Essay Winners Announced

One of the winners!

Recently, Virginia head coach Mike London purchased 100 season tickets in section 117 at Scott Stadium. To enter the contest fans were asked to submit an essay that answered the questions: what makes you the most loyal, passionate Virginia football fan and how do you show your Cavalier spirit? A picture of the fan in his or her best Virginia gear also had to be included with each submission.

The winners of the Mike London Fanatic Cavalier Essay Contest were announced this week. Check out the winners here.

The Sabre's annual "Hoo Preview" is taking an August-long look at the football team. The Sabre will have stories every week day through Friday, Aug. 27. The Hoo Preview includes exclusive position-by-position analysis, columns, features, and interviews about the Cavaliers. Make sure you have an EDGE subscription so you can follow the action. The Sabre's regular game week coverage begins on Monday, Aug. 30 for the Richmond game.

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Virginia hosted 6-1, 220-pound linebacker D.J. Hill on an unofficial visit over the weekend. The Newton (Covington, GA) rising senior standout left with a favorable impression of UVa, a school he had never visited before last weekend. EDGE subscribers can read more on Hill's experience on the Subscribers Message Board as well as in an EDGE update.

DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD) head coach Bill McGregor told TheSabre.com earlier in the month that 6-7, 275-pound offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio had eliminated the University of Virginia from consideration. As it turns out, UVa made the 5-star prospect's top 11, joining Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Miami, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pitt, Tennessee and USC. UVa likely remains a long shot for the big-time prospect, whose brother Arie signed with Alabama in the 2010 class, but I hope to catch up with Kouandjio for further comment this week.

Eagles Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, GA) head coach Jonathan Gess told TheSabre.com that Virginia remains in the picture with top defensive back recruit Avery Walls. According to Gess, Walls plans to take official visits to Cal, Michigan, Oregon and Tennessee, leaving Virginia and others vying for that fifth and final spot. I hope to reach Walls for further comment this week as well.

Keeping up with out "Preseason Reports" on Virginia commits, we hope to reach quarterback David Watford and wide receiver Adrian Gamble for more this week. DL David Dean, S Kameron Mack and LB Caleb Taylor were featured on the EDGE last week.

A couple more Virginia targets revealed their decisions over the past week. Manchester (Midlothian, VA) offensive lineman Jake Goins chose Virginia Tech over UVa, while Point Pleasant Borough (N.J.) tight end Ryan Malleck has reportedly accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Maryland.

I will have a feature out on Stone Bridge (Ashburn, VA) rising sophomore quarterback Ryan Burns this week. Burns, a 6-5, 220-pound signal caller, has been verbally offered by Boston College despite having never started a game on the high school level. Burns attended UVa's 7-on-7 tournament this summer along with teammates and may be a future target of the Hoos.

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 ...

Phoebus Captain Seeks To Regain Form
As Phoebus (Hampton, VA) gears up for a run at a third consecutive Group AAA Division 5 state championship, University of Virginia-bound rising senior Caleb Taylor is back in the starting lineup at middle linebacker. Following a stellar sophomore season in 2008, the 6-0, 230-pound Taylor missed most of last season due to a torn ACL. Preseason practice has begun and the team captain is happy to be back.

Hill Recalls UVa Visit, Talks Future Plans
Over the course of last weekend, Newton (Covington, GA) linebacker prospect D.J. Hill toured the Grounds, the football facilities, saw a practice and met with head coach Mike London. The 6-1, 220-pound rising senior said he "had a real good feeling" about the overall experience.

UVa In On Milton Star Rising Junior
In point guard Shannon Scott, shooting guard Dai-Jon Parker and forward Julian Royal, Milton High School (GA) features three of the nation's top rising senior prospects. It's understandable that opposing coaches would focus their efforts on slowing down the talented trio, but that's when rising junior Evan Nolte steps to the forefront.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Kameron Mack's Role Expanding In 2010
• Standout Linebacker To Visit UVa
• Preseason Preview: DT David Dean

Sabre fans, please welcome CapTech Ventures as our newest sponsor!

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UVa Football TV Series Continues

The "Virginia Football: The Building of a Program" television show's latest episode aried Monday night at 9 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. It also will be posted online at VirginiaSportsTV.com and VirginiaFootball2010.com. The show airs each Monday on Comcast Sportsnet at 9 p.m. and is available online at VirginiaSportsTV.com on Tuesdays at 8 a.m. For more information, click here.

Blog Banter: Leftovers: SOP ... Women's Soccer

The Sabre's "State of the Programs" series keeps rolling along - this article on women's soccer is the latest in the series. Here are the leftover answers from coach Steve Swanson that didn't make the article.

On the current assistant coaches Kerry Dziczkaniec and Ron Raab as well as volunteer coach Jen Bhalla ...

"Our staff is great. We've got one of the few staffs where I think all of the coaches have been head coaches at the Division I level. That's unique. Our volunteer coach this year, she's got more of a sports psych emphasis and she's been a Division I coach as well. We've got good people working in the program. I feel strongly that we're going to break through."

On recruiting ...

"Recruiting has changed in the sense that everything is happening earlier for our sport. Our sport, it's gotten so competitive so fast that you're not recruiting one class in a given year, you're recruiting three. You're finalizing your class that is incoming, you're getting commitments from the year below them, and you're evaluating the next year below them. You're working with three different classes and you're trying to get the crystal ball out three years down the road and see how they're going to fit into your team. That's a difficult process in and of itself. … Three years makes a big difference. That's a lot of time to develop and grow."

Read more news in this post here and follow the Hoos every day on The Good Ol Blog.

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• UVa's NCAA Champion Men's Soccer and Rowing Teams To Be Honored Sept. 13 at the White House: At a reception at the White House on Sept. 13, President Barack Obama will honor student-athletes from across the NCAA, including members of Virginia's NCAA Champion men's soccer and rowing teams.
• Virginia Places 246 Student-Athletes On ACC Academic Honor Roll: Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John D. Swofford released the 54th annual ACC Academic Honor Roll on Friday (Aug. 13). The Honor Roll notes academic excellence by student-athletes for the 2009-10 academic year. Virginia placed 246 student-athletes on the Honor Roll. The Honor Roll is comprised of student-athletes who participated in a varsity-level sport and registered a grade point average of 3.00 or better for the full academic year. The conference recognized a total of 2,761 student-athletes for their hard work in the classroom during the 2009-10 academic year.
• UVa Women's Basketball Season Tickets and NCAA First- and Second-Round Tickets On Sale : Virginia women's basketball season tickets and tickets for 2011 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship first- and second-round games being played at John Paul Jones Arena are on sale. Season tickets include all 17 regular-season home games at John Paul Jones Arena. The Atlantic Coast Conference office is expected to release the 2010-11 women's basketball schedule in early September. John Paul Jones Arena was selected as one of 16 sites for the first and second rounds of the 2011 NCAA championship and will host two games on Sunday, March 20 and one contest on Tuesday, March 22. Game times will be announced at a later date.
• Andrews Earns 2009-10 ACC Male Sportsmanship Award: Rising sophomore Robby Andrews earned the 2009-10 ACC Male Sportsmanship Award, which is presented to the student-athlete who best exemplifies sportsmanship. Andrews, along with Clemson's Stephanie Buffo and the Georgia Tech baseball team, were selected from a group of institutional nominees, which were submitted by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAACs) and their advisors at ACC schools. Winners were determined by a review of the overall ACC SAAC.
• Women's Soccer Downs Notre Dame 4-1, Ties JMU in Preseason: The Virginia women's soccer team began its 2010 preseason schedule Friday afternoon with a 4-1 victory over Notre Dame at Miles Kimberly Park. The game was played over 120 minutes using four 30-minute periods. he Virginia women's soccer team concluded its 2010 preseason schedule Sunday night with a 1-1 draw with James Madison at Klöckner Stadium. The game was played in 105 minutes with a 45-minute period followed by two 30-minute periods.
• Jenkins and Domijan to Compete in US Open Wild Card Playoff: Two members of the Virginia men's tennis team are among the eight players selected to compete in a new US Open Wild Card Playoff. Jarmere Jenkins and Alex Domijan will compete for a main draw wild card at the US Open in this tournament, held August 18-20 at the USTA Training Headquarters in Boca Raton.

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

No. 19 Nike Replica Football Jersey

$60.00

There is an all new look for 2010! You can own an authentic Nike replica jersey just like the one seen on the field. No. 19 is printed on the front, back and sleeves. The Nike swoosh is located left chest and and every jersey has a V-Sabre insert around the collar. This is part of Nike's on-field authentic line of apparel.

Issue No. 138 - May 14, 2004

Californians lead UVa tennis team

Two are from southern California. One is from northern California. One is from Ohio. One is from Kentucky. And one is from Slovakia.

The top six players on Virginia's men's tennis team came a long way to attend UVa, and now they have taken the Cavaliers into what coach Brian Boland calls "uncharted territory" for the program -- an ACC championship and a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Doug Stewart

Fresh off its first ACC title in 51 years of league play, Virginia (22-3) is hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, also for the first time. The Cavaliers are playing American today at 10 a.m., followed by Mississippi State and Wake Forest at 2 p.m., with the winners matching serves Saturday at 1 p.m. All matches are at the Snyder Tennis Center and are free to the public.

No matter how UVa fares this year, the program's future looks extraordinarily bright. All of the team's top six players are freshmen and sophomores.

"This just gives us a little taste of success," said sophomore Rylan Rizza. "I want to win at least two national championships. We have a great chance the next two years, but I also think we can make a run at it now."

For a feature on Rizza and Doug Stewart, the team's southern Californian stars, Edge subscribers can view the following link.

• Stewart and Rizza: California Rivals Lead UVa Revival

Check Out SabreMail #138.

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:

• State of the Programs: The Sabre plans to take a look back at a historic sports year for the Hoos, who locked up a record third place finish in the Director's Cup. Where do the various programs stand right now? We'll let you know!
• Annual Hoo Preview: The Sabre's annual "Hoo Preview" for UVa football is roaring along!

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Hoo Preview 2010: Running Backs
Virginia coach Mike London wants to run the football. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor wants to run the football. The quarterbacks want to run the football. The receivers want to run the football. The offensive line definitely wants to run the football. And you can bet your bottom dollar that the running backs want to run the football.

Hoo Preview 2010: T. Smith May Excel In New Offense
Virginia's receiving corps is arguably the most experienced and talented group on the offensive side of the ball this year. Focus has been on veterans Kris Burd, Jared Green and Dontrelle Inman to step it up, particularly with a new and more balanced offensive attack being implemented by offensive coordinator Bill Lazor. One up-and-comer, sophomore Tim Smith, opened eyes last season as a potential playmaker too though and The Sabre caught up with Smith for a Hoo Preview Q&A.

Hoo Preview 2010: Burd Emerges For Hoos
Virginia's Kris Burd is a quick yet physical receiver that is amped up for the season and looks to be an impact player for 2010. After all, he has started fall practice with a flurry and he led the Cavaliers last season with 31 catches and 413 receiving yards. The Sabre caught up with Burd on Media Day for an exclusive Question & Answer session.

Hoo Preview 2010: Blair's Fourth-Year Wish List
As a lifelong college football fan, I've been through my fair share of highs and lows. Even before I became a student and supporter of the Cavaliers, I felt the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat as a fan of another, unnamed ACC program (I have an older brother, so sue me). Nothing could have prepared me for the highest highs and lowest lows I would experience during my first three years at the University of Virginia, though.

Hoo Preview 2010: Tight Ends
Making the most of what the team has will be the key to more wins this season, and although they were under-appreciated last season, Virginia's tight ends could become one of the offense's greatest assets. With a pro-style offense back in town, the Cavalier tight ends will have to carry a larger load this year and time will tell if they're ready to handle the challenge.

State Of The Programs: Women's Soccer
Several programs at Virginia have captured fan interest in recent seasons thanks to sustained levels of success. The Brians, Boland and O'Connor, have elevated men's tennis and baseball to new heights for example. When it comes to consistently winning, however, no one should forget Steve Swanson's women's soccer teams. The Cavalier program is a model of consistency.

Hoo Preview 2010: Receivers
Virginia's last 800-yard receiver was Heath Miller. That was 2003. And Miller was a tight end. Over the last three years of coach Al Groh's tenure, the Hoos' leading receiver topped 418 yards once - Kevin Ogletree had 723 yards in 2008. In other words, the Cavaliers need more wide receivers to make more plays. There are plenty of names in contention with plenty of potential, but the key will be consistent production.

Hoo Preview 2010: Quarterbacks
The linchpin of an offense is definitely the quarterback, and for the first time in a long time, Virginia heads into the season with a designated starter under center. After Marc Verica at the top, the quarterback depth chart gets a little murky and it is a little scary that the Cavalier reserves have never set foot on the field.

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