Men's Swimming Wins ACC Title

Official Release
UVa Athletic Media Relations

The Virginia men's swimming and diving team dominated at the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships and on Saturday topped second-place North Carolina by a 273-point margin to win its 11th league title. The Cavaliers finished strong, taking home four victories on the final day. This is the ninth title in 10 years for the Virginia men, highlighting the longest stretch of supremacy in the ACC.

The Cavalier women claimed the ACC crown last week; it is the first time since 1994 both the men and women have won the league title in the same year. The two squads also simultaneously claimed championships in 2003, 1999, and 1990.

Virginia ended the four-day meet by capturing titles in the last two events. Junior Pat Reams earned top honors in the 200 fly, finishing in a time of 1:45.32. Lee Robertson (1:46.24), Dan McMahon (1:47.21), and Ian Vogt (1:47.48) placed fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively, making it a high-scoring event for the Cavaliers. All times met the NCAA 'B' standard. In the last event of the championships, Matt McLean, Scot Robison, John Azar, and Robertson teamed up in the 400 free relay, placing first and adding to the Virginia title count. Their time of 2:56.36 also is a NCAA 'B' time.

McLean was named ACC Most Valuable Swimmer by a vote of the head coaches. The freshman from Sterling, Va., shattered four of the six records this week and was also part of the ACC record-setting 800-yard freestyle relay squad. McLean recorded a stellar rookie campaign, taking gold in the 200 and 500 freestyle events and swimming on three winning relay teams.

Get a list of event winners at Virginiasports.com

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Football recruiting ...

The February 24th junior day was a success, drawing in top talents from up and down the East Coast. The staff also came away with two verbal commitments with more possibly on the way soon.

Following Sunday's event, the University of Virginia received pledges from Chancellor (Fredericksburg, VA) running back Dominique Wallace and Good Counsel (Wheaton, MD) athlete Caleb Porzel. The 6-1, 220-pound Wallace chose the Cavaliers over offers from Maryland, N.C. State, and Penn State, while the 5-8, 180-pound Porzel chose the Cavaliers over offers from Pittsburgh and West Virginia.

Wallace, who possesses 4.48 speed in the 40, is being recruited to play running back. He rushed for more than 1,700 yards and 22 touchdowns last season as a junior. He possesses nice potential and upside as a linebacker as well, but the staff is recruiting him as a running back.

Porzel possesses blazing speed, having run the 40 in 4.32 seconds. He is a versatile performer that should be able to make an impact in several different areas. Look for Porzel to see action in the offensive backfield, at slot receiver, and on special teams as a kick and punt returner. As a junior last season, he totaled about 1,300 yards rushing and receiving and scored a total of 18 touchdowns. Look for more on Porzel this evening in a Sabre Edge update.

In case you missed it, check out the Sabre Edge updates below following last Sunday's junior day. A number of updates have been posted with more to come in the coming weeks.

Virginia currently holds three verbal commitments for the 2009 recruiting class. As I mentioned above, more could be on the way. Look no further for that possibility than 6-3, 220-pound Charlotte Catholic (Charlotte, N.C.) outside linebacker recruit Tucker Windle. Edge subscribers can check out an article posted last night on Windle, whose father Al played for the Cavaliers in the '70s. Tucker was in attendance for last Sunday's junior day and had a terrific experience.

Basketball recruiting ...

Checking in on UVa's recruits as they finish out their high school career's...

(Stay tuned for more on these three on the Edge very soon.)

Sylven Landesberg and the Holy Cross Knights (Flushing, N.Y.) are still alive in the city playoffs with a 64-50 quarterfinal win over St. Peter's on Friday night. The 6-6, 195-pound guard/forward scored 39 points in the win. Holy Cross, which fell to Bishop Loughlin in the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan final last Wednesday, will meet Rice in the city semifinals on Wednesday.

A McDonald's All-American selection and two-time CHSCAA Player of the Year, Landesberg went over the 2,000-point mark for his career last week. He is Holy Cross High School's all-time leading scorer, taking over the top spot previously held by former Virginia guard Willie Dersch.

6-11, 235-pound center John Brandenburg's high school career came to an end last Wednesday, when DeSmet (St. Louis, MO) fell to Gateway Tech in the Class 5 state tournament sectional. The Spartans held a 35-19 lead into halftime, but was outscored 42-10 in the second half in the 61-45 loss. The Spartans finished the year with a 19-10 record and a Class 5, District 3 tournament championship.

Brandenburg averaged 13.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game in 2007/2008. He shot 50.9-percent from the field and 68.5-percent from the free throw line.

The 2007/2008 season has come to an end for 7-0, 230-pound center/power forward Assane Sene as well. He and the rest of his South Kent prep basketball teammates fell to Brewster Academy in the New England Class A semifinal on Saturday, finishing 17-16 on the season.

In the Class A quarterfinal, South Kent defeated 3-time defending champion Bridgton Academy 90-80. In the game, the UVa recruit scored 10 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, and blocked three shots.

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 ...

Q&A: Meadowbrook OL Morgan Moses
Meadowbrook High School (Richmond, VA) star Morgan Moses, a 6-7, 330-pound offensive lineman, is becoming one of the most highly recruited prospects in the state in the 2009 class. Coming off a stellar junior season in which he earned first-team all-state and first-team all-metro honors, Moses has scored six official Division 1A scholarship offers including Georgia, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

Hunter Getting Looks to Play QB
Quintin Hunter's first season as Orange Fighting Hornets starting quarterback has impressed some college coaches enough to recruit the athletic prospect to play quarterback. A second-team all-region selection as a signal caller, Hunter's outstanding junior year included a 514-yard performance (361 yards passing, 153 yards rushing) in a loss to Monticello.

UVa Legacy Raves About Junior Day Experience
Junior football standout Tucker Windle had been to the University of Virginia many, many times before last Sunday's junior day. His father, Al, was a linebacker for the Cavaliers in the '70s, and Tucker grew up a big UVa fan. When the Charlotte Catholic (Charlotte, N.C.) star received an official scholarship offer from the 'Hoos earlier this month, he said he "had to" make a return trip to Charlottesville for the February 24th event.

Snyder Discusses Latest Visit
Last Sunday's visit to the University of Virginia certainly was not the first for Deep Run (Glen Allen, VA) defensive end Jake Snyder, but the talented junior did see and learn some new things about UVa that he didn't know before. The 6-4, 235-pound prospect discussed the junior day experience and gave the latest on his recruitment.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Offer Profile: Catholic Memorial OL/DL Brennan Williams
• Top RB Takes in First College Experience
• Zach Thompson Scores New Offer
• Cavs Keep Rolling with 3rd Commitment
• Lackey CB Names a Top Four
• Top Safety Talks Recruiting
• UVa Scores Its Second 2009 Class Commit
• Metheny Discusses UVa Junior Day
• Two New Offers for Thomas
• Virginia Offers Savage

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Blog Banter: Is Long solidifying his position as the top defensive end?

NFL.com has some numbers up now. They're calling Chris Long a "Top Performer" in the 40-yard dash (7th fastest at 4.75), the vertical jump (3rd with 34 inches), the broad jump (2nd with 10'4'), the 3-cone drill (4th at 7.02), and the 20-yard shuttle (1st at 4.21). Long isn't listed in the top group for the bench press because he's saving that drill for the UVa pro day due to a tweaked thumb.

So Long is listed in the top group for all of his events. However, one of his top competitors at D-end made the top group of his six events: Ohio State's Vernon Gholston, who was already projecting in the draft's top ten. Gholston finished ahead of Long in 3 of the drills (though only barely for 2 of those), while Long beat out Vernon in the cone drill and shuttle. I'd say the only real separation for Gholston was the extra tenth of a second in the 40 (he only had a half inch lead in the vertical jump and a one inch lead in the broad jump), while Long had a full tenth of a second on him in the cone drill and two-tenths in the shuttle. So, perhaps a slight edge to Vernon, but certainly not much ... and perhaps a tie with that UVa pro day pending.

Read the full blog entry here.

You can read more about Long's combine work on the Good Ol' Blog as well: Chris Long wows 'em and Chris Long at the Combines - live updates.

License Plate section is up in Wahoowa!

A few weeks ago, SabreMail made a request for anyone who had license plates that reflected your status as a Hoo fan. The responses have started to trickle in and the Plates Photos are up and running the Wahoowa! section of the site. The Wahoowa! section of the Sabre is dedicated to all things associated with UVa Fan-dom. There are various fan-related areas including desktop wallpaper, Fan of the Week photos, V-Sabres Worldwide, and more. If you have suggestions for new and interesting things in the Wahoowa! section, please email us at [email protected] with the header: Wahoowa! suggestion.

We'd like to keep adding photos to the section so if your license plate shows that you're a Hoo fan, let us know so we can include you in our gallery. All you need to do is snap a picture of your license plate and email a jpeg version of the photo to [email protected] with the email header: License Plate Photo.

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Virginia Wins Double-OT Thriller Over Georgia Tech, 103-101: Monica Wright hit the game-winning shot with less than three seconds left in the second overtime period to lift Virginia over Georgia Tech, 103-101, Sunday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena. Wright finished with a career-high 28 points, while Lyndra Littles also set a new career-high with 31 points to lead UVa.
• No. 16 Baseball Rolls Past Cornell, Earns Best-Ever Start: The Virginia baseball team won its 10th-consecutive game Sunday, downing Cornell 12-3 at Davenport Field. With the win, the 10-0 Cavaliers are off to their best start to a season in school history. Earlier in the weekend, Jacob Thompson set the Virginia career wins record as the 16th-ranked Cavaliers topped Siena, 17-2, at Davenport Field. Thompson earned his 23rd career victory, besting former Cavaliers Sean Doolittle (2005-07), Joe Koshansky (2001-04), and Seth Greisinger (1994-96).
• No. 1 Cavaliers Blank No. 9 Baylor 7-0 For Second Win Of Weekend: The Virginia men's tennis team closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 7-0 win over No. 9 Baylor on Saturday afternoon at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar's Head Sports Club. The Cavaliers, who also topped No. 5 Texas 5-2 on Friday, improve to 15-0 on the season with the win.
• Wahoos Down Syracuse in OT Thriller: Sophomore midfielder Brian Carroll's second goal of the game with 1:29 remaining in overtime lifted No. 3 Virginia to a 14-13 win over Syracuse in the first game of the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic Saturday afternoon at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium. The Cavaliers improve to 4-0 overall this season, while the eighth-ranked Orange falls to 2-1.
• Late Second-Half Run Secures 13-8 Victory Over No. 4 Syracuse: It was the No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers that shut down the offensive minded No. 4 Syracuse Orange, 13-8, in a showdown between two top-five ranked teams Saturday afternoon in Klockner Stadium. The Orange entered the game averaging 21 goals per outing this season, but were limited to only 23 shots in today's contest. Virginia used a 32-23 edge in shots and a 13-10 advantage in draw controls, including winning eight in the second half, to hold off the potent Syracuse offense.
• Ayeni Breaks Program's Shot Put Record: Junior All-American Yemi Ayeni led the Virginia men's track and field team in the final day of competition at the ACC Indoor Championships held at Eddie Smith Field House and the University of North Carolina by breaking the program record in the shot put. Both the men's and women's teams took fifth place at the championships with the men collecting 76.5 point, while the women finished with 57. Ayeni's toss of 58'9.5" (17.92m) betters his previous throw of 17.50m from the Virginia Tech Invitational earlier this season, which then set the previous record.
• Cavalier Men's Golfers Open Strong at Seminole Intercollegiate: The Virginia men's golf team shot is tied for third after Sunday's opening round of play at Florida State's Seminole Intercollegiate at the Golden Eagle Country Club in Tallahassee. The Cavaliers shot 2-under 286 to tie with 12th-ranked Auburn, just one shot behind No. 11 Florida State and No. 22 Mississippi. UVa is four shots ahead of No. 20 North Carolina.
• UVa Falls to Dolphins 4-3: The Virginia softball team (4-11) dropped its final game of the JU Softball Tournament, 4-3, Sunday to the host Dolphins in Jacksonville. The Cavaliers concluded the event with a 2-3 record.

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

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Issue No. 85 - May 2, 2003

Virginia's Top 2004 Recruiting Targets - Early Recruiting Season
By Chris Horne

The following is an excerpt from a Sabre Edge article that introduces the known list of UVa recruiting targets for the 2004 recruiting class.

In-State Prospects

Quarterbacks: Beginning with the top of the Sabre Top 30 list, the Cavaliers are eyeing Westfield quarterback Sean Glennon (#1 in Sabre Top 30). Glennon, who is an extremely accurate passer, runs an offense built around short passing, similar to the one implemented by Virginia Coach Al Groh. With 42 touchdowns and only seven interceptions over his sophomore and junior seasons combined, it is obvious Glennon has the tools to be a successful quarterback in college. He has already received early offers from both Virginia and Virginia Tech. As he has been to Virginia Tech quite a few times over the past few years, the Hokies may have the slight edge, however Glennon himself lists no leader. The Cavaliers are also recruiting Lee Bujakowski (#3 in Top 30), Randy Hippeard (#10 in Top 30), and Ryan Pond (#9 in Top 30) for the quarterback position, where it appears they will likely only take one player.

Running Backs: William Campbell running back Cedric Peerman has received an early offer from Virginia and is currently a heavy lean to the Cavaliers. Ranked #6 in the Top 30 list, Peerman displays good acceleration and has the speed to break away from defenders. Although he does not catch too many passes out of the backfield, he appears to have good hands. Graham running back Ahmad Bradshaw, who is ranked #4 in the Top 30, is outstanding. He may be a little small to withstand the pounding at running back in college, however he could easily play wide receiver or cornerback. Tidewater star Antwain Carey (#5 in Top 30) is a track star in a big running back's body. The Deep Creek running back is 6-0, 205 pounds, and runs around a 4.4 in the 40 yard dash according to Deep Creek's David Cox. Both in-state schools are recruiting Carey, though Virginia Tech has historically had very good success at Deep Creek.

Offensive Linemen: You cannot produce good running backs without good offensive line prospects, and there appears to be two very good ones in the state this year - Stafford's John Bradshaw (#11 in Sabre Top 30) and Osbourn Park's Zac Stair (#20 in Top 30). Bradshaw has received offers from West Virginia, Northwestern, and Virginia Tech, but was in attendance for UVa's spring football game. Stair, who attended Virginia Tech's spring game, has received an early offer from the Hokies as well as Syracuse. Both players are looking closely at the two in-state schools.

Wide Receivers: The wide receiver position is not as deep as in past years, but does boast some very good prospects nevertheless. Westfield's speedy and elusive Eddie Royal (#15 in Top 30) figures to be heavily recruited by both Virginia and Virginia Tech. Royal, who coach Tom Verbanic calls "the fastest player I've ever coached," is the top receiver for Sean Glennon. Salem (Virginia Beach) wide receiver Jeremy Gilchrist (#16 in Top 30) will likely receive an offer from Colorado very soon, according to former Salem coach Chris Beatty. Gilchrist, whose brother John plays basketball for the University of Maryland, is looking at the Terrapins as well as NC State, UVa, and Virginia Tech. Frankie Caldeyro (#25 in Top 30), the speedster from Churchland, is another option at the wide receiver position. Caldeyro plays many positions for Churchland, but may be more suited for wide receiver because of his blazing speed.

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:

• Position Reviews JHoo breaks down the situation at the various positions on the Virginia football team.
• GT, Duke, Maryland The Sabre provides coverage of the Hoos' next three basketball games.
• FanWatch The Sabre takes a look at a pair of long-time Cavalier fans.
• User's Guide To Lacrosse A handful of Sabre users give us a guide to Virignia men's lacrosse.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Hurricanes Hold Off Hoos
Despite a new career-high 41 points from Sean Singletary, the Virginia men's basketball team squandered a chance to climb from the ACC cellar on Saturday as Miami picked up a hard-fought 95-93 win. The Hurricanes poured in 60 second-half points to keep the 3-10 Cavaliers in 12th in the league; with loss by N.C. State and Boston College on the day, a victory would have lifted UVa out of last place for the first time this season.

Revisiting UVa's 10 Key Questions, Part II
At the outset of the season, The Sabre took a look at 10 key questions facing the Cavaliers' 2007-08 men's basketball team. Among the 10, some questions focused on defense, Adrian Joseph, the NCAA Tournament, and Sean Singletary. With the Hoos finishing out February on a break, let's take a look back at questions 1-5 and see why UVa is just one game above .500 and 3-9 in the ACC.

Around The Horn: A Good Start
The Cavalier baseball season has begun but what did we learn from the four-game sweep of Lehigh, a victory over CAA preseason favorite ODU, and a four-touchdown laugher over Coppin State? Not much that we didn't know before the weekend started. Look for Coach Brian O'Connor to continue to mix things up this weekend with four more games in the University of Virginia Invitational.

Photo Gallery: UVa Vs. N.C. State
The Virginia men's basketball team picked up its third ACC win of the season by defeating N.C. State 78-60 on Sunday. Sean Singletary and Calvin Baker led the scoring charge, while the Cavaliers used a team effort to smother NCSU defensively for much of the contest. Check out some of the action in this 33-image photo gallery.

Revisiting UVa's 10 Key Questions, Part I
At the outset of the season, The Sabre took a look at 10 key questions facing the Cavaliers' 2007-08 men's basketball team. Among the 10, some questions focused on the freshmen, Lars Mikalauskas and the center rotation, and the John Paul Jones Arena. With the Hoos finishing out February on a break, let's take a look back at questions 6-10 to investigate why UVa is just one game above .500 and 3-9 in the ACC.

Best Seat In The House: Chris Long, Draft Diary
Virginia defensive end Chris Long impressed experts and analysts at the NFL Combine earlier this week, likely solidifying his NFL Draft status as a top 5 pick. Long joined Macon Gunter on The Best Seat in the House to talk about his time in Indianapolis, preparing for April's draft, and more.

Hoos Look For Another Strong Season
The Virginia men's lacrosse team ended last season ranked No. 3 in the nation by Inside Lacrosse and made it to the ACC Tournament title game. Though the Cavaliers would end their season on a disappointing note, losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Virginia coach Dom Starsia hardly sees last year as a disappointment and he believes the program can continue its success this time around. TheSabre.com looks at four reasons why this year's team has a chance to not only repeat the regular season success of last year, but also to make another run at the NCAA Championship.

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