Canty Wins Super Bowl With Giants

The New York Giants won Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday night, defeating the New England Patriots 21-17. Former Virginia star Chris Canty, a New York defensive lineman that introduces himself in the pregame lineups with a hearty 'Wahoowa', earned a Super Bowl ring with the victory. Canty had 1 Tackle For Loss in the game and it came at a critical time. With New England leading 17-15 in the fourth quarter, the Giants' defense got the ball back for its offense by forcing the Patriots to punt. On the series that forced the punt, Canty made his tackle on first down and the next two passes from Tom Brady fell incomplete. That gave Eli Manning and New York the ball with 3:46 to play. The Giants drove for the winning score.

Prior to the game, Canty made some headlines when he posted on Twitter that the Giants would win the Super Bowl, but later deleted the Tweet.

Virginia fans can check out Canty's website www.chriscanty99.com as well as other former player websites on TheSabre.com's Former Player Sites And Charities page. Let us know if we're missing any sites and we can add them to the list!

This Week In Recruiting

How good Virginia's 2012 recruiting class is will ultimately be played out on the field, but certainly there is promise. Rankings-wise, the group is rated in the top 25 in the nation by 247Sports.com and in the top 30 nationally by Rivals.com and Scout.com.

The Wahoos continued last year's success in the state, signing 13 players from the Commonwealth including 10 players from the Tidewater/Virginia Beach area in coach Mike London's second full class as head coach. Virginia Beach defensive end Eli Harold, considered a 5-star recruit by Scout.com and 247Sports.com, is the jewel of the class. Virginia added more athleticism and speed to the team overall, a priority of London and company since taking over in Charlottesville.

Virginia is still in touch with at least one other current high school senior in Thousand Islands (Brockville, Ontario, Canada) athlete Trent Corney. The Ottawa Citizen reported last week that Corney, a 6'3", 243-pound H-back/outside linebacker prospect, had accepted an offer from UVa. Our sources indicate a decision has not been made, though, and we have been unable to confirm anything with Corney. We hope to have more on this situation later in the week or as it develops.

So, Signing Day 2012 has come and gone. Recruiting is a year-round deal, though, so as the 2012 class became official, the focus now shifts to 2013. EDGE subscribers can check out the latest Strategy Session posted last Friday where Kamikaze Hoo and I examine the projected numbers and needs for the upcoming class.

Look for more 2013 class coverage in the coming weeks leading up to Feb. 18 and Feb. 25 junior days. We'll also have a full report on those high school seniors expected to walk on at Virginia next year. With the place-kicking and punting spots open for competition, certainly some of those recruited walk-ons will be worth watching next summer.

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 since the last SabreMail ...

2012 Class Notes And Analysis
This year's Signing Day wasn't quite as exciting as last year's, when the Wahoo nation learned that Darius Jennings and Dominique Terrell were joining Mike London's first full class as Cavaliers head coach. Still, there was reason to be excited as top prospects such as Eli Harold (DE, Ocean Lakes High School), Kwontie Moore (MLB, Norfolk Christian) and Michael Moore (DE, DeMatha Catholic) were officially announced by UVa

Strategy Session: The 2013 Class
Signing Day 2012 has come and gone, and now it's time to take a closer look at 2013. Specifically, in this latest "Strategy Session," Kamikaze Hoo and I break down the roster and examine where Mike London and company will likely focus their efforts in 2013 class recruiting. Also, fans can check out important dates and events to remember for the coming months.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• UVa Lands Strong Recruiting Class
• Doull, Gamble Ink With UVa
• Recruiting Notes: Morgan Solid
• Virginia Basketball Program Offers Wisconsin Junior Guard

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National Team Duo Recognized

Virginia Athletics Media Relations official release

Virginia field hockey players Paige Selenski and Michelle Vittese were honored last week for National Girls and Women in Sports Day at John Paul Jones Arena.

Selenski and Vittese were members of the United States' first gold medal team in field hockey at the 2011 Pan American Games held in October in Guadalajara, Mexico. The Americans upset world No. 1 Argentina 4-2 in the championship match to automatically qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games. Both Cavaliers contributed with a goal apiece in the gold medal game.

Selenski, a three-time All-American, and Vittese, a two-time All-American, both redshirted the 2011 season for Virginia to compete with the U.S. National Team. They will return to Charlottesville in the fall for their final season of eligibility.

National Girls and Women in Sports Day brings national attention to the achievements of female athletes and to issues facing girls and women in sport. The event is co-sponsored by the University of Virginia Athletic Department and the University of Virginia Women's Center.

Blog Banter: ACC Releases Future Scheduling Models

On Friday, the Atlantic Coast Conference officially announced the future scheduling formats for the league as approved by the ACC’s Faculty Athletic Representatives and Athletics Directors. Read the official press release here. The new scheduling practices will kick in once Pittsburgh and Syracuse become playing members in the conference.

The highlights of the new scheduling format:

• The Atlantic and Coastal Divisions will remain the same with Syracuse joining the Atlantic and Pitt joining the Coastal. The current primary crossover partners will remain consistent with Syracuse and Pitt becoming primary crossover partners with each other.
• Football will move to a nine-game conference schedule.
• Men's and women's basketball will adopt an 18-game conference schedule.
• All 14 teams will participate in the ACC Tournament for men's and women's basketball with a tourney format to be announced at a later date.
• All other team sports will continue to play each conference team at least once during the regular season. Baseball is the only exception as those teams currently don't play all conference opponents.

Give The EDGE As a Gift!

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Cavaliers Split Pair Of ACC Games: Virginia fell on the road to No. 23 North Carolina, 64-56, on Friday. Senior guard Ariana Moorer led all scorers with 21 points and tallied her 500th career rebound for the Cavaliers. The Hoos bounced back to earn a key road victory at NC State, 55-47, Sunday. Ataira Franklin scored a game-high 20 points and Moorer posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
• Siedah Williams Named 2012 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament Legend: The ACC announced its eighth annual class of ACC Women's Basketball Legends and former Cavalier Siedah Williams is Virginia's representative. The Legends will be honored at the 2012 ACC Women's Basketball Tournament, being held March 1-4 at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. A four-year letterwinner and team captain during her junior (2006) and senior (2007) seasons, Williams was a three-time recipient of Virginia's Unsung Hero Award.
• Virginia Defeats Wolfpack in Final Dual Meet: The Virginia men's and women's swimming and diving teams both earned wins over NC State Saturday in the final dual meet of the season. The 15th-ranked Cavalier men knocked off No. 23 NCSU 170-123, while the No. 11 Cavalier women also came out on top, 169-111.
• No. 20 Cavaliers Roll to 24-12 Win over Rutgers: Highlighted by key wins at 149 and 165 pounds, the No. 20 Virginia wrestling team scored a 24-12 victory over Rutgers on Saturday night at Memorial Gymnasium. Virginia (8-1) won at seven of the 10 weight classes in picking up its sixth-consecutive dual-match victory. Gus Sako and No. 17 Nick Sulzer each scored upset victories at 149 and 165 pounds, respectively, for the Cavaliers
• Men's Tennis Wins Three Home Matches: The second-ranked Virginia men's tennis team opened its home schedule Friday with a 7-0 win over No. 15 Texas. The team topped No. 5 Florida 6-1 on Saturday afternoon at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar's Head Sports Club as well. The Cavaliers posted their third top-15 win of the weekend with a 6-1 win over No. 11 Texas A&M on Sunday.
• Huey Becomes First Cavalier to Crack ATP Top 50: Virginia alumnus Treat Huey became the first Cavalier to crack the top 50 of the ATP rankings, moving up to a career-high No. 47 in this week's world doubles rankings.
• UVa Women's Tennis Blanks Boston College 7-0: The ninth-ranked Virginia women's tennis team remained unbeaten on the season by blanking No. 55 Boston College on Sunday. It was the third consecutive shutout win for the Cavaliers, who improved to 5-0 on the season, 2-0 in the ACC.
• Virginia Picked to Finish Fourth in ACC Preseason Poll: The Virginia softball team was picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season, as voted on by the league's eight head coaches and announced Friday.
• Virginia Women's Soccer Announces 2012 Recruiting Class: The Virginia women's soccer program has announced that five players will join the Cavalier program this fall. Makenzy Doniak, Jessie Ferrari, Kristen McNabb, Brittany Ratcliffe and Emily Sonnett have signed National Letters of Intent with the Cavaliers. The class ranks among the top classes to come to Virginia. All five players are ranked among the top 65 players in the class by ESPN Rise. Three of the players are NSCAA All-Americans and four have United States youth national team experience.

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

Heart/V-Sabres Hoo Luvs Ya T-Shirt

UVA Bookstores, The Sabre's longest running sponsor, offers this great holiday T-Shirt. The red Hoo Luvs Ya V-Sabre Heart T-Shirt is perfect for Valentine's Day. V-Sabres of different sizes are arranged to make a heart with Hoo Luvs Ya screened underneath.

Issue No. 27 - March 7, 2002

Mason and Watson earn second-team All-ACC

Virginia men's basketball guard Roger Mason Jr. and forward/center Travis Watson are second-team selections to the 2002 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Team. Forward Elton Brown and guard Keith Jenifer are honorable mention selections to the 2002 ACC All-Freshman Team.

Teamer named Rookie of the Year

Virginia women's basketball forward Brandi Teamer has earned the 2002 Associated Press ACC Rookie of the Year accolade, the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association announced on Wednesday.

The 6-0 forward was also named to the All-ACC second team and ACC All-Freshmen Team last week after helping UVA to a third-place finish in the ACC standings.

Read SabreMail No. 27 here.

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:

• Basketball in action: The Hoos have started ACC play. The Sabre keeps you in the loop on the hoops team!
• Pro Hoos: TheSabre.com debuted a new series. Beyond The Lawn" is a 12-month series found exclusively on TheSabre.com that follows three Virginia Cavaliers through a year as a professional athlete. Baseball's Tyler Wilson (Baltimore Orioles), track and field's Stephanie Marie Garcia (U.S. Olympic hopeful), and football's Clint Sintim (New York Giants) share their experiences throughout the year.
• Greg's Season Report: After handing out grades and tracking trends throughout the 2011 football season in his game reports, Greg Waters takes a look back at the season for the Hoos.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Hoos Lose Close Contest At FSU
Virginia mounted a furious comeback late in the second half, but could not hold on to a brief lead as its road woes in Tallahassee continued. Florida State claimed a 58-55 victory on Saturday afternoon in a battle between two of the ACC's premier defensive teams. The Cavaliers have not won at FSU since 2001. FSU holds a share of the ACC lead at 7-1, while UVa falls to 5-3 in league play.

Florida State Primer
After staving off a late Clemson rally on Tuesday, the Virginia Cavaliers (18-3, 5-2 ACC), travel to Tallahassee on Saturday to face the red hot Florida State Seminoles (15-6, 5-1 ACC), who are tied for the lead in the ACC standings. The Tucker Center has been a house of horrors for the Hoos over the past decade, with UVa's last win at the Seminoles' house being a 69-66 nail biter in 2001 after a Roger Mason 3-pointer with one second left. Let's look at the Florida State Primer.

Chalk Talk: A Wrinkle Vs. Clemson
The "Defending Virginia" article last week mentioned ways for UVa to counter teams' defensive strategies to double and contain Mike Scott while freeing up shots for Joe Harris and Sammy Zeglinski. The Cavaliers included a different concept against Clemson to prevent a double team, however, so let's examine the strategy.

ACC Teams Challenge UVa's Defense
The Virginia men's basketball team continues to impress on the defensive end of the floor this season. En route to an 18-3 record, the Hoos have allowed just 50.6 points per game, which ranks second in the nation. The other statistics hold up too. UVa ranks second in opponent assists allowed (7.5), third in defensive efficiency (.83), and fifth in opponent field goal percentage (40.1%). Those numbers all support just how hard opponents have to work to score against the Cavaliers.

Hoos Top Tigers, Improve To 18-3
With a pair of coaches emphasizing defense and good shot selection, Brad Brownell and the Clemson Tigers pushed 16th-ranked Virginia and Tony Bennett to the limit on Tuesday night. The Cavaliers ultimately prevailed 65-61 in the 100th game in John Paul Jones Arena, however, and improved to 18-3 on the season.

Clemson Primer
After hanging on for a tough 61-60 win at NC State, UVa returns home on Tuesday night for a battle with the Clemson Tigers, the Cavs' third contest in six days. With a win over Brad Brownell's squad, Tony Bennett's Hoos (17-3, 4-2 ACC) would move three games above .500 in the ACC for the first time since February 2010, when a home win over NC State had the team at 5-2 in conference. Can the Cavs tame the Tigers?

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