Christensen, Krzysik and Glading UVa's Top Athletes

UVa Athletics Media Relations, Official Release

Mei Christensen (women's swimming), Nikki Krzysik (women's soccer) and Danny Glading (men's lacrosse) were honored as Virginia's top female and male athletes for the 2008-09 academic year at UVa's annual awards dinner Wednesday (April 29) at John Paul Jones Arena. Christensen and Krzysik were co-recipients of the IMP Award as the top female athletes, and Glading received the WINA Award as the top male athlete.

Christensen, a junior from Reston, Va., was named the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Swimmer of the Year after earning All-America honors in both the 100 and 200 backstroke events and competing with four relay teams that earned All-America honors at the NCAA Championships. She won both the 100 and 200 backstroke events in school, conference and meet record time at the ACC Championships. Christensen was also a member of four championship relay teams and was named Swimmer of the ACC Championships after helping the Virginia women's swimming and diving team win its second consecutive conference title.

Krzysik, a senior defender from Clifton, N.J., concluded her Virginia career last fall by playing every minute for a team that posted nine shutouts and allowed just 5.1 shots per game during the 2008 season. Offensively, she added three goals and three assists. Krzysik was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and earned first team All-ACC honors for the second consecutive season. She was a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy and a first-team NSCAA All-American.

Glading, a senior attackman from Bethesda, Md., leads the Virginia men's lacrosse team with 51 points this season. He has scored 24 goals and has 27 assists. Glading is a three-time All-ACC selection and he recently became just the sixth player in conference history to score at least 100 career goals and have 100 career assists. He earned second-team All-America honors in 2008 and third-team All-America honors in 2007.

Read about other award recipients at Virginiasports.com.

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Virginia's new coaching staff is hitting the recruiting trail, evaluating and determining its top 2010 class targets. Last week, the EDGE profiled three potential targets in North Carolina combo guard Brian Richardson, Illinois shooting guard Alex Rossi and Texas forward Michael Cobbins.

Of the three prospects, only Cobbins has an official offer from Coach Bennett and company. A 6-8, 215-pound prospect, Cobbins averaged 18.6 points and 12 rebounds per game last season for Palo Duro High School in Amarillo. In addition to Virginia, Cobbins also boasts offers from Georgia Tech, Indiana State, New Mexico and Southern Cal.

6-5 Brian Richardson, who is playing for Boo Williams' AAU squad this spring and summer, had an offer from Virginia's previous staff. As of last Sunday, he wasn't sure where he stood with the new staff but continues to express interest in UVa. TheSabre.com hopes to have more on Richardson this coming weekend at the Hoop Group Southern AAU tournament.

Rossi, a 6-5 guard out of New Trier (Winnetka), may visit Virginia later this spring or summer but first wants to gauge where he stands on Coach Bennett's wish list. Known for his shooting ability, Rossi has been invited to Virginia's Elite Camp but isn't sure if he will make the trip.

Rossi currently holds offers from California and Northwestern, among others, and is drawing heavy interest from Stanford and Virginia. These four programs make up Rossi's current favorites list. We hope to have more on Alex this week as well, as he planned on speaking with the Virginia staff this past weekend.

In addition to catching up with Richardson, TheSabre.com hopes to have more basketball recruiting info from the Southern Invitational this weekend.

Football recruiting ...

A Nike Training Camp took place Sunday in Charlottesville. The weather was not great, but a good amount of talented prospects still made the trek. UVa hosted some talented prospects the day before as well, including Roanoke Rapids (N.C.) defensive end/outside linebacker Kareem Martin, a 6-6 rising senior who is rising high in recruiting ranks.

Martin made an unofficial visit to Virginia last month as well and has listed the Cavaliers in his top three along with Duke and Virginia Tech. He has been offered by all three favorites as well as a handful of others, and we'll check back with Martin for thoughts on his latest trip to Charlottesville. We'll also check in on other recruits who were in town.

Another OLB/DE prospect, Green Run's (Virginia Beach, VA) Jamal Wallace, did not make Saturday's visit as planned. He did, however, attend Sunday's camp and toured some of the Grounds following the event. Wallace enjoyed his time according to Green Run head coach Shawn Wilson and may return to Charlottesville for another visit later this week. We'll check in with Wallace for more later in the week.

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 Offers Texas Forward
New Virginia head coach Tony Bennett and company recently extended a scholarship offer to Michael Cobbins, a 6-8, 215-pound rising senior forward out of Palo Duro High School in Amarillo, Texas. Virginia is one of five offers for Cobbins, who has also been offered by Georgia Tech, Indiana State, New Mexico and Southern Cal.

Bodine Eyeing Spring Decision
Fork Union Military Academy (VA) offensive lineman Russell Bodine does not plan to wait too long to make his college choice. In fact, he could select his college destination as early as next month. The 6-4, 285-pound junior currently boasts eight Division 1A scholarship offers - California, Duke, Marshall, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest - but may be focusing in on just four of these programs.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Richardson on New Staff's Radar
• Rossi Interested in Cavs
• Bishop McNamara WR on the Rise
• Top Target Linton Adds Offers

Cavalier Travels - Join UVa basketball legend Barry Parkhill for an alumni and friends golf outing in Ireland August 14-22, 2009. This trip features five of the best golf courses Ireland has to offer: Lahinch and Doonbeg in County Clare, Tralee on the Dingle peninsula in County Kerry and the Kilkenny and Mount Juliet courses in County Kilkenny. A rich cultural program is offered for non-golfing spouses or companions.

Cavalier Travels is the University of Virginia's travel program for alumni, parents and friends. We offer the high standards of quality and value that you expect from the University.

Join us! Call 866-765-2646.

Fan of the Week

Every week, theSabre.com features a Fan of the Week photo on the front page of the Web site. (Archives are available in the Wahoowa! section.) So you want to be the fan of the week? It's easy - be the loudest Hoo at a live UVa event, wear some crazy Cavalier gear, or do something else to catch our attention. If Mike or Kris spot you and take your picture, you'll be in the running for Fan of the Week honors!

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 ...

• Arseneault, Neuhauser & Neilson Earn All-ACC Honors: The Virginia women's golf team added another first for the six-year-old program today when the Atlantic Coast Conference announced its All-ACC team. For the first time in UVa history, three Cavaliers earned all-conference honors. That group includes senior Jennie Arseneault, junior Whitney Neuhauser and sophomore Calle Nielson.
• Virginia No. 1 Seed for NCAA Tennis Tournament: The No. 1 Virginia men's tennis team is the No. 1 seed for the 2009 NCAA Tournament and will host first and second round action at the Snyder Tennis Center next week. The Cavaliers will meet Navy in a first round match on Friday, May 8, while South Carolina will play North Carolina in the other first round match in Charlottesville.
• Four Cavaliers Earn NCAA Individual Championship Bids: The Virginia men's tennis team had four individuals selected to compete in the 2009 NCAA Individual Championships. Dominic Inglot, Michael Shabaz and Sanam Singh received selections to the 64-player singles field, while the teams of Inglot-Shabaz and Singh-Houston Barrick were selected to the 32-team doubles field.
• Cannon Named to Brooks Wallace Award Watch List: Virginia infielder Tyler Cannon has been named to the initial watch list for the 2009 Brooks Wallace Award. For the first time since its creation in 2004, the Wallace Award will honor the country's finest shortstop. Previously, the Wallace Award was given to the national player of the year.
• Carraway, Hultzen Named to Pitcher of Year Watch List: Virginia pitchers Andrew Carraway and Danny Hultzen each have been named to the initial watch list for the 2009 Pitcher of the Year Award, presented by the College Baseball Foundation and Mizuno.
• Cavaliers Host Villanova in First Round of NCAA Championship:T he University of Virginia has received a bid to the 2009 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship and will host Villanova in the first round Sunday (May 10) at 2:30 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPNU. The tournament's No. 1 seed, Virginia is 13-2 this season and currently tied for fourth in the coaches poll.
• Cavaliers to Face Duke in NCAA First Round: The No. 10 Virginia women's lacrosse team earned an at-large bid into the 2009 NCAA Tournament Sunday evening and will travel to fifth-seed Duke in first round action. The game will be played on Sunday, May 10 in Durham, N.C. The at-large bid marks the 14th-straight year the Cavaliers have participated in the NCAA Tournament, and 21st overall.
• Ronnie Wideman Named To Operations/Video Position: Ronnie Wideman, an operations assistant in the men's basketball program at Washington State University the last three years, has been named men's basketball assistant director of operations/video coordinator at Virginia.
• Virginia's Varsity Eight Named ACC Crew of the Week: The Virginia Varsity Eight has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference's Crew of the Week. The Cavaliers, ranked No. 15 by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA), defeated No. 11 USC and No. 16 Harvard on the Charles River in Boston, Mass.

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

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Issue No. 37 - May 16, 2002

Southern Invitational Notes

Over 90 AAU teams participated in the 3rd annual Southern Invitational Tournament in Charlottesville last weekend. Among those teams there were many high profile recruiting targets for UVa's basketball program.

Junior guard J.R. Reynolds, who has already committed to the Hoos, played for Boo Williams alongside sophomore guard Marquie Cooke. Reynolds performed well, but was criticized by a few 'recruiting analysts' for not performing as well as he was hyped. Unfortunately, many of these recruiting analysts don't pay much attention to the real traits of a point guard, like leadership and passing ability. Reynolds, unlike many guards that play in these events, chose to play unselfishly and lead his team to a landslide in the tournament championship game. In one of the closest games that Boo Williams' team played, Reynolds hit free throws to send the game into overtime, and then hit free throws to win it in the end.

There's no doubt that Reynolds will help the Cavaliers in the years to come. He has tremendous talent and a great attitude. Reynolds told this writer that he is absolutely firm in his commitment to the Hoos and has never wavered, contrary to other reports a few months ago.

Check Out SabreMail #37.

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:

• Men's Tennis Opens NCAA Play: The No. 1 men's tennis team opens play this week in the NCAA Tournament. The Sabre preps you for the tourney.
• JHoo's Return: JHoo returns with a "10 Things I Learned ..." column after spring practice.
• Jed Williams: Jed Williams shares some thoughts on the football team.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Best Seat In The House: Basketball & More
While the news around the UVa men's basketball program has slowed down this month, the new coaching staff has settled into the John Paul Jones Arena. The Best Seat in the House caught up with head coach Tony Bennett and assistant coach Jason Williford to talk about their new jobs. The Best Seat also has caught up with Jon Oliver, Brian O'Connor, and Cedric Peerman in recent shows. Check out the free audio on The Sabre!

Hoos Eye Boost On Special Teams
Throughout the spring practice period, Virginia coach Al Groh brought up special teams. He referenced on several occasions how the play on special teams can change the game's final score. Groh said it was "significant" that Virginia Tech and Boston College, the two teams that have appeared in the last two ACC Championship Games, have excelled at special teams. He called upgrading the special teams' performance a priority.

Quick Take: Tennis Heads To The NCAAs
Both Virginia Tennis teams are heading back to the NCAA Tournament. The brackets were announced Tuesday night with both teams and the invited public watching live at the Boar's Head Sports Club. The No. 1 ranked men will face Navy while the women will take on VCU.

Secondary Should Be A Strength
Make no mistake about it, after losing a plethora of battle-tested veterans, the Virginia defense has a lot of question marks for the upcoming season. Anchoring this side of the ball, however, is a very strong group of proven stoppers in the secondary. Chris Cook, Ras-I Dowling, Corey Mosley, Rodney McLeod, and Chase Minnifield are just a few of the names on a strong depth chart for the Hoos.

Photo Gallery: Spring Game 2009
The Virginia football team's annual Spring Game gave fans and media alike a chance to see some new faces in action for the Cavaliers. With a new offense directed by Gregg Brandon, much of the attention focused on the play of the quarterbacks like Riko Smalls. Check out the afternoon's scrimmage-style action with 101 images in this photo gallery.

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