A Post Worth Reading

On the Other Sports message board, shakerhoo had a post that every Cavalier fan should read. It tackles the current outlook for UVa athletics with a sport by sport view. The post is below; if you want to join the discussion in the thread, click here.

Subject: The State of the Athletic Department at UVa. (long)
Posted by: shakerhoo on Fri Jan 1 2010 3:46:24 PM
Message: With 2010 now upon us, we can get ready for the State of the Union by President Obama, the State of the Commonwealth by the new governor, and the State of the University by our outgoing president. The state of the Union and the Commonwealth are, in fact, rather depressing and, as a result, the State of the University is not at its best either. On the other hand, the State of the Athletic Department, despite of the poor economy, has probably never been better.

THE STATE OF THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT AT UVA

Seventeen of Virginia's 23 athletic programs (indoor and outdoor track counted as one) are currently (or were last ranked) in the Top 20 in the country, and four of the remaining six are poised, IMHO, to join them. For this, I think Craig Littlepage deserves much of the credit as he has truly made some outstanding coaching hires during his tenure. In the decade since the turn of the century, the Cavaliers have won ACC championships in 11 different sports and have finished as high as second in five others. In the last seven years the Wahoos have won more ACC titles (36) than any other school in the conference (as compared to 27 for Duke and UNC, 26 for FSU, and 16 for UMd.). Below are listed the 23 programs at UVa in order of their latest national ranking or finish in NCAA competition.

1. GEORGE GELNOVATCH (Soccer - 14 seasons) ... 4 ACC titles, 1 NCAA title, 1 NCAA runner-up. Gelnovatch has won more ACC championships (4) in 14 seasons than any other conference school has won in the 23 years since the ACC Tournament began. He won the ACC and NCAA Championships this year. The Hoos finished the season with a 16-game unbeaten streak, surrendering just one goal in the final 13 games, and return eight starters not including Chris Agorsor, Brian Ownby, and Jimmy Simpson, former starters who missed much of this season with injuries. They should adequately replace fourth-years Neil Barlow, Jonathan Villanueva, and Ross LeBauex and give UVa another excellent shot at the ACC and NCAA Championships next fall. (Will probably lose Tony Tchani to the MLS)

1. BRIAN BOLAND (men's tennis - 8 seasons) ... 5 ACC titles, 2 ITA indoor titles, 1 ITA runner-up. Boland's squad has been ranked No. 1 for most of the last two seasons and has won two ITA national indoor championships but came up short both years in the NCAA. With only Dom Inglot lost off a team that has gone 64-2 over those two years and with a number of promising newcomers (Boland's highest ranked class ever), the Hoos are in good shape to claim their sixth ACC title, another ITA indoor title (it's at Charlottesville this year), and their first NCAA Championship as well.

2. KEVIN SAUER (Rowing - 11 seasons) ... 9 ACC titles, 3 NCAA runners-up. Sauer has won 9 of the 10 ACC Championships in rowing and has finished second three times in the NCAAs, losing one on a tie-breaker and another by less than a second. It appears to be only a matter of time before his rowing teams get over the hump and bring UVa its first National Championship in rowing.

2. MICHELLE MADISON (Field Hockey - 4 seasons). Madison has done an outstanding job taking UVa field hockey to the top in four years. Her Hoos were the preseason pick to win the ACC title this year, but that really made no sense since Maryland, the defending National Champion, returned virtually its entire team. Based on what Maryland and current National Champion North Carolina lose to graduation thia year and on what UVa returns, Virginia just may very well win its first-ever ACC and NCAA Championships in field hockey next fall.

3. BRIAN O'CONNER (Baseball - 7 seasons) ... 1 ACC title, 1 CWS appearance. O'Conner's Cavaliers have advanced to the ACC Championship game three times in the past five years while no other school has been there more than once. UVa won the ACC title last spring, advanced for the first time to the College World Series, and returns every position starter from that team. O'Conner needs only to find a replacement for weekend starter Andrew Carraway, and the Hoos will put the same team back on the field this year with an additional year of experience for everyone. UVa has a Top 10 recruiting class and was ranked third nationally in the first preseason poll by Collegiate Baseball.

4. DOM STARSIA (Men's Lacrosse - 18 seasons) ... 5 ACC titles, 3 NCAA titles, 2 NCAA runners-up. Since winning the National Championship in 2006 with a perfect 17-0 record, the Hoos have developed the curious addiction of laying down and playing dead every time they step on the field against Duke. Duke last season lost at Durham to Harvard (9-6) and Cornell (10-6) and suffered a 17-7 butt-kicking in the NCAAs against Syracuse. The Devils, however, beat UVa 15-10 and 16-5 and have won seven straight against the Hoos beginning with a 17-2 humiliation in 2005, the year before UVa's undefeated National Championship. The Devils administered a 19-9 whippin' in C'ville in 2008. Starsia's team is not going to win anything again until it learns how to beat Duke or unless someone else does it for them.

9. JULIE MYERS (Women's Lacrosse - 15 seasons) ... 4 ACC titles, 1 NCAA title, 6 NCAA runners-up Myers' women's lacrosse teams have advanced to the National Championship game seven times in 14 years. Unfortunately, the Hoos managed only one national title. The Hoos have won 3 of the last 4 ACC Championships and 4 of the last 6 and are always a threat to claim the winner's circle.

9. MARK BERNADINO (Men's Swimming - 32 seasons) ... 12 ACC titles. Bernadino's men have dominated the ACC in swimming comparable only to Kevin Sauer's UVa rowing teams, Duke's women's golf teams, UNC's women's soccer teams, and FSU's men's track teams. The Hoos have won 10 of the last 11 championships and are currently ranked ninth in the country in the latest College Swim Coaches Association poll. The current class of first-years was ranked fifth best in the country.

11. MARK BERNADINO (Women's Swimming - 32 seasons) ... 7 ACC titles. Bernadino's women have won 6 for the last 12 ACC Championships and appear poised to claim their third straight ACC title this winter. The Hoos are currently ranked 11th in the College Swim Coaches Association poll. The current class of first-years was ranked sixth best in the country.

11. STEVE SWANSON (Women's Soccer - 10 seasons) ...1 ACC title. Swanson has the misfortune of coaching a sport in a conference with the greatest dynasty in NCCA history. North Carolina women's soccer has won 21 NCAA Championships and only once in almost two decades has failed to win the ACC Championship. Swanson deserves a pat on the back for winning that one!!

11. KIM LEWELLEN (Women's Golf - 3 seasons). Lewellen's golf team was ranked as high as third in the nation last season but did not live up to expectations. The Cavaliers finished a disappointing fifth in the ACC (after losing by a single stroke the year before) and finished eighth in the NCAA. Everybody's back, however, and there's only one senior among the top golfers.

15. JASON VIGILANTE (Men's Cross Country - 2 seasons) ... 1 ACC title. Vigilante won the ACC Championship in his first year (UVa's 3rd ACC title in 4 years) and has finished 14th and 15th in his first two NCAAs. His first recruiting class was ranked the No. 1 men's cross country class in the nation. Things are looking good.

15. JASON VIGILANTE (Women's Cross Country - 2 seasons) ... 1 SE Regional title. Vigilante's first women's team won the Southeast Regional and his second team placed 15th in this year's NCAAs. Catherine White, who placed fourth in the NCAAs, is back for another year and Kathleen Stevens, a senior at Blacksburg High School who finished second in the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon, will join her next fall.

18. STEVE GARLAND (Wrestling - 4 seasons). Garland's wrestling team has come up just two points shy of an ACC Championship in each of the last two years. His team lost last year's title because the defending ACC Champion at 125, Ross Gitomer, was injured, and the Hoos got zero points in that weight class. Only one senior departed that team (ACC Champion Rocco Caponi) but Gitomer is back along with Michael Chaires (who was 32-9 as a first-year but redshirted last season) and the No. 6 recruiting class in the nation.

18. MARK GUILBEAU (Women's Tennis - 4 seasons). Guilbeau landed the No. 1 recruiting class in the country shortly after arriving in Charlottesville but, for a number of reasons including career-ending injuries and transfers, that class did not pan out. His teams have pulled an upset or two against top teams in the ACC but have not yet shown the ability to compete for championships in a strong ACC.

20. BOWEN SARGENT (Men's Golf - 6 seasons). Sargent's program took quite a while to begin to rise but last season's and this fall's performances were certainly encouraging. UVa men's golf is now ranked 20/21/23 in the three rankings following the fall season and all of the top golfers are underclassmen.

20...DEBBIE RYAN (Women's Basketball - 33 seasons) ... 3 ACC titles, 1 NCAA runner-up. After winning three ACC Championships, going to three Final Fours, and finishing runner-up in the NCAA once in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Debbie Ryan's teams have not come close to winning anything in the last 15 years. However, her current class of first-years and her commits for next season may be the best back-to-back classes in the past 15 years, and maybe she can begin competing for titles again.

JASON VIGILANTE (Men's Track & Field - 2 seasons) ... 1 ACC title. Vigilante's first season as track coach brought a totally unexpected ACC Championship in men's track. His first recruiting class for the men (the current first-years) was ranked the ninth best in the country by Track & Field News, and he has given every indication of making Virginia's Track & Field programs among the elite in the ACC.

JASON VIGILANTE (Women's Track & Field - 2 seasons). Vigilante's first recruiting class for the women (the current first-years) was ranked the eighth best in the country and the best in the ACC by Track & Field News. Track & Field (men's and women's) appears en route to becoming Top 20 programs in the country.

LEE MAES (Volleyball - 2 seasons). Maes' first recruiting class of three girls was ranked 15th in the country, but some key injuries kept the Hoos from making much progress this season. He has received LOIs from four of the top 58 girls in the country for next season and expects to add another top-ranked commit (or two) in the spring. That would give him a class ranked about 5th in the nation and vault UVa near the top of ACC volleyball, one of the weaker sports in the conference.

EILEEN SCHMIDT (Softball - 3 seasons). Schmidt's softball team showed a little improvement in her second year, but she has signed two highly rated pitchers this year and last and, if one or both come through, the Hoos could be fighting for the top of the ACC in a couple of years. One Angela Tincher makes you an outstanding softball team.

TONY BENNETT (Men's Basketball - 1 season). Bennett put together an impressive recruiting class on very short notice, apparently signing just about everybody he went after. This class, with two four stars (K. T. Harrell and James Johnson) and three three-stars (Will Regan, Joe Harris, and Akil Mitchell), is superior to any class he ever landed at Washington State and yet he managed back-to-back 26-win seasons there with lesser talent. (NOTE: Scout initially rated Johnson a five-star and Regan a four-star, but both dropped a notch when they didn't choose the right school!)

MIKE LONDON (Football - 0 seasons). All I can say is that anyone who thinks UVa football has no way to go but up, that person is obviously not old enough (as I am) to remember the 28 years that preceded George Welsh at Virginia. During that stretch UVa had four two-win seasons, six one-win seasons, and two consecutive seasons without a single victory. George Welsh was a Godsend, and I will worship the old cap-tosser until the day I die.

Every UVa coach who has now been on the job for more than two years currently has his/her team in the Top 20 in the nation. Seven different coaches have won National Championships or have come painfully close. It can be argued that all the other programs are inclined upward with some taking small steps forward and others moving in leaps and bounds. The future of athletics at UVa looks really good.

Comments and opposing opinions are welcomed!

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

One month remains until the National Signing Day for the 2010 class. The first Dead Period has come to an end - there is another next week, from Jan. 11-15 - but for the most part it is now a sprint to the finish for new head coach Mike London and staff.

Certainly, Cavalier fans continue to wait to learn the destination of top offensive tackle prospect Morgan Moses. Attempts to reach the 6-7, 340-pound Moses have been unsuccessful, but his college future should be decided soon. Not only does Moses have to pick a college, but he has to find out if he can enroll this month.

Besides awaiting word from Moses, London and company also likely will be busy extending new offers in the 2010 class. TheSabre.com will monitor any new prospects on the radar. Maury (Norfolk) offensive tackle/defensive tackle Stephen Lawe is a new offer on the board. Lawe will take an official to UVa on the weekend of Jan. 22, and he expects to be accompanied by Maury senior defensive back Keenan Lambert and Maury senior punter Orion Hall. The latter, a first-team all-state prospect, has accepted a recruited walk-on spot with the Cavaliers. Lambert, the younger brother of Virginia Tech star safety Kam Chancellor, is being evaluated by the staff.

For now, the majority of prospects visiting on the 22nd will be current commitments. But look for the staff to try and add another target or two to the mix as well.

Including Moses, Virginia has 13 verbal commitments in the 2010 class. The class includes one quarterback, two running backs, one wide receiver, three offensive linemen, one defensive end, two linebackers and three defensive backs.

West Rowan (Mount Ulla, N.C.) running back Kevin Parks Jr. is also scheduled to visit UVa on the 22nd. The Virginia commit, North Carolina High School Football's all-time leading rusher, continued his stellar production on the high school football level this past Saturday, rushing for 197 yards and three touchdowns for the West squad in the Offense-Defense All-American game.

Here is a good write-up on the 5-7, 190-pound senior's performance in Myrtle Beach.

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 ...

Stone Bridge Junior Receives Virginia Offer
Stone Bridge (Ashburn, VA) junior defensive end Rob Burns received his first FBS scholarship offer last week, when the University of Virginia staff mailed an official letter. Stone Bridge head coach Mickey Thompson does not expect this to be the only FBS offer for Burns, who is certainly pleased to have his first offer in the fold.

TheSabre.com's Postseason Top 30
The final rankings are in, and taking the top spot in the Postseason Top 30 is Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, VA) quarterback Phillip Sims. The Alabama-bound senior, a 6-2, 220-pound prospect, had a fantastic 4-year career and set state records for career yards passing and career passing touchdowns.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• FB Recruiting Notes: More from Maury H.S.
• Sherando's Hall Talks QB's Prospects in 2010

Congratulations to the 2009 men's soccer team for bringing home the National Championship! Commemorate the Cavaliers' stellar play with gear from UVA Bookstores, a long-time Sabre sponsor.

Blog Banter: Dowling To Return

By Kris Wright

Jeff White over at VirginiaSports.com is reporting that UVa junior defensive back Ras-I Dowling is returning for his final season at Virginia. Read the full report here.

Here are part of Dowling's thoughts on the subject:

"I thought about it a lot. I think it'll be in my best interest to get my degree, work on my game and be at my maximum when it's time for me to go to the NFL."

Dowling had three interceptions this season and a team-high eight pass break-ups. He recorded 58 tackles in 2009, good enough for fourth on the team. For his career, Dowling has eight INTs, 28 pass break-ups, and 145 tackles. He has earned second-team All-ACC recognition twice in his career.

Read more posts on The Good Ol' Blog.

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• London Adds Atkinson to Administrative Staff: Virginia head football coach Mike London has added Steve Atkinson to his staff as the director of player development. Atkinson rejoins London after spending the last two seasons as the director of football operations at Richmond.
• No. 21 Virginia Wins At Colorado, 74-59: The No. 21 Virginia women's basketball team defeated a pesky Colorado team on the road, 74-59, Saturday at the Coors Event Center in Boulder, Colo. Cavalier All-American guard Monica Wright led all scorers with 24 points and moved into sole possession of second place on Virginia's all-time scoring list.
• No. 21 Virginia Wins Marriott Cavalier Classic With 63-54 Win Over Liberty: Marriott Cavalier Classic Most Valuable Player Monica Wright scored 19 points and tied a school-record with 10 steals to lead the Virginia women's basketball team to the tournament title with a 63-54 win over in-state foe Liberty Tuesday night.
• No. 18 Wrestling Takes Fifth at Southern Scuffle: Propelled by eight placewinners, the No. 18 Virginia wrestling team finished in fifth place Wednesday in the Southern Scuffle, hosted by UNC Greensboro. The Cavaliers recorded 96.5 points, just one point outside of fourth place, held by No. 20 Edinboro. No. 8 Cornell won the event with 164 points.

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

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Issue No. 234 - March 24, 2006

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Football recruiting. Virginia is off and running in 2007 class recruiting, as the staff has already landed three verbal commitments. The latest one came last weekend, when 6-1, 200-pound Yorktown (Arlington, VA) running back Max Milien pledged to the Cavs over heavy interest from Virginia Tech and Maryland, among others.

Milien, who is the second prospect from the state of Virginia to commit to UVa, rushed for 1,067 yards on 140 carries (7.6 yards-per-carry average) and scored 12 touchdowns. He added 26 catches for 414 yards and nine scores.

While other programs were recruiting Milien more as an athlete, the Virginia staff is recruiting him to play running back. This was a factor in his decision according to Yorktown head coach Bruce Hanson, who praised the UVa staff for the job they did in recruiting his star.

EDGE subscribers can check out junior year video clips of Milien on his EDGE recruiting card.

Check Out SabreMail #234.

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:

• Football: Last week, JHoo and Chris Horne took a look at reslotting and recruiting now that Mike London is Virginia's head coach. The Sabre will continue to break down the football program in the coming weeks.
• ACC Scouting: The Sabre brings back the popular ACC scouting reports as the Hoos begin ACC play this week in men's basketball. Make sure to check out the reports by Cvillehoops13.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Baker Showing Improvement
Pop quiz: Who leads the Virginia men's basketball team in assist-to-turnover ratio this season? Now, raise your hand if you said Calvin Baker. Be honest. Yes, it's probably a little surprising to many observers but Baker's 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is by far the best on the team so far this season and in three straight starts, he's been a key factor in the Cavaliers' three-game winning streak to end 2009.

Cavaliers Take Down UAB
The biggest win of the young Tony Bennett era came just the way the first-year coach likes it. Defensively. Well, for a half at least. The Virginia men's basketball team used a solid second-half defensive effort to rally past 24th-ranked UAB on Wednesday night, 72-63, the first win over a ranked team in Bennett's short tenure.

Photo Gallery: UVa Vs. VT Football
The Virginia football team wrapped up its season and the career of head coach Al Groh with a November loss to Virginia Tech. Fans saw the final games for Cavalier seniors Jameel Sewell, Vic Hall, Will Barker, Nate Collins, and others. Take a look back at some of those Hoos and other great images in this EDGE gallery that features 77 shots of the contest.

Photo Galleries: NJIT, Hampton
Virginia picked up two men's basketball wins just before the holiday weekend, knocking off NJIT and Hampton at the John Paul Jones Arena. Assane Sene started both games and made an impact while several players got in the action like Jontel Evans and Tristan Spurlock. Check out the EDGE photos from the game.

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