In Like A Lion

The Virginia spring sports teams are roaring into their schedules with tons of early season success. The spring sports teams are 111-10 to date! (Hat tip to shakerhoo for the math!*) The breakdown looks like this: baseball (15-0), men's golf (20-1), women's golf (17-0), men's tennis (18-0), women's tennis (10-2), men's lacrosse (9-0), women's lacrosse (5-2), and softball (17-5).

Among the impressive feats this past weekend? Baseball slammed Florida State 15-2 on Friday night before the rest of the series got rained out. The women's golf team won the second tournament championship in the program's history with a program-best 856 total score; UVa's final round 284 is the lowest single-round score in the team's history as well. Also, the Virginia women's tennis team rolled past Virginia Tech 7-0, meaning that the Cavaliers' only two losses on the season came against Tennessee.

To catch up on more UVa sports headlines, check out the "Around the World of Wahoo Sports ..." feature below in SabreMail.

* Message board link that will expire.

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Today ...

Be sure to check out the EDGE article on 6-6 1/2, 285-pound Seth Betancourt, who is emerging as one of the top rising senior offensive line recruits in the East. The St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, PA) standout has earned nine Division 1A scholarship offers so far, including Connecticut, Duke, Michigan State, Mississippi, Penn State, Rutgers, Temple, Virginia and West Virginia. Florida State, North Carolina and Tennessee are among the other programs expressing heavy interest.

Betancourt has visited three schools so far. They are Penn State, Rutgers and Virginia. In the article, he reflects on his visit to the University of Virginia for a junior day on Feb. 28. The visit went well and even surprised the talented prospect, who is in no rush to make a decision. He answers whether or not UVa will be in his future visit plans in the article.

Betancourt is the latest in a series of articles on top offensive line targets in the 2010 class. Last week, TheSabre.com profiled Lake Braddock (Burke, VA) standout Khamrone Kolb (UVa offer) and Linganore (Frederick, MD) prospect Robby Havenstein. The latter has not been offered by UVa but plans to visit later this month. The former attended a UVa junior day last month.

This week ...

We'll have a feature profile on 5-11, 195-pound Chestnut Hill Academy (Philadelphia, PA) defensive back/running back Ibraheim Campbell later this week. Campbell is drawing serious interest from Virginia and may take a visit to Charlottesville this spring. Campbell, a good athlete, impressed at a recent Sparq Combine in Philly as well as the U.S. Army All-American Combine in January.

Campbell, who has posted an electronically-timed 4.5 40, rushed for 1,772 yards and 23 touchdowns last season as a junior.

We'll also follow up from this past Saturday, which was Virginia's latest junior day. We have already confirmed that one top target, Southern (Durham, N.C.) corner A.J. Marshall, was unable to attend. But Marshall, who has been offered by eight Division 1A programs including a handful from the ACC, told TheSabre.com that he plans on visiting Virginia at some point this spring.

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 ...

UVa Basketball Recruiting Notes
In this edition of "Notes" TheSabre.com checks in with UVa men's basketball recruits Jontel Evans and Tristan Spurlock, seniors who have just completed their high school careers. We also check in with one of the top prospects in the 2010 class, Tennessee standout Casey Prather, who is considering the Cavaliers along with many others.

Cavs Courting Top OL Prospect Betancourt
6-6 1/2, 285-pound Seth Betancourt has impressed on the gridiron since his sophomore season, when he started at offensive tackle for St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, PA). Having become one of the top offensive line recruits in the East, the rising senior standout now boasts close to double-digit Division 1A scholarship offers.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Broad Run's 2010 Class
• Cavs Keeping Tabs on West Rowan LB
• Lake Braddock OL Has ACC, Big 10 Offers
• UVa Interested in Massive All-State OL

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Morgan Honored As ACC Legend

Former Virginia standout guard Richard Morgan was honored as the Cavaliers' 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Legend at the tournament on Saturday (March 14). Morgan lettered four times for the Cavaliers from 1986-89 and was a three-year starter. He ranks eighth on Virginia's career steals list (160), 10th on the career field goals made list (605) and 15th on UVa's all-time scoring list with 1,540 points.

Morgan was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection and an honorable mention selection to The Sporting News' All-America team as a senior in 1989 when he was a team captain. He led the Cavaliers in scoring (20.4 ppg.), free throw percentage (86.4 percent, 121-140) and steals (55) for the 1988-89 season, and was fourth in rebounding (4.1 rpg.). Morgan led the ACC in free throw percentage that season and was fourth in scoring. The 673 points he scored during the 1988-89 season ranks fourth on UVa's single-season scoring list. Read official release in full.

Law Grad To Head NFLPA

On Sunday, 45-year-old DeMaurice Smith was selected to be the NFL Players Association's new executive director, taking over the spot held previously by the late Gene Upshaw. Smith earned his law degree at Virginia in 1989. Read The Associated Press story.

Blog Banter: Landesberg's Thoughts

From The Good Ol' Blog

Virginia freshman and ACC Rookie of the Year Sylven Landesberg joined reporters for a teleconference Tuesday afternoon. Here are Landesberg's thoughts on the honor:

On whether winning the award was a goal this year and if he thought he had a good shot at it at any point during the season ... "I mean I guess it was a goal of mine; it wasn't the No. 1 goal, but I guess it was a goal of mine. I thought I was always underrated and I thought I could compete with the top of my class. I felt it was more possible when people started telling me I kept racking up ACC Rookie of the Week Awards. I didn't really know about them until people came around telling me I got one after they happened so I was like oh man, I'm going to have a chance now."

On his personal expectations for next year and coming years at Virginia ... "When Coach Leitao told me that I won this award, I was happy, but then he also told me that I was on the honorable mention [list] for the All-ACC team. When I heard that, that's what really stood out to me. ... If people think there are 18 people better than me in the ACC, then that means I have a lot of work to do. After I heard that, I totally forgot about the Rookie of the Year Award and concentrated on that. That's really going to be the main focus of my work ethic this whole summer, to change people's opinion about me and try to work my way up."

On coming back to Virginia next year ... "I don't think I accomplished anything for me to leave. As a team, we didn't have a successful season. In the ACC, I want to have a winning record and be at least in the top four teams. I want to be able to go to the NCAA [Tournament], deep in there. There's a lot of things I want to accomplish before I leave the school so I'm coming back."

Read more on The Good Ol' Blog!

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Four Cavalier Student-Athletes Honored by ACC: A total of four student-athletes from Virginia are among 42 individuals recognized by the Atlantic Coast Conference as recipients of postgraduate scholarships. Women's track and field athlete Billie-Jo Grant and men's swimmers Ryan Hurley and Pat Mellors were among the 36 ACC student-athletes to earn the Weaver-James-Corrigan scholarships. Student-athletes receiving the award have performed with distinction in both the classroom and in their respective sports, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community. In addition to receiving the postgraduate scholarship, Virginia baseball pitcher Andrew Carraway was one of six honorary recipients of the Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Awards.
• DMR Earns All-America Honors at NCAA Indoor Championships: Virginia's distance medley relay team of freshman Sintayehu Taye, sophomore Meikle Paschal, freshman Lance Roller and senior Andrew Jesien earned All-America honors on Friday evening at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in College Station, Texas. Taye, Paschal, Roller and Jesien combined to complete the race in sixth place with a time of 9:36.89 to each earn their first All-America honor. The quartet is the third DMR relay team at Virginia to earn All-America honors, as they join the 1981 and 2005 squads tagged with the national honor.
• Monica Wright Named To The Wooden Award National Ballot: Virginia junior guard Monica Wright has been named to the official John R. Wooden Award National ballot that decides the women's 2009 Wooden Award All-American Team and Player of the Year, presented annually to the nation's top collegiate female basketball player. Wright, named a first team All-ACC selection at the conclusion of the regular season, leads the league and UVa in scoring (20.5 points per game) and is also a candidate for the Naismith Trophy and Wade Trophy.
• No. 18 Virginia Ups Streak to 15 with 15-2 Win over No. 14 FSU: The No. 18 Virginia baseball team recorded its school-record 15th-consecutive win and remained undefeated with a 15-2 victory over No. 14 Florida State Friday night at Davenport Field. Freshman Danny Hultzen stole the show with a career-high 13 strikeouts in seven innings as he improved to 4-0 this year.
• Virginia Opens Up Early Lead, Defeats Towson 11-2: Top-ranked Virginia scored on three of its first four shots to take command early and defeat Towson 11-2 in a steady rain before 2389 fans at Klöckner Stadium. The win is the Cavaliers' ninth in a row over the Tigers dating back to 2001 and the eighth time in the last nine meetings they have held the Tiger to fewer than 10 goals. Virginia's record improves to 9-0 this season; this is the third time in the last four years the Cavaliers have started 6-0 or better.
• Tar Heels Upset Virginia in ACC Contest, 12-8: The No. 4 Virginia women's lacrosse team struggled with sloppy weather conditions and transitioning the ball, falling 12-8 to the No. 9 North Carolina Tar Heels Saturday afternoon at Fetzer Field. The win gives the Tar Heels their first in the Atlantic Coast Conference, bumping them to 5-2 on the season and 1-0 in the league. The Cavaliers fall to 5-2 on the season and 1-2 in the ACC. Senior All-American Blair Weymouth led all scorers with four goals on the afternoon.
• Men's Tennis Wins 4-3 Thriller at No. 10 Texas : The No. 1 Virginia men's tennis team rallied for a thrilling 4-3 victory over No. 10 Texas Sunday afternoon at the Penick-Allison Tennis Center. The Cavaliers fell behind in five of six singles matches and in two of three doubles matches, but overcame the adversity to improve to 18-0 on the season.
• Women's Tennis Blanks Hokies 7-0 : The No. 18 Virginia women's tennis team opened its ACC season with a 3-0 record for the first time in school history as they shut out No. 45 Virginia Tech 7-0 Sunday at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar's Head Sports Club. The Cavaliers improve to 10-2 overall this season.
• UVa Uses Record-Setting Effort to Win LSU Classic : The No. 4 Virginia women's golf team won the second tournament championship in the program's history in record-setting fashion Sunday. The Cavaliers took first place at the LSU Golf Classic by five shots, turning in the best tournament score in school history. Virginia sophomore Calle Nielson tied for first-place overall, but lost the medalist title in a three-way playoff that was claimed by Arkansas' Lucy Nunn on the second hole of extra play. Nielson finished with a score of 7-under 209, the second lowest 54-hole total for a Cavalier.

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

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Issue No. 268 - November 20, 2006

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Football Game Balls.

Kris Burd

This week's game ball goes to UVa's two wide receiver recruits, Kris Burd and Chase Minnifield.

The 6-1, 185-pound Burd hauled in six catches for 111 yards and one touchdown as Matoaca (Chester, VA) defeated Hanover 42-9 in the Central Region, Division 5 Semifinals. Most of his production came in the first half, as the Warriors took a 42-0 lead into halftime. Burd, who is a starting safety as well, helped the Matoaca defense shut down the Hanover offense.

Matoaca faces Deep Run (former school of current UVa freshman defensive end Sean Gottschalk) in the regional final.

Minnifield, a 6-0, 185-pound prospect who could play wide receiver or defensive back on the next level, led Henry Clay (Lexington, KY) to a 4A Region Championship crown with a 21-7 win over Clarke County. The victory moves Henry Clay into the state semifinals against Trinity.

Minnifield, a do-everything player for the Blue Devils, was moved to quarterback midway through the third quarter. From the quarterback spot, he was a perfect 6-of-6 passing for 59 yards and he completed a two-point conversion. His two-yard touchdown run was the final score of the game.

Check Out SabreMail #268.

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 soon:

• Pro Day: The Sabre will be at Virginia's pro day for NFL hopefuls.
• Photo Galleries: Mike Ingalls has been lugging his camera all around UVa sports venues. Stay tuned for men's lacrosse photos this week!
• Spring Football: What's on tap with the Hoos as spring football approaches?

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

It's Finally Over
It's over. The worst six months in more than 30 years of Virginia revenue sports is over. Boston College provided the final parting blow in Thursday's ACC Tournament, dealing 11th-seeded Virginia a 76-63 loss. The tourney defeat dropped UVa to 10-18 on the season.

Eagles Bounce Hoos From ACC Tourney
In an all too familiar script, Virginia got down early and was unable to complete the comeback as the Eagles knocked the Cavaliers from the ACC Tournament on Thursday night with a 76-63 win. The season-ending loss to the Eagles fittingly contained all of the Cavaliers' familiar woes: offensive struggles, ball-handling issues, and porous interior defense.

A Dozen Spring Things
Spring football practice at Virginia starts in 10 days. Yes, just 10! The Cavaliers open on Saturday, March 21 for a spring practice period that runs through the Spring Game on Saturday, April 18. There are plenty of storylines surrounding Al Groh's program so to start getting you ready for the opening day of practice, The Sabre has put together a glance at a dozen spring things.

Photo Gallery: Virginia 68, Maryland 63
The Virginia men's basketball team wrapped up its regular season schedule with a 68-63 victory against Maryland. Mamadi Diane helped make Senior Day for himself and Tunji Soroye a special one by pouring in 23 points, including a key 3-pointer late in the game. Relive the action with this photo gallery featuring 51 images from the win.

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