheduled to graduate in May. Kirkwood was considering pursuit of a master's degree in neuroscience at Oxford.

The Rhodes Scholars were announced Nov. 17 after two rounds of interviews. Kirkwood made it through both rounds but was not selected as a recipient. Winners from District 7 were John Moore from the United States Naval Academy and Joseph O'Shea from Florida State University.

Kirkwood, a 2005 AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, is a three-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer and this season set program records for career kills, attack attempts and service aces. She also became the first player in program history to be selected as an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American, an honor she has achieved twice.

Kirkwood and the Virginia volleyball team play the final home matches of the season this week. The Cavaliers will play host to Duke at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Wake Forest at 7 p.m. Friday.

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Basketball recruiting ...

Although there has been no official word from the Virginia Athletics Department, there isn't anything to worry about with respect to Virginia's three commitments.

Holy Cross (Flushing, N.Y.) guard Sylven Landesberg and DeSmet Jesuit (St. Louis, MO) center John Brandenburg have each signed their letters of intent with Virginia. Coach Dave Leitao and company are now awaiting South Kent (CT) center Assane Sene's LOI, which is expected to be in soon.

Following the end of the early signing period, stay tuned for analysis on Virginia's class as well as a look at other classes around the ACC. With two top 100 recruits in Landesberg and Brandenburg, UVa boasts one of the top classes in the country.

Football recruiting ...

The home stretch truly begins this Sunday, which is the beginning of the Contact Period in Division 1A football recruiting. Beginning Sunday, coaches can start making in-home visits with prospects. The Contact Period lasts through Feb. 2, but there are exceptions including several Dead Periods and Quiet Periods mixed in.

This week, stay tuned for updates on some of Virginia's top remaining targets including Easton (PA) cornerback/wide receiver Jarred Holley, Robinson (Concord, N.C.) OT R.J. Mattes, Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, MD) safety Okechuckwu Okoroha, and Gateway WR/KR/PR Cameron Saddler.

Some action is expected to take place with the aforementioned prospects. Holley is working on setting official visit dates. Mattes, who made his first official visit on the weekend of Nov. 10 to N.C. State, is expected to make more visits in the coming weeks. At last check, he was scheduled to visit UVa this coming weekend. Okoroha is expected to narrow his list soon.

Saddler, who is expected to make an official visit to Pitt this weekend and an official visit to West Virginia on the weekend of Dec. 1, is still scheduled to announce his college decision on Dec. 5. He made an official visit to Virginia on the weekend of Nov. 3.

Game Balls ...

CB/WR Rodney McLeod helped DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD) capture its fifth consecutive WCAC Championship this weekend. The 5-9, 180-pound McLeod hauled in a 21-yard touchdown reception for DeMatha's only touchdown of the day and the Stags held on to defeat Good Counsel 12-7.

McLeod, who is likely to start out as a cornerback at Virginia, plans to make his official visit to Charlottesville this coming weekend.

Offensive line commit Matt Mihalik earned Northeast Ohio Division 5 Offensive Player of the Year honors per The Cleveland Plain Dealer. According to the report, the 6-7, 275-pound Mihalik graded out at 97.6 percent on the year, averaging three pancake blocks per game.

Chris Horne, our resident recruiting expert, provides updates throughout the week for Edge subscribers about UVa's commitments and recruiting targets in football and men's basketball. To sign up for an Edge subscription, please check out the Sabre Edge Sign Up and Information Page. If you're already on board as an Edge subscriber, click the links below to catch up on recruiting.

Sabre Edge recruiting updates from the past week ...

Okoroha Plans to Narrow List This Week
After keeping quiet on potential favorites up to this point, Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, MD) safety Okechuckwu Okoroha is finally expected to reveal his finalists this week. Led by primary recruiter Mike London, Virginia has been in consistent contact with the 6-0, 192-pound star and seems to be in solid position to make the first cut.

Walker Set to Make More Visits
Christchurch (VA) 4-star senior Deion Walker plans to make several more visits - at least one official and some unofficial - over the next month-and-a-half before he announces his college decision. The 6-3, 180-pound prospect knows when he will announce his decision, but first plans to narrow his list of schools.

Checking in with Rodney McLeod
Virginia commit Rodney McLeod is soaking in a pretty special week. The 5-9, 180-pound senior cornerback/wide receiver is in his last week of practice as a high school football player, preparing for his last game as a member of the DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD) varsity football squad. The final game will be a big one - a match-up versus Good Counsel for the WCAC Championship.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Dunn Names a Favorite
• The Latest with TE/DE Chris Pantale
• A.J. Price Setting Up Official Visits
• Hamilton Ready to Focus on Recruiting

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Commonwealth Day Concert

For the first time ever the University of Virginia Cavalier Marching Band and the Virginia Tech Marching Virginians will give a joint concert on Friday, Nov. 23, the night before the annual Commonwealth Day football game between the two universities.

The bands will unite in a musical celebration with traditional school songs and highlights from this season's halftime shows. The grand finale will have both bands perform as one powerful 550-piece sound of Virginia.

The concert begins at 8 p.m. Feature twirlers and drum majors will be available at 7:30 p.m. for those interested in autographs.

Proceeds from the concert, which is sponsored by Virginia National Bank and MoneyWise, will go to the Ryan Clark Memorial Fund and the Cavalier Marching Band Fund.

For more information, you can check out this page or The Sabre home page for an audio preview.

The Sabre's Game Week Coverage

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UVa Bookstores' 2007 Virginia Football Pick 'Em

Pick 'em is simple. The first contestant who picks the winner and comes closest to predicting the final score wins. In case of ties, the earliest entry will be awarded the prize. Entries must be received by 12:00 a.m. EST game day. Entries received after 12:00 a.m. (midnight the night before the game) are ineligible. Limit one entry per person.

The prizes for the Pick ' em are awesome! The Virginia vs. Virginia Tech contest this week is the GRAND PRIZE week. The first-place winner will receive 4 Carolina Panther Tickets & On-Field Tour before the game - Choose San Francisco or Seattle game. Second place receivese a 1-Year Cavalier Corner Magazine subscription.

For the full information or to enter, click here!

Newslink - Your One Stop Shop for UVa News

TheSabre.com provides an excellent service for the Virginia fan base that you may not know about: Newslink. Sabre NewsLink provides you with links to the daily news on your Hoos. Our staff checks the Internet each morning to locate and link to articles from various online media sources from around the state and beyond. We even throw some interesting ACC news to let you know what the Hoos' opponents are up to. Sabre NewsLink is updated every morning, 365 days a year!

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Krzysik's 90th Minute Goal Lifts UVa Over W&M: Nikki Krzysik scored with 14 seconds remaining to give Virginia a 1-0 victory over William & Mary in a NCAA second round match Sunday at Klöckner Stadium. The win propels the Cavaliers into the round of 16 for the third consecutive season where they will meet UCLA.
• Wright's 27 Points Lead Virginia Past Richmond, 80-59: Sophomore guard Monica Wright poured in a career-high 27 points to lead four double-figure Cavalier scorers, and the University of Virginia women's basketball team topped Richmond, 80-59, Sunday at John Paul Jones Arena.
• Wrestling Sweeps Purdue, MSU at ACC/Big Ten Clash: The Virginia wrestling team posted two historic wins Saturday, knocking off Purdue (16-15) and Michigan State (29-10) at the ACC/Big Ten Clash at Eddie Smith Field House in Chapel Hill, N.C. The wins mark the Cavaliers' first-ever over a Big Ten wrestling program. "It was a big day for our program," Virginia head coach Steve Garland said. "I told our guys afterwards that they did something special. It's amazing how young we are to do something like that. I've been involved with Virginia wrestling for several years - first as a player then as a coach - and I've never seen a string of dual meets like we had today. For years we've heard that we are an up-and-coming program, but today we showed that we're here."
• Tennessee Edges Virginia, 156-144: he Virginia men's swimming and diving teams fell to Tennessee 156-144 Thursday at the Aquatic and Fitness Center. The loss drops the Cavaliers to 4-2 in dual meet competition this season, while the Volunteers stay unbeaten at 5-0.
• Long Named Nagurski Trophy Finalist: Virginia senior defensive end Chris Long has been named as one of the five finalists for the 2007 Bronko Nagurski Trophy by the Football Writers Association of America and the Charlotte Touchdown Club. Also vying for the honor of the best defensive football player in college football are Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis, LSU tackle Glenn Dorsey, South Florida end George Selvie and Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib. Laurinaitis won the award in 2006. The winner will be announced on Dec. 3.

For more Hoo news or to read full releases, check out Virginiasports.com.

THE SHOWDOWN T-SHIRT
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Issue No. 72 - January 31, 2003

This week in Virginia recruiting

Dias down to two

Jermaine Dias, a 6-2, 215-pound linebacker from Hackensack, NJ, has narrowed his list to two schools, Virginia and North Carolina. Hackensack H.S. Head Coach Ralph Dass believes that Dias is close to making his decision, and that decision could come as early as this weekend, if it hasn't happened already. Dass believes UVa has led for Dias' services for quite a while, however, he still remains uncommitted.

Anastasio still in the mix

Robinson (VA) athlete Chase Anastasio still has three teams he's choosing from, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame. Following an impressive visit last weekend, Virginia Tech has become a very strong player in Anastasio's recruitment. Virginia is still in the mix, however, along with the Fighting Irish.

Some suspect that Anastasio was turned off by the departure of UVa Offensive Coordinator Bill Musgrave. Musgrave took a job last week with the Jacksonville Jaguars. According to Chase's father, Mike Anastasio, Musgrave's departure will have no effect on Chase's decision.

"We talked about that quite a bit," said Mr. Anastasio. "Unfortunately, in this business, coaches come and go. We told Coach Groh that our decision is based on the head coach, not the assistant coaches. It won't be a factor. In the end, though, the decision will come down to where Chase is comfortable. He has to be comfortable at the school he chooses for more than just football reasons. Things change in football."

The in-home visits end for Chase tonight, and then he and his family will sit down and sort things out. Look for a decision to come by this Monday.

More on Ellis

Believe it or not, Virginia is still in the mix with Bethel H.S. defensive end Chris Ellis. Ellis, 6-5, 230 pounds, may very well end up at Virginia Tech when all is said and done. But the Cavaliers are still right there, and the longer that Ellis waits to make his decision, the better it is for UVa.

Ellis enjoyed his trip to Blacksburg last weekend, but not enough to pull the trigger with a commitment, which means that he's still keeping the door open. In past conversations, Ellis has expressed a concern with UVa's 3-4 defense. Since many of the top NFL teams are now using the 3-4, it is doubtful that Ellis' decision, if he chooses Virginia Tech, will come down to defensive scheme.

Coming Soon

The Sabre has you covered when it comes to Hoo news. Here are a few of the articles to expect on the site in the coming days:

• UVa Hosts Drexel The Cavaliers face their fourth basketball opponent of the young season this week. The Sabre will be there to provide coverage.
• Looking Back at Miami The Sabre takes one last look back with Inside the Game.
• Virginia Tech The Hokies and Hoos clash for the Coastal Division title this weekend. The Sabre previews the week's big game.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Hoos Prevail In Arizona
Battling the flu, poor shooting, and a physical defensive approach from Arizona, Sean Singletary delivered when it mattered most and the Virginia basketball team rode a balanced effort to an impressive early season win at No. 17 Arizona. Singletary scored four of the last six points as the visiting Cavaliers won 75-72.

Hoos Overpower Howard
The Virginia men's basketball team added to its outstanding record in the John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday, dispatching Howard 92-53 to improve to 18-1 in the building that opened last season. The win, a part of The Philly Classic that concludes on Thanksgiving weekend, improved the Hoos to 2-0 this season.

10 Questions For Leitao's Hoos (Part I)
The Virginia basketball team returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2006-07 and won a first round game as a No. 4 seed. The Hoos shared the ACC regular season championship. That sort of season is a solid step for Dave Leitao as he tries to build the UVa program in to a consistent contender. Let's take a look at 10 questions facing this year's version of Virginia basketball with the first part of a two-part article.

Greg's Game Grades '07: Miami
Miami quarterback Kyle Wright may have said it best of the Hurricanes' 48-0 loss to Virginia, the Florida schools worst in almost a decade: "We got beat in every aspect of the game tonight. I can't explain the frustration." It was the first time in the 2007 campaign the Cavaliers put together a complete effort from all three operations. The result was UM's worst defeat since a 66-13 road loss at Syracuse on November 28, 1998 and Virginia's best overall grade score in two seasons.

10 Things I Learned Vs. Miami
Streaks have to end at some point. Navy had to beat Notre Dame eventually, for example, and the Virginia football team eventually was going to beat Clemson (still on my top five list of favorite games ever). And whether it was UVa's 0-for-forever in Florida or the UVa offense's 0-for-forever in the third quarter, streaks were ending in a big way this weekend in the Orange Bowl.

More recent updates on The Sabre ...

• Blog Banter: Emotional Night Costs Miami
• Photo Gallery: Virginia 48, Miami 0

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