No. 500 Celebration Contest

Believe it or not, you're reading the 500th edition of SabreMail! This free email blast has been going out to dedicated Cavalier fans for nearly 10 full years - the first edition of SabreMail, click here to see it, hit inboxes on Sept. 6, 2001.

In the decade since, many things have changed around Hooville. Look no further than the jam-packed bleachers at the expanded palace known as Davenport Field for proof. Back in 2001, baseball was on the chopping block as a potential casualty of proposed program tiering. In April 2001, a special task force made a presentation to the Board of Visitors and the group recommended reducing funding to six men's sports, eliminating one other, and establishing a four-tier system to classify the various athletics programs. From a Sabre article in July 2010 (read it in the EDGE archives along with this companion story.):

"The recommended tiers were top-tier sports (football, men's and women's basketball) that would receive full funding of scholarships, second-tier sports (men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, field hockey, rowing, and men's and women's swimming) that would operate with support of "full or substantial" scholarships and "operating budgets to contend for a national championship," third tier-sports (women's golf, if added, softball, women's tennis, women's cross country, indoor track and field, and volleyball) that would receive limited scholarships and need-based aid as well as minimal operating expenses, and fourth-tier sports (baseball, wrestling, men's golf, men's tennis, men's cross country, indoor track and field, if retained, and men's outdoor track and field) that would receive only need-based aid with limited staffs and travel."

From the time of that task force suggestion, things have changed quite a bit in 10 years. UVa grabbed third place last year in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup rankings, the highest finish in the 17-year history of the competition. The department won 2 NCAA Championships and 7 ACC titles. The list goes on and on in terms of accomplishments.

So in honor of our 500th edition and a decade of SabreMail, we're having a SabreMail contest. The contest is simple. All you have to do is email your answer to the following question! We'll select our favorite five entries and all five will win a 1-year Sabre Subscription! Creativity, eye-witness accounts of great moments, and well written entries will be strongly considered. We'll post the winners and some of our other favorites on The Good Ol Blog.

What has been your favorite Cavalier moment - in person preferred! - during the 10 years of SabreMail (Sept. 6, 2001-June 13, 2011)?

To enter, please email your entry to [email protected].

Good luck and go Hoos!

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

By the end of April, the University of Virginia football program had only two 2012 class commitments. Mike London and company have the ball rolling now, though, having added seven more rising seniors to the fold within the past two months, including four since the Elite Prospect Day on June 5.

Last Friday, Mike Moore, the son of former Virginia star quarterback and current receivers coach Shawn Moore, chose the Hoos over the Florida Gators. The 6'4", 245-pound DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD) defensive end had more than 20 major FBS scholarship offers to consider before narrowing the field to Florida and Virginia. He visited both schools before committing.

"It came down to my gut feeling, and my gut told me to come to Virginia," Moore told TheSabre.com last Friday morning. "Virginia is a place where I knew I would get treated well."

This past Saturday, UVa held its first one-day camp of the spring and summer season. Varina (VA) athlete Maurice Canady and Central Bucks South (Warrington, PA) quarterback Matt Johns were offered by coach Mike London following the camp, and it didn't take long for either one to accept.

"At the end of camp, [Coach London] pulled me into his office. We had a long conversation, and then he offered. I knew right away what I wanted to do. There was no hesitation," said the 6'4.5", 200-pound Johns, who chose the Cavaliers over serious interest from Boston College, Maryland and Pitt. UVa was the first to offer.

Canady, a 6'1", 165-pound WR/CB recruit, recalled, "As soon as camp was over, Coach London called me into his office. He said he doesn't usually offer kids the day of the camp, but he was impressed by me. He offered me and I took it. My dad was with me. He is very excited."

EDGE subscribers can read more on Virginia's three newest 2012 class commits.

The Cavaliers football program will host a 7-on-7 tournament and its Big Man Camp this Saturday, so stay tuned for any news from those two events. Men's basketball takes the stage as well with the NBPA Top 100 Camp coming to Charlottesville this week, followed by Tony Bennett's basketball camps early next week.

University of Virginia 2012 recruits Justin Anderson and Evan Nolte are expected to attend the NBPA Top 100, an annual event that consistently features some of the nation's top prospects. On the EDGE, I'll have my "Q&A" feature with Anderson, a high-flying 6'6", 220-pound small forward recruit out of Montrose Christian (Rockville, MD). The rising senior discusses an array of topics including his decision to de-commit from Maryland and commit to Virginia.

TheSabre.com will have extensive coverage of the Top 100 as well as Coach Bennett's camps, so stay tuned for more on those fronts as well.

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 ...

Virginia Football Scores Two Commits At Camp
Neither Maurice Canady nor Matt Johns were offered by the University of Virginia prior to Saturday's one-day camp. By day's end, the Varina (VA) athlete and the Central Bucks South (Warrington, PA) quarterback had become the latest members of UVa's 2012 recruiting class.

Strategy Session: Elite Day Targets
The University of Virginia football program hosted its Elite Prospect Day last Sunday. Athletic defensive prospect Max Valles was the only commit on the day, but from what we've gathered in speaking with sources and directly with prospects, the event was a success and not just with the 2012 class. UVa hosted some potential big-time 2013 class recruits as well.

Mike Moore Is A Hoo
DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD) defensive end Mike Moore has decided to play for the University of Virginia. He made the call Friday morning, committing to the Hoos almost one week after making an unofficial visit to the University of Florida.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Nosovitch Planning UVa Visit
• 2013 Profile: QB Christian Hackenberg
• Severin Visits UVa

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Hoos Seek Trip To Omaha

UVa Athletics Media Relations Official Release

UC Irvine rallied to defeat No. 1 national seed Virginia 6-4 in game two of the NCAA Super Regional in front of a sellout crowd of 5,050 at Davenport Field. The Anteaters came back from a 3-0 deficit to even the series at one game each and force a decisive game three on Monday at 4 p.m. and will be televised live on ESPN2.

There will be a limited amount of cash parking available Monday because of university business-day employee parking. The University Hall and McCue Center lots will be available for pre-paid parking only. Pre-paid parking as well as cash parking also will be available in the John Paul Jones Arena parking lots. Free parking will be available in the Emmet/Ivy Garage.

The winner of the three-game series will advance to the College World Series, beginning June 18 in Omaha, Neb.

Note: TheSabre.com has been on hand for the Hoos' postseason run. Check out our coverage here.

Cavalier Caravan Hits the Road this Summer

UVa Athletics Media Relations Official Release

The Virginia athletics department's Cavalier Caravan began Saturday, June 4 with the Scott Stadium Select-A-Seat event. It was the first of 13 tour stops scheduled throughout the summer. The Cavalier Caravan is designed to reward Virginia fans and build loyalty throughout the state. In addition, the caravan will raise awareness of several new ticket options that have made becoming a Virginia football season ticket holder easier than ever.

The Cavalier Caravan will hit the road in June, July and August with events throughout the state including Richmond and Lynchburg. It will also appear at county fairs in Rockingham, Augusta, Orange and Greene. Closer to home, the caravan will feature three Scott Stadium Saturday movie nights on June 18, July 16 and August 13. Fans will be able to watch the classic movies "Remember the Titans," "Toy Story 3" and "Secretariat" on Scott Stadium's HooVision.

Each stop on the tour will include games, prizes and giveaways. All visitors will receive a memento at the Cavalier Caravan booth and five fans at each stop will win tickets to the season opener against William & Mary on Sept. 3.

Read the full release here.

D.A.D.'s Day

Join Sports Radio 910's Wes McElroy and the Flying Squirrels Friday, June 17th at the Diamond, for D.A.D.'s Day to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

D.A.D.'s Day was started by Sports Radio 910's Wes McElroy seven years ago in honor of his father, Frank, who was diagnosed with diabetes in 1998. Frank is alive and well today and living a healthy lifestyle at 62-years-old, but Wes knows that all sons aren't as lucky as him because others have lost loved ones to this disease.

Throughout the week of June 13th-June 17th, please join Sports Radio 910 to learn about diabetes, health tips and lifestyle changes to prevent diabetes and in return, raise money and awarenes

For the second year Wes is teaming up with the Richmond Flying Squirrels, hoping to make this the most successful D.A.D.'s Day to date. If you'd like to donate, please click here.

For more information about D.A.D.'s Day click here. For more information about the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation click here.

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Andrews Claims Second NCAA Title in 800m: Sophomore Robby Andrews claimed his second NCAA title in the 800m Friday night at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Drake University. Andrews, the 2010 NCAA Indoor Champion in the 800m, won the title in a personal-best time of 1:44.71, edging UC Irvine's Charles Jock by four-hundredths of a second.
• Garcia Claims Runner-up Honors in Steeplechase at NCAA Championships: Senior Stephanie Garcia earned a runner-up finish in the 3000m steeplechase on the final day of the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Drake University. With her finish, Garcia becomes the highest individual finisher on the track for UVa's women's program. Her time of 9:47.29 breaks the all-time Atlantic Coast Conference record set by Florida State's Barbara Parker at 9:48.82 in 2007. In addition, junior Morgane Gay finished seventh in the 1500m to earn her second All-America honor in the event.
• Altomare and Nielson Repeat as Golfweek All-Americans: Virginia women's golfers Brittany Altomare and Calle Nielson have been named to Golfweek's All-America team. Altomare, who wrapped up her sophomore season, was named to the publication's second-team while Nielson, a senior in 2011, received honorable mention honors. The Golfweek All-America teams are based on its final individual rankings. Altomare was 15th in the final standings while Nielson was 37th. Nielson won the 96th annual Women's Southern Golf Association Championship in Atlanta last week.
• Branden Kline Named a Finalist for NCBWA Stopper of Year: Virginia sophomore right-handed pitcher Branden Kline has been tabbed as a finalist for the Stopper of the Year Award, presented by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Kline is one of five relief pitchers whittled down from 45 members of the midseason watch list. The award is presented to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.
• O'Brien and Roper Earn All-America Honors: Virginia rowers Kristine O'Brien and Christine Roper have been named to the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) All-America teams. O'Brien, a sophomore, was named a first-team All-American while Roper, a senior, garnered second-team honors. It is the first All-America honor for both.
• Selenski, Vittese Selected for Champions Challenge Squad: Virginia field hockey players Paige Selenski and Michelle Vittese have once again been named to the United States National Team and were also selected to compete in the Champions Challenge June 18-26 in Dublin, Ireland. Selenski and Vittese were two of 18 athletes picked to participate the Champions Challenge and have begun training at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.

To read the full stories or gather more information on Virginia athletics, check out Virginiasports.com.

National Championship Gear

The Virginia Cavaliers are the 2011 National Champions in men's lacrosse! Get your National Championshp gear from long-time Sabre sponsor UVA Bookstores. T-shirts are available in navy and white. The cap, by Legacy Athletics, is an unstructured, low crown cap with a pre-curved visor. It has an adjustable fabric strap with a brass slide allowing you to enjoy a comfortable fit at all times. The cap comes in navy, white, orange, or khaki.

Issue No. 184 - April 8, 2005

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Basketball recruiting ...

Laurynas Mikalauskas

Laurynas Mikalauskas turned in a very solid performance in last Friday's Commonwealth Classic. The 6-8, 240-pound power forward scored 17 points (6-6 from the field, 5-7 from the line) and grabbed 11 rebounds in helping the Virginia All-Stars capture a 147-131 victory over the National All-Stars.

Mikalauskas played his usual physical brand of basketball on the night.

"I just tried to compete as hard as I could," Mikalauskas said. "I tried to run up and down the court and get every single rebound I could, play defense and do the dirty work. That's what I do. I don't care how good they are. I just want to play."

Mamadi Diane had a quiet performance. He didn't force up any shots or try to do anything special, but, like he did in so many games for DeMatha Catholic, he did whatever was needed to help the team win.

"I knew from practice and all that everybody was going to try and come out here and showcase," said Diane, who finished with seven points (3-7 from the field including 1-3 from 3-point range), six rebounds, and three assists. "So really I just tried to do all the little things like pass more, rebound well and just hustle. I didn't take too many shots. It was just a fun game overall."

Diane and Mikalauskas both are very much committed to UVa despite Pete Gillen's resignation. They will join Cherry Creek (Denver, CO) center Sam Warren as freshmen next season.

Check Out SabreMail #184.

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:

• Summer Reading: JHoo's offseason series on the football team continues to look at the offense! Stay tuned this week for the next installment.
• Baseball: The baseball team faces a winner-take-all game in the NCAA Super Regional at home. The Sabre will be there!

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Hoos Face Irvine In Decisive Game 3
After another long storm delay Sunday at Davenport Field benefitted UC Irvine in the Charlottesville Super Regional. The Anteaters trailed 3-0 when the rain came, but responded with a rally in the late innings to win 6-4. That forces a winner-takes-all Game 3 for a College World Series berth between Virginia and UCI.

UVa Defense Leads Way In Win Over UCI
Add UC Irvine to the list of teams unable to figure out Virginia pitching this season. Danny Hultzen and Cody Winiarski combined for the Cavaliers' 16th shutout of the year, blanking the Anteaters 6-0 in the opening game of the Charlottesville Super Regional at Davenport Field. The Hoos are one win away from a berth in the College World Series.

In Super Opener, It's Good To Be King
With two starting pitchers with excellent records and statistics on the mound of Saturday's Charlottesville Super Regional, many expected a low-scoring affair between top-seeded Virginia and visiting UC Irvine. After all, the Hoos' Danny Hultzen and the Anteaters' Matt Summers entered the game with a combined 3.29 ERA between them. UVa first baseman Jared King changed all of that with one swing, however, and the Cavaliers moved within one win of the College World Series with a 6-0 victory.

Baseball's Growth Part Of Still-Growing Vision
If one were writing a textbook on how to build a collegiate baseball program, look no further than the University of Virginia for a case study. On the chopping block of a tiered funding proposal at the turn of the century, the Cavaliers' program has achieved eight straight NCAA Tournament bids and reached its third straight Super Regional. The 2011 Charlottesville Regional and Super Regional rounds have produced sellout numbers of fans. How did the turnaround happen for the Hoos?

TheSabre.com Interview: Mike Scott
It's been a long road for Mike Scott, from a young track and field star at age nine to a dominant basketball player in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Scott has endured many obstacles along the way; tendonitis in his knee, a high ankle sprain that limited his abilities as a freshman, a coaching change, and most recently two ankle surgeries that cost him much of his senior year. The good news for Mike, as well as Cavalier teammates and fans, is that he's been granted an additional year of eligibility and hopes to lead the program to a place it hasn't been since he suited up at UVa - the NCAA Tournament. TheSabre.com interviews Mr. Scott and covers a number of areas throughout his journey.

JHoo's Summer Reading 2011: Receivers
Turning from the running backs to the wide receivers always is one of the more interesting analysis twists I make each summer. I generally find that year to year, there is a lot more of a discrepancy in terms of the level at which the receivers can perform if everything else is in place. So this year, how good can the receivers be? Pretty darn good.

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