OK. It's time to pick the FOV Cavalier of the Year. Or Co-Cavalier, if you go that route. I've done all the legwork for you. Now comes the easy part. The poll is posted. All you have to do is vote. That's it - that's the only requirement. Two simple clicks of the mouse. Of course, if you want to be a responsible voter, you might also click the mouse a couple extra times and go read the writeups on each candidate; for your convenience, there they are, right below the poll where you can't miss them. The winner gets nothing - there's no scholarship in their honor, or trophy, or anything really, although I'll probably whip up an amateurish yet nifty Photoshop or something to commemorate the occasion.
In the event of a tie, voting will run for an extra week with a runoff between the tied finalists.
There are, as you see, more than quite a few very talented athletes and scholars wearing the orange and blue of the University of Virginia. So admittedly, choosing one may actually be the hard part of this; nevertheless, 'Hoos everywhere - whether alum, student, future student, or just a diehard fan - should take a lot of pride in what these fine young men and women are doing for our school.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
FOV Cavalier of the Year, #11/#12
Bleh. You're lucky I even bothered to crawl out of bed today let alone summon the energy to post something. There's much going on this weekend - one football commitment is already on the books, that being LB Ryan Cobb - but rather than spend all day trying to keep up with that, look for a few weekend review-type posts at the end of it. For now we're focused on naming our Cavalier of the Year, and maybe, just to keep my mind off, you know, things, I'll get cranking on YouTubeing some of those baseball games I've got in the hopper.
The official From Old Virginia Birthday is June 10, at which time this blog marks its first year of publication. For the birthday celebration, we - that is, me, and you the readers - will name the FOV Cavalier of the Year. My job is to pick the twelve finalists and write a few words about each that tell you all about their accomplishments. Your job is easier: to vote in the poll that will run once all twelve are finished.
Two of the finalists will be highlighted each day this week, through Saturday. They're in random order with no rhyme or reason implied or intended. Today: Tony Tchani and Paige Selenski.
Tony Tchani - Men's soccer - Midfielder
Team accomplishments:
- Made ACC tournament championship game after upsetting #1 Wake Forest
- Made second round of NCAA tournament
Personal accomplishments:
- ACC Freshman of the Year
- Second-team All-ACC
- First-team All-Region
- Led team with 9 goals despite missing eight games
Freshmen were the name of the game for the soccer team this year, and Tchani's the guy in front. He had multiple two-goal games, but his biggest goal of the nine he scored had to be the penalty kick scored near the very end of the North Carolina game, a 1-0 road win over the #12 team in the country that vaulted us into the rankings for the first time this season. You have to wonder how the postseason could have gone if Tchani's injury against Longwood (Longwood, argh) had been as mild as the CDP said it was; it wasn't, and all the prime-time scoring punch the team had was basically vaporized.
Paige Selenski - Field hockey - Midfielder
Team accomplishments:
- Spent entire season ranked in top 15 nationall
- Advanced to second round of NCAA tournament
Personal accomplishments:
- ACC Freshman of the Year
- National Rookie of the Year
- All-ACC selection
- First-team All-Region
- Participates on national U-21 field hockey team
- National Rookie of the Week for October 7
- Led team with 19 goals and 47 points; second in assists with 9
I'll be the first to admit I know squat about field hockey. But I know a little something about awesome, and National Rookie of the Year is awesome. You might have noticed a little theme in that there are quite a lot of these finalists with ACC Freshman/Rookie of the Year honors; Paige Selenski is the only one to reel in both that and national honors as well. Her national Rookie of the Week honors came after racking up four goals and three assists in two games, one of which was against the #1 team in the land. Spiffy. Like the men's soccer team, the gals here have a bright future with a lot of very good freshmen on the team, but Selenski's got not just her team, but the whole nation beat here.
The official From Old Virginia Birthday is June 10, at which time this blog marks its first year of publication. For the birthday celebration, we - that is, me, and you the readers - will name the FOV Cavalier of the Year. My job is to pick the twelve finalists and write a few words about each that tell you all about their accomplishments. Your job is easier: to vote in the poll that will run once all twelve are finished.
Two of the finalists will be highlighted each day this week, through Saturday. They're in random order with no rhyme or reason implied or intended. Today: Tony Tchani and Paige Selenski.
Tony Tchani - Men's soccer - Midfielder
Team accomplishments:
- Made ACC tournament championship game after upsetting #1 Wake Forest
- Made second round of NCAA tournament
Personal accomplishments:
- ACC Freshman of the Year
- Second-team All-ACC
- First-team All-Region
- Led team with 9 goals despite missing eight games
Freshmen were the name of the game for the soccer team this year, and Tchani's the guy in front. He had multiple two-goal games, but his biggest goal of the nine he scored had to be the penalty kick scored near the very end of the North Carolina game, a 1-0 road win over the #12 team in the country that vaulted us into the rankings for the first time this season. You have to wonder how the postseason could have gone if Tchani's injury against Longwood (Longwood, argh) had been as mild as the CDP said it was; it wasn't, and all the prime-time scoring punch the team had was basically vaporized.
Paige Selenski - Field hockey - Midfielder
Team accomplishments:
- Spent entire season ranked in top 15 nationall
- Advanced to second round of NCAA tournament
Personal accomplishments:
- ACC Freshman of the Year
- National Rookie of the Year
- All-ACC selection
- First-team All-Region
- Participates on national U-21 field hockey team
- National Rookie of the Week for October 7
- Led team with 19 goals and 47 points; second in assists with 9
I'll be the first to admit I know squat about field hockey. But I know a little something about awesome, and National Rookie of the Year is awesome. You might have noticed a little theme in that there are quite a lot of these finalists with ACC Freshman/Rookie of the Year honors; Paige Selenski is the only one to reel in both that and national honors as well. Her national Rookie of the Week honors came after racking up four goals and three assists in two games, one of which was against the #1 team in the land. Spiffy. Like the men's soccer team, the gals here have a bright future with a lot of very good freshmen on the team, but Selenski's got not just her team, but the whole nation beat here.
Friday, June 12, 2009
FOV Cavalier of the Year, #9/#10
GAME 7 AAAAAIIIIEEEEE
LETS GO RED WINGS
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH
Mind: fried. Blogging: not easy. I was afraid of this - that I'd make a promise my nerves can't keep. The last hockey game of the year is TONIGHT and naturally, I didn't do anything at work today that could be mistaken for anything "productive" or "useful." For the sake of my sanity, pray for a Red Wings victory tonight, otherwise I will probably spend what should be a pretty exciting weekend for a UVA fan in a listless, life-is-meaningless fog. I don't even want to think about what happens if the Wings lose.
Anyway, blurb, and post.
The official From Old Virginia Birthday is June 10, at which time this blog marks its first year of publication. For the birthday celebration, we - that is, me, and you the readers - will name the FOV Cavalier of the Year. My job is to pick the twelve finalists and write a few words about each that tell you all about their accomplishments. Your job is easier: to vote in the poll that will run once all twelve are finished.
Two of the finalists will be highlighted each day this week, through Saturday. They're in random order with no rhyme or reason implied or intended. Today: Blair Weymouth and Yemi Ayeni.
Blair Weymouth - Women's lacrosse - Midfielder
Team accomplishments:
- 11-7 record
- First round of NCAA tournament
Personal accomplishments:
- Tewaaraton Trophy finalist
- Second-team IWCLA All-American
- Earned All-America honors four years in a row
- First team All-ACC
- Led team with 51 goals
Weymouth didn't actually lead her team in overall points as Danny Glading did - that honor went to Ashley McCullough - but DUDE: 51 goals. That's practically averaging a hat trick every game. And in fewer games than the men played. If that number doesn't impress the hell out of you, then I'm sorry, but you're dead.
The women, actually, did not enjoy the kind of success the men had. To be perfectly fair, though, all but one loss was to a team ranked in the top ten, including a heartbreaker against #1 Northwestern. But back to Blair Weymouth for a second here. The best women's lacrosse player ever at UVA? Maybe. Amy Appelt might have something to say, but she'd be the only one, and that's like saying, no, Sean Singletary wasn't the best basketball player, what about Ralph Sampson? Her list of accomplishments up there is impressive, but even more so when you realize she picked up most of that stuff every year she was here. 51 goals isn't even a career high. Her placement on the list of finalists here is justified enough for this year's achievements, but it wouldn't be out of line to vote for her as a sort of lifetime achievement award.
Yemi Ayeni - Men's track & field - Throws
Team accomplishments:
- Co-ACC champions (outdoor, which is what matters)
Personal accomplishments:
- Broke his own school record in shot put with 59' 9.75"
- Won discus titles at Penn Relays, ECAC/IC4A championships, and NCAA regionals
- Set ECAC/IC4A meet record at discus with 196' 7"
- Three-time All-American in discus
- Three-time ACC champion in discus
- Currently second place at NCAA championships in discus
I'm probably a little early writing this - like Danny Hultzen, Yemi Ayeni isn't done yet. He's made for himself a stellar career at UVA by being really, really good at chucking heavy objects great distances, specifically the discus, and as all those titles and records attest, is now better than anyone else this side of the Rockies at doing it, at least at the collegiate level. He stands second place in the discus throws at the NCAAs (a guy from Berkeley is first) and finishes up tomorrow. Frankly, this is also a little bit of a lifetime achievement nomination, but when the guy's been killing the competition for so long, why not? And I totally reserve the right to edit this if Ayeni brings home a national championship tomorrow.
LETS GO RED WINGS
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH
Mind: fried. Blogging: not easy. I was afraid of this - that I'd make a promise my nerves can't keep. The last hockey game of the year is TONIGHT and naturally, I didn't do anything at work today that could be mistaken for anything "productive" or "useful." For the sake of my sanity, pray for a Red Wings victory tonight, otherwise I will probably spend what should be a pretty exciting weekend for a UVA fan in a listless, life-is-meaningless fog. I don't even want to think about what happens if the Wings lose.
Anyway, blurb, and post.
The official From Old Virginia Birthday is June 10, at which time this blog marks its first year of publication. For the birthday celebration, we - that is, me, and you the readers - will name the FOV Cavalier of the Year. My job is to pick the twelve finalists and write a few words about each that tell you all about their accomplishments. Your job is easier: to vote in the poll that will run once all twelve are finished.
Two of the finalists will be highlighted each day this week, through Saturday. They're in random order with no rhyme or reason implied or intended. Today: Blair Weymouth and Yemi Ayeni.
Blair Weymouth - Women's lacrosse - Midfielder
Team accomplishments:
- 11-7 record
- First round of NCAA tournament
Personal accomplishments:
- Tewaaraton Trophy finalist
- Second-team IWCLA All-American
- Earned All-America honors four years in a row
- First team All-ACC
- Led team with 51 goals
Weymouth didn't actually lead her team in overall points as Danny Glading did - that honor went to Ashley McCullough - but DUDE: 51 goals. That's practically averaging a hat trick every game. And in fewer games than the men played. If that number doesn't impress the hell out of you, then I'm sorry, but you're dead.
The women, actually, did not enjoy the kind of success the men had. To be perfectly fair, though, all but one loss was to a team ranked in the top ten, including a heartbreaker against #1 Northwestern. But back to Blair Weymouth for a second here. The best women's lacrosse player ever at UVA? Maybe. Amy Appelt might have something to say, but she'd be the only one, and that's like saying, no, Sean Singletary wasn't the best basketball player, what about Ralph Sampson? Her list of accomplishments up there is impressive, but even more so when you realize she picked up most of that stuff every year she was here. 51 goals isn't even a career high. Her placement on the list of finalists here is justified enough for this year's achievements, but it wouldn't be out of line to vote for her as a sort of lifetime achievement award.
Yemi Ayeni - Men's track & field - Throws
Team accomplishments:
- Co-ACC champions (outdoor, which is what matters)
Personal accomplishments:
- Broke his own school record in shot put with 59' 9.75"
- Won discus titles at Penn Relays, ECAC/IC4A championships, and NCAA regionals
- Set ECAC/IC4A meet record at discus with 196' 7"
- Three-time All-American in discus
- Three-time ACC champion in discus
- Currently second place at NCAA championships in discus
I'm probably a little early writing this - like Danny Hultzen, Yemi Ayeni isn't done yet. He's made for himself a stellar career at UVA by being really, really good at chucking heavy objects great distances, specifically the discus, and as all those titles and records attest, is now better than anyone else this side of the Rockies at doing it, at least at the collegiate level. He stands second place in the discus throws at the NCAAs (a guy from Berkeley is first) and finishes up tomorrow. Frankly, this is also a little bit of a lifetime achievement nomination, but when the guy's been killing the competition for so long, why not? And I totally reserve the right to edit this if Ayeni brings home a national championship tomorrow.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
FOV Cavalier of the Year, #7/#8
First some quick baseball links as the CWS approaches. Excited?
There are previews at the ACC Sports Journal (a UVA-only page, that one) and Baseball America (for the whole field, but very favorable indeed toward the Hoos), and a quasi-preview chat at ESPN.
Congratulations are also in order to the five Cavaliers drafted in the MLB draft this week:
- Andrew Carraway in the 12th round to the Mariners
- Jeff Lorick in the 20th round to the Braves
- Robert Poutier in the 29th round to the Padres
- Matt Packer in the 32nd round to the Indians
- Tyler Cannon in the 41st round to the Pirates
You have to figure the juniors (that's Lorick, Packer, and Cannon) will take their chances and come back for another year. Especially Packer, who would probably have gone at least twice as high if he'd been eligible last year.
OK - the standard blurb, then on to the next two finalists.
The official From Old Virginia Birthday is June 10, at which time this blog marks its first year of publication. For the birthday celebration, we - that is, me, and you the readers - will name the FOV Cavalier of the Year. My job is to pick the twelve finalists and write a few words about each that tell you all about their accomplishments. Your job is easier: to vote in the poll that will run once all twelve are finished.
Two of the finalists will be highlighted each day this week, through Saturday. They're in random order with no rhyme or reason implied or intended. Today: Matt McLean and Danny Hultzen.
Matt McLean - Men's swimming - Distance freestyle
Team accomplishments:
- 10th ACC championship in 11 years
- 9th place finish at NCAA championships (best finish ever)
Personal accomplishments:
- First swimmer in ACC history to earn ACC Championship MVP two years in a row
- Third place and All-American finish at NCAA championships in 500-yard freestyle
- Three honorable mention All-American finishes at NCAA championships
- Broke four individual and relay ACC records at championship meet
Like the women, the men also have the ACC wrapped around their pinky finger in the pool. Matt McLean and Mei Christensen bring a little bit of a different talent set to the starting blocks; Christensen is a multi-stroke star, McLean owns all the distance races. The results are the same, though: medals, and lots of 'em. Distance swimmers like to point out how many yards they swim at a meet as compared to sprinters, and it ought to be noted that McLean swam over three miles at the ACC championships and, having set records in pretty much all his events, did it faster than anyone in the ACC - ever. Having made plenty of history in the pool, he capped it off with one more bit of history: the first swimmer to earn ACC championship meet MVP two years in a row, which is impressive enough without me having to mention that he's only a sophomore. But I did anyway.
Danny Hultzen - Baseball - P/1B
Team accomplishments:
- Advanced to College World Series (and maybe later on we'll be able to say better, yes?)
- ACC champions
- Undefeated at ACC tournament and at NCAA regional
- 48 wins (and counting) is highest total in team history
- Last team in the nation to lose a game
Personal accomplishments:
- ACC Freshman of the Year
- NCBWA Freshman All-American and second team All-American
- Named to USA Baseball National Team Trials
- ACC Pitcher of the Week after striking out 13 against TFSU
- Leads team in IP with 86, ERA among eligible pitchers at 2.09, and wins with a 9-1 record
- Batting .333; perfect on 8-of-8 steal attempts
If you don't know by now that this is the best baseball season UVA has ever achieved, then you never cared much about it to begin with. And they've done it without a lot of real star power. There's no Stephen Strasburg or Dustin Ackley. That said, there will be real star power in a couple years when Danny Hultzen has grown up a bit. Even now he's the one bringing in all the honors, and there are certainly a lot of honors. But there's a bit of that Sylven Landesberg loyalty to the school, too, which is more than admirable. See, Hultzen was a draft prospect out of high school. A big-time draft prospect. Like, top five rounds. Maybe first round. He chose college instead, and went out of his way to tell major-league teams he wanted that college experience. Even then, he was taken in the 10th round. Hultzen would be a millionaire and pitching, probably, at the very least in high-A ball right now, maybe AA, had he spurned UVA, and few would blame him. Instead he's in Omaha right now, and it's a safe bet neither he nor his teammates would be if he'd gone pro out of high school.
There are previews at the ACC Sports Journal (a UVA-only page, that one) and Baseball America (for the whole field, but very favorable indeed toward the Hoos), and a quasi-preview chat at ESPN.
Congratulations are also in order to the five Cavaliers drafted in the MLB draft this week:
- Andrew Carraway in the 12th round to the Mariners
- Jeff Lorick in the 20th round to the Braves
- Robert Poutier in the 29th round to the Padres
- Matt Packer in the 32nd round to the Indians
- Tyler Cannon in the 41st round to the Pirates
You have to figure the juniors (that's Lorick, Packer, and Cannon) will take their chances and come back for another year. Especially Packer, who would probably have gone at least twice as high if he'd been eligible last year.
OK - the standard blurb, then on to the next two finalists.
The official From Old Virginia Birthday is June 10, at which time this blog marks its first year of publication. For the birthday celebration, we - that is, me, and you the readers - will name the FOV Cavalier of the Year. My job is to pick the twelve finalists and write a few words about each that tell you all about their accomplishments. Your job is easier: to vote in the poll that will run once all twelve are finished.
Two of the finalists will be highlighted each day this week, through Saturday. They're in random order with no rhyme or reason implied or intended. Today: Matt McLean and Danny Hultzen.
Matt McLean - Men's swimming - Distance freestyle
Team accomplishments:
- 10th ACC championship in 11 years
- 9th place finish at NCAA championships (best finish ever)
Personal accomplishments:
- First swimmer in ACC history to earn ACC Championship MVP two years in a row
- Third place and All-American finish at NCAA championships in 500-yard freestyle
- Three honorable mention All-American finishes at NCAA championships
- Broke four individual and relay ACC records at championship meet
Like the women, the men also have the ACC wrapped around their pinky finger in the pool. Matt McLean and Mei Christensen bring a little bit of a different talent set to the starting blocks; Christensen is a multi-stroke star, McLean owns all the distance races. The results are the same, though: medals, and lots of 'em. Distance swimmers like to point out how many yards they swim at a meet as compared to sprinters, and it ought to be noted that McLean swam over three miles at the ACC championships and, having set records in pretty much all his events, did it faster than anyone in the ACC - ever. Having made plenty of history in the pool, he capped it off with one more bit of history: the first swimmer to earn ACC championship meet MVP two years in a row, which is impressive enough without me having to mention that he's only a sophomore. But I did anyway.
Danny Hultzen - Baseball - P/1B
Team accomplishments:
- Advanced to College World Series (and maybe later on we'll be able to say better, yes?)
- ACC champions
- Undefeated at ACC tournament and at NCAA regional
- 48 wins (and counting) is highest total in team history
- Last team in the nation to lose a game
Personal accomplishments:
- ACC Freshman of the Year
- NCBWA Freshman All-American and second team All-American
- Named to USA Baseball National Team Trials
- ACC Pitcher of the Week after striking out 13 against TFSU
- Leads team in IP with 86, ERA among eligible pitchers at 2.09, and wins with a 9-1 record
- Batting .333; perfect on 8-of-8 steal attempts
If you don't know by now that this is the best baseball season UVA has ever achieved, then you never cared much about it to begin with. And they've done it without a lot of real star power. There's no Stephen Strasburg or Dustin Ackley. That said, there will be real star power in a couple years when Danny Hultzen has grown up a bit. Even now he's the one bringing in all the honors, and there are certainly a lot of honors. But there's a bit of that Sylven Landesberg loyalty to the school, too, which is more than admirable. See, Hultzen was a draft prospect out of high school. A big-time draft prospect. Like, top five rounds. Maybe first round. He chose college instead, and went out of his way to tell major-league teams he wanted that college experience. Even then, he was taken in the 10th round. Hultzen would be a millionaire and pitching, probably, at the very least in high-A ball right now, maybe AA, had he spurned UVA, and few would blame him. Instead he's in Omaha right now, and it's a safe bet neither he nor his teammates would be if he'd gone pro out of high school.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
recruiting board update
Weekly update to the ol' recruiting board. This is where we stand before a pretty big weekend. Lot of recruits in town. Tyler Brosius broke the long commitment drought a bit early, but this is the sort of weekend where you can read that board and wonder to yourself how many more and who exactly will be in the orange section this time next week. Should be exciting.
- Added QB Tyler Brosius to orange, obviously. It's nice to finally expand that orange section a little.
- Dropped LB's Chris Smith (Arkansas commit) and Ken Wilkins (Michigan commit.)
- Moved QB's Andrew Hendrix and Sam Gibson to red. Hendrix more because we got the Tyler Brosius commit, and Gibson because he sort of, uh, committed to LSU, but maybe only sort-of committed because might still be planning to visit this weekend? If he's in Charlottesville, he'll stay where he is; otherwise, dropped at next update. Also dropped QB Robert Bolden, I'm not sure he was ever considering us seriously and it was always sort of a dartboard offer anyway.
- Added DE Andrew Tallman, who likes us ($) pending maybe some other offers, to blue.
- Added LB's Jeremiah Attaochu (gesundheit) and Henry Coley to yellow; also OG Shane Johnson.
- Added QB Tyler Brosius to orange, obviously. It's nice to finally expand that orange section a little.
- Dropped LB's Chris Smith (Arkansas commit) and Ken Wilkins (Michigan commit.)
- Moved QB's Andrew Hendrix and Sam Gibson to red. Hendrix more because we got the Tyler Brosius commit, and Gibson because he sort of, uh, committed to LSU, but maybe only sort-of committed because might still be planning to visit this weekend? If he's in Charlottesville, he'll stay where he is; otherwise, dropped at next update. Also dropped QB Robert Bolden, I'm not sure he was ever considering us seriously and it was always sort of a dartboard offer anyway.
- Added DE Andrew Tallman, who likes us ($) pending maybe some other offers, to blue.
- Added LB's Jeremiah Attaochu (gesundheit) and Henry Coley to yellow; also OG Shane Johnson.
FOV Cavalier of the Year, #5/#6
The official From Old Virginia Birthday is June 10 - that's today - at which time this blog marks its first year of publication. For the birthday celebration, we - that is, me, and you the readers - will name the FOV Cavalier of the Year. My job is to pick the twelve finalists and write a few words about each that tell you all about their accomplishments. Your job is easier: to vote in the poll that will run once all twelve are finished.
Two of the finalists will be highlighted each day this week, today through Saturday. They're in random order with no rhyme or reason implied or intended. Today: Mei Christensen and Sylven Landesberg.
Mei Christensen - Women's swimming - Backstroke/freestyle/IM
Team accomplishments:
- Repeated as ACC champions
- 12th place at NCAA meet
Personal accomplishments:
- ACC Swimmer of the Year
- ACC Championship Meet MVP
- All-ACC Academic Team
- Took six first-place finishes at ACC championship meet
- Set new conference records in 100- and 200-yard backstroke
- Set new school records in 50- and 100- yard freestyle
- Member of four conference-record-setting relays (200- and 400-yard freestyle, 200- and 400-yard medley)
- Earned All-American status with 5th-place finish in 100-yard backstroke and 6th-place finish in 200-yard backstroke at NCAA championships
- Member of All-American 400-yard medley relay
- Member of three honorable mention All-American relay teams
Swimming was my high school sport, so I admit to being a touch biased when talking about the swim teams; that said, I think the facts back me up: The men's and women's swim teams are the most dominant thing we have going here at UVA. The men's tennis and baseball teams have done some fine work, but nobody rolled the ACC like the swim teams. Not only that, but we have more All-ACC Academic swimmers than any other school, which means we have both the fastest and smartest swimmers.
And believe me - it takes high-quality depth, more so than in most other sports, to be successful at swimming. But even with the plethora of great athletes to choose from, Mei Christensen is an easy choice here as a finalist. She's got enough hardware to make Home Depot jealous and more records than U2. And she's a junior this year, which means she'll be back next year to take aim at her own records; one nice thing about being dominant in the Olympic sports is your athletes tend not to go pro after two years.
Sylven Landesberg - Men's basketball - Guard
Team accomplishments:
- Beat Maryland and VPISU
- Otherwise, sucked.
Personal accomplishments:
- ACC Rookie of the Year
- Six-time ACC Rookie of the Week
- Unanimous selection to ACC All-Freshman team
- Second-team Freshman All-American
- Led team in scoring and ACC in rookie scoring with 16.6 ppg
- Team's second-leading rebounder and assist man
- Projected as second-round choice in NBA draft
The basketball team wasn't very good. In fact, it was lousy. Let's just get that out of the way now. That said, Sylven Landesberg was very good, and also, whatever you consider to be the exact diametric opposite of lousy. Landesberg singlehandedly brought a measure of respectability to an otherwise undertalented, inexperienced, and occasionally dysfunctional outfit. But maybe Cavalier of the Year isn't earned only on the field of play (or court, or pool, or whatever); Landesberg was generally considered nearly NBA-ready, and a strong set of pre-draft workouts could have vaulted him into the first round where the guaranteed money is. Despite that, as well as the firing of the coach that recruited him, Landesberg will be back next year, never a guarantee in basketball circles. He was the conference's best and one of the nation's top freshmen - next year, he'll look to take his place among the country's elite.
Two of the finalists will be highlighted each day this week, today through Saturday. They're in random order with no rhyme or reason implied or intended. Today: Mei Christensen and Sylven Landesberg.
Mei Christensen - Women's swimming - Backstroke/freestyle/IM
Team accomplishments:
- Repeated as ACC champions
- 12th place at NCAA meet
Personal accomplishments:
- ACC Swimmer of the Year
- ACC Championship Meet MVP
- All-ACC Academic Team
- Took six first-place finishes at ACC championship meet
- Set new conference records in 100- and 200-yard backstroke
- Set new school records in 50- and 100- yard freestyle
- Member of four conference-record-setting relays (200- and 400-yard freestyle, 200- and 400-yard medley)
- Earned All-American status with 5th-place finish in 100-yard backstroke and 6th-place finish in 200-yard backstroke at NCAA championships
- Member of All-American 400-yard medley relay
- Member of three honorable mention All-American relay teams
Swimming was my high school sport, so I admit to being a touch biased when talking about the swim teams; that said, I think the facts back me up: The men's and women's swim teams are the most dominant thing we have going here at UVA. The men's tennis and baseball teams have done some fine work, but nobody rolled the ACC like the swim teams. Not only that, but we have more All-ACC Academic swimmers than any other school, which means we have both the fastest and smartest swimmers.
And believe me - it takes high-quality depth, more so than in most other sports, to be successful at swimming. But even with the plethora of great athletes to choose from, Mei Christensen is an easy choice here as a finalist. She's got enough hardware to make Home Depot jealous and more records than U2. And she's a junior this year, which means she'll be back next year to take aim at her own records; one nice thing about being dominant in the Olympic sports is your athletes tend not to go pro after two years.
Sylven Landesberg - Men's basketball - Guard
Team accomplishments:
- Beat Maryland and VPISU
- Otherwise, sucked.
Personal accomplishments:
- ACC Rookie of the Year
- Six-time ACC Rookie of the Week
- Unanimous selection to ACC All-Freshman team
- Second-team Freshman All-American
- Led team in scoring and ACC in rookie scoring with 16.6 ppg
- Team's second-leading rebounder and assist man
- Projected as second-round choice in NBA draft
The basketball team wasn't very good. In fact, it was lousy. Let's just get that out of the way now. That said, Sylven Landesberg was very good, and also, whatever you consider to be the exact diametric opposite of lousy. Landesberg singlehandedly brought a measure of respectability to an otherwise undertalented, inexperienced, and occasionally dysfunctional outfit. But maybe Cavalier of the Year isn't earned only on the field of play (or court, or pool, or whatever); Landesberg was generally considered nearly NBA-ready, and a strong set of pre-draft workouts could have vaulted him into the first round where the guaranteed money is. Despite that, as well as the firing of the coach that recruited him, Landesberg will be back next year, never a guarantee in basketball circles. He was the conference's best and one of the nation's top freshmen - next year, he'll look to take his place among the country's elite.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
FOV Cavalier of the Year, #3/#4
The official From Old Virginia Birthday is June 10, at which time this blog marks its first year of publication. For the birthday celebration, we - that is, me, and you the readers - will name the FOV Cavalier of the Year. My job is to pick the twelve finalists and write a few words about each that tell you all about their accomplishments. Your job is easier: to vote in the poll that will run once all twelve are finished.
Two of the finalists will be highlighted each day this week, today through Saturday. They're in random order with no rhyme or reason implied or intended. Today: Eugene Monroe and Dominic Inglot/Michael Shabaz.
Eugene Monroe - Football - Left tackle
Team accomplishments:
- Beat two ranked ACC teams, and Maryland by 31.
- Um.....that's about it.
Personal accomplishments:
- Selected 8th overall in the NFL draft.
- Winner of ACC's Jacobs Blocking Trophy as league's best blocker.
- First-team all-ACC selection with third-most votes overall.
- ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week following win over ECU.
It's pretty clear by the inclusion of team accomplishments in these lists that I sort of intend them to be taken into account in the voting, and the football team is one of the few UVA teams that had a lousy year. That said, it's not as if there weren't bright spots, and Eugene Monroe was the brightest. He established himself as the ACC's premier offensive lineman and one of the clear best in the country, rewarded for a fine season with an invite to sit in the green room at the NFL Draft and come out on stage to pose with the commish when his name was called with the 8th overall pick. He was the third ACC player taken, but the second one taken that nobody said "WTF???" after. He came to UVA as a top-ten prospect nationally and left the same way - the only one in that group that can claim that.
Dominic Inglot/Michael Shabaz - Men's tennis - Doubles
Team accomplishments:
- Third consecutive ACC championship
- Won NCAA regional
- Made NCAA quarterfinals
- Undefeated regular season
- Extended streak of consecutive matches won against ACC to 45
Personal accomplishments:
- Won national doubles championship
- That's "National. Championship."
- Defeated #1 pairing in the nation in the first round of NCAA doubles tournament
- Won 10 of 13 sets in NCAA doubles tournament
- 41-8 record as a doubles pairing
Unlike yesterday's women's basketball pairing, Inglot and Shabaz are here specifically as a pair. When you bring home a national championship, I don't care if it is in an under-the-radar sport like tennis, finalist status for CotY is guaranteed. Even had they lost every single other point they played all year. But they didn't, mind you - they won an incredible 84% of their matches, finished the year as the #1 doubles pairing after starting off as #2, and roared through an NCAA field (playing three higher-seeded pairings on the way) to bring home the only national championship that UVA has seen this season. (So far. Keeping my fingers crossed for the baseball team.)
Two of the finalists will be highlighted each day this week, today through Saturday. They're in random order with no rhyme or reason implied or intended. Today: Eugene Monroe and Dominic Inglot/Michael Shabaz.
Eugene Monroe - Football - Left tackle
Team accomplishments:
- Beat two ranked ACC teams, and Maryland by 31.
- Um.....that's about it.
Personal accomplishments:
- Selected 8th overall in the NFL draft.
- Winner of ACC's Jacobs Blocking Trophy as league's best blocker.
- First-team all-ACC selection with third-most votes overall.
- ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week following win over ECU.
It's pretty clear by the inclusion of team accomplishments in these lists that I sort of intend them to be taken into account in the voting, and the football team is one of the few UVA teams that had a lousy year. That said, it's not as if there weren't bright spots, and Eugene Monroe was the brightest. He established himself as the ACC's premier offensive lineman and one of the clear best in the country, rewarded for a fine season with an invite to sit in the green room at the NFL Draft and come out on stage to pose with the commish when his name was called with the 8th overall pick. He was the third ACC player taken, but the second one taken that nobody said "WTF???" after. He came to UVA as a top-ten prospect nationally and left the same way - the only one in that group that can claim that.
Dominic Inglot/Michael Shabaz - Men's tennis - Doubles
Team accomplishments:
- Third consecutive ACC championship
- Won NCAA regional
- Made NCAA quarterfinals
- Undefeated regular season
- Extended streak of consecutive matches won against ACC to 45
Personal accomplishments:
- Won national doubles championship
- That's "National. Championship."
- Defeated #1 pairing in the nation in the first round of NCAA doubles tournament
- Won 10 of 13 sets in NCAA doubles tournament
- 41-8 record as a doubles pairing
Unlike yesterday's women's basketball pairing, Inglot and Shabaz are here specifically as a pair. When you bring home a national championship, I don't care if it is in an under-the-radar sport like tennis, finalist status for CotY is guaranteed. Even had they lost every single other point they played all year. But they didn't, mind you - they won an incredible 84% of their matches, finished the year as the #1 doubles pairing after starting off as #2, and roared through an NCAA field (playing three higher-seeded pairings on the way) to bring home the only national championship that UVA has seen this season. (So far. Keeping my fingers crossed for the baseball team.)
Monday, June 8, 2009
the recruit: Tyler Brosius
Name: Tyler Brosius
Position: QB
Hometown: Waynesville, NC
High school: Tuscola Senior
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 232
ESPN: 77, #43 QB
Rivals: three stars, 5.7, #24 pro-style QB
Scout: three stars, #64 QB
Surprise! Next weekend was supposed to be the one we're being patient for, as it's going to be "Future Wahoo Day", at which Al Groh puts advertising execs through their paces in order to find the best one to replace the name "Future Wahoo Day." And hosts a bunch of football recruits, too. But the coaches had a few guys around this weekend too, and one of them was Tyler Brosius.
Brosius has been on the very edge of our radar screen, far enough off that I didn't have him on the recruiting board; his recruitment didn't pick up nationally until late, and by the end of April he still had only one I-A offer, from Central Florida. Dude doesn't even have a thread on Recruiting Planet. Waynesville is kind of in the sticks though (actually, scratch that, Waynesville is the sticks) so sometimes it takes a while for the secret to get out. But things got hot in May and were probably going to get hotter very soon. He's now got offers from Pitt and Maryland and looks as though he was just about to get one from NC State; his commitment here will put a stopper in the flow but it's a safe bet there were more on the way if he'd held out through the summer. This weekend, though, Brosius got his look at the Grounds, went WHOA!, went home offer in hand, and decided he didn't need to see anything else. That's pretty similar to my process, actually, except the admission letter was like eighteen months later and it wasn't to play football. Or any sport. Or give me any money.
The recruiting services are all in pretty close agreement as to his rankings, and they have lots of video. A solid three stars all around - 5.7 is a medium-high three star as Rivals has it, and ESPN's 77 equates to about that too. They have a full sophomore and junior year to go off of so unless Brosius totally explodes this coming season, it'll stay that way.
Regardless of whether Brosius turns into Matt Schaub or not, though, this commitment tells us one thing loud and clear. Any notion that the arrival of Gregg Brandon meant we'd be leaning much more heavily toward mobile running types under center took a little bit of a hit when we started recruiting Andrew Hendrix heavily and is now totally shattered with the Brosius commitment. The guy's 230 pounds, alright, and quite possibly still growing. Mobility is not his strong suit. However, Brandon is not the head coach, Al Groh is, and Groh has never been shy about playing whatever quarterback he thinks is the best and working the scheme around that instead of the other way round.
I'm sure we're not done taking quarterbacks. One more is probably on the way sometime this year. The depth chart now says five scholarship guys will be on the roster in 2010, but two of them (Smalls and Hunter) are fair candidates to get moved somewhere and it's probably a safe bet that at least one of them will. I'm still a big Kevin Parks fan, and ESPN has this to say about Brosius: "Good prospect that has somewhat of an 'it' factor." "It" is the #1 trait that a quarterback needs; it is also #2, #3, #4, and part of #5. Height and arm strength and speed and all that shit come way later. It's also a judgment you can't make til you watch, so I will call myself cautiously excited here and hope very much ESPN has it right. Put these two together and I very much like how the class shapes up so far, even if it's small.
Speaking of Parks, I've updated his "recruit" post to reflect the ratings that came out in May; you can check that out here.
Position: QB
Hometown: Waynesville, NC
High school: Tuscola Senior
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 232
ESPN: 77, #43 QB
Rivals: three stars, 5.7, #24 pro-style QB
Scout: three stars, #64 QB
Surprise! Next weekend was supposed to be the one we're being patient for, as it's going to be "Future Wahoo Day", at which Al Groh puts advertising execs through their paces in order to find the best one to replace the name "Future Wahoo Day." And hosts a bunch of football recruits, too. But the coaches had a few guys around this weekend too, and one of them was Tyler Brosius.
Brosius has been on the very edge of our radar screen, far enough off that I didn't have him on the recruiting board; his recruitment didn't pick up nationally until late, and by the end of April he still had only one I-A offer, from Central Florida. Dude doesn't even have a thread on Recruiting Planet. Waynesville is kind of in the sticks though (actually, scratch that, Waynesville is the sticks) so sometimes it takes a while for the secret to get out. But things got hot in May and were probably going to get hotter very soon. He's now got offers from Pitt and Maryland and looks as though he was just about to get one from NC State; his commitment here will put a stopper in the flow but it's a safe bet there were more on the way if he'd held out through the summer. This weekend, though, Brosius got his look at the Grounds, went WHOA!, went home offer in hand, and decided he didn't need to see anything else. That's pretty similar to my process, actually, except the admission letter was like eighteen months later and it wasn't to play football. Or any sport. Or give me any money.
The recruiting services are all in pretty close agreement as to his rankings, and they have lots of video. A solid three stars all around - 5.7 is a medium-high three star as Rivals has it, and ESPN's 77 equates to about that too. They have a full sophomore and junior year to go off of so unless Brosius totally explodes this coming season, it'll stay that way.
Regardless of whether Brosius turns into Matt Schaub or not, though, this commitment tells us one thing loud and clear. Any notion that the arrival of Gregg Brandon meant we'd be leaning much more heavily toward mobile running types under center took a little bit of a hit when we started recruiting Andrew Hendrix heavily and is now totally shattered with the Brosius commitment. The guy's 230 pounds, alright, and quite possibly still growing. Mobility is not his strong suit. However, Brandon is not the head coach, Al Groh is, and Groh has never been shy about playing whatever quarterback he thinks is the best and working the scheme around that instead of the other way round.
I'm sure we're not done taking quarterbacks. One more is probably on the way sometime this year. The depth chart now says five scholarship guys will be on the roster in 2010, but two of them (Smalls and Hunter) are fair candidates to get moved somewhere and it's probably a safe bet that at least one of them will. I'm still a big Kevin Parks fan, and ESPN has this to say about Brosius: "Good prospect that has somewhat of an 'it' factor." "It" is the #1 trait that a quarterback needs; it is also #2, #3, #4, and part of #5. Height and arm strength and speed and all that shit come way later. It's also a judgment you can't make til you watch, so I will call myself cautiously excited here and hope very much ESPN has it right. Put these two together and I very much like how the class shapes up so far, even if it's small.
Speaking of Parks, I've updated his "recruit" post to reflect the ratings that came out in May; you can check that out here.
FOV Cavalier of the Year, #1/#2
The official From Old Virginia Birthday is June 10, at which time this blog marks its first year of publication. For the birthday celebration, we - that is, me, and you the readers - will name the FOV Cavalier of the Year. My job is to pick the twelve finalists and write a few words about each that tell you all about their accomplishments. Your job is easier: to vote in the poll that will run once all twelve are finished.
Two of the finalists will be highlighted each day this week, today through Saturday. They're in random order with no rhyme or reason implied or intended. Today: Danny Glading and Monica Wright/Lyndra Littles.
Danny Glading - Men's lacrosse - Attackman
Team accomplishments:
- Final record: 15-3
- Reeled off 12 straight wins to start the season
- Made NCAA Final Four in Foxborough, MA
- Defeated #1 Syracuse at Syracuse
- Won longest game in NCAA D-I history: 7 OT against Maryland
Personal accomplishments:
- Led team in points with 63: 32 goals, 31 assists
- 5th overall pick in the Major League Lacrosse draft
- Tewaaraton Trophy and Lowe's Senior CLASS Award finalist
- Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Player of the Year
- 3-time All-ACC selection
- First-team USILA All-American
Glading was the point man on the country's most potent offense; UVA led the nation in points and Glading led UVA. Simply put, part of what makes UVA lacrosse UVA lacrosse is the presence of that dominant player that every opponent game-plans for. We had Ben Rubeor, and Matt Ward before that; this year, that's Danny Glading. It's a proud tradition.
Monica Wright/Lyndra Littles - Women's basketball - Guard/forward
Team accomplishments:
- Record: 24-10
- Second round of NCAA tournament
- Wins included upsets of #5 Tennessee and #8 Maryland; also undefeated against VT
- Winner of Mariott Cavalier Classic
Personal accomplishments (Wright):
- Led team in scoring with 20.5 PPG
- All-tournament team at Mariott Cavalier Classic and WBCA Classic
- VaSID Co-Player of the Year
- Wade Trophy finalist
- Appeared on Wooden Award ballot
- All-ACC first team
- ACC Player of the Week for November 24
Personal accomplishments (Littles):
- Team's second-leading scorer and rebounder with 19.9 ppg and 6.4 rpg
- Taken 17th overall in the WNBA draft (2nd round)
- Mariott Cavalier Classic MVP
- Two-time ACC Player of the Week
- All-ACC first team
There are quite a few UVA sports I don't follow regularly, except to take note, applaud, and do a little scoreboard watching when they're doing something really good. Nobody has time to be a fanatic of everything up to and including wrestling, volleyball, and indoor track. Women's basketball happens to be the most readily available and most follow-able of these, I must admit. So if there's a difference in the impact these two made that you can't tell without watching - like, say, a noticeable lack of whatever while Littles was out with injury - then yes, I missed it. That said, even if you'd never heard of "women" let alone "basketball" and you looked down the stat sheet, you'd have no trouble figuring out that this year was the Wright & Littles Show. Or Littles & Wright Show. Having spent the better part of an hour trying to find a good reason to make this about one and not the other, I took the path of least resistance and made it about both. On the one hand, Wright scored 35 to lead the upset against Tennessee; on the other, the absence of Littles was a big factor in losing to Gonzaga. Against Maryland: 30 points and 28 points. First round of the NCAA tournament: 13 each. How do you separate the two? You don't. So here they are, one of two tandems to be FOV CotY finalists.
Two of the finalists will be highlighted each day this week, today through Saturday. They're in random order with no rhyme or reason implied or intended. Today: Danny Glading and Monica Wright/Lyndra Littles.
Danny Glading - Men's lacrosse - Attackman
Team accomplishments:
- Final record: 15-3
- Reeled off 12 straight wins to start the season
- Made NCAA Final Four in Foxborough, MA
- Defeated #1 Syracuse at Syracuse
- Won longest game in NCAA D-I history: 7 OT against Maryland
Personal accomplishments:
- Led team in points with 63: 32 goals, 31 assists
- 5th overall pick in the Major League Lacrosse draft
- Tewaaraton Trophy and Lowe's Senior CLASS Award finalist
- Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Player of the Year
- 3-time All-ACC selection
- First-team USILA All-American
Glading was the point man on the country's most potent offense; UVA led the nation in points and Glading led UVA. Simply put, part of what makes UVA lacrosse UVA lacrosse is the presence of that dominant player that every opponent game-plans for. We had Ben Rubeor, and Matt Ward before that; this year, that's Danny Glading. It's a proud tradition.
Monica Wright/Lyndra Littles - Women's basketball - Guard/forward
Team accomplishments:
- Record: 24-10
- Second round of NCAA tournament
- Wins included upsets of #5 Tennessee and #8 Maryland; also undefeated against VT
- Winner of Mariott Cavalier Classic
Personal accomplishments (Wright):
- Led team in scoring with 20.5 PPG
- All-tournament team at Mariott Cavalier Classic and WBCA Classic
- VaSID Co-Player of the Year
- Wade Trophy finalist
- Appeared on Wooden Award ballot
- All-ACC first team
- ACC Player of the Week for November 24
Personal accomplishments (Littles):
- Team's second-leading scorer and rebounder with 19.9 ppg and 6.4 rpg
- Taken 17th overall in the WNBA draft (2nd round)
- Mariott Cavalier Classic MVP
- Two-time ACC Player of the Week
- All-ACC first team
There are quite a few UVA sports I don't follow regularly, except to take note, applaud, and do a little scoreboard watching when they're doing something really good. Nobody has time to be a fanatic of everything up to and including wrestling, volleyball, and indoor track. Women's basketball happens to be the most readily available and most follow-able of these, I must admit. So if there's a difference in the impact these two made that you can't tell without watching - like, say, a noticeable lack of whatever while Littles was out with injury - then yes, I missed it. That said, even if you'd never heard of "women" let alone "basketball" and you looked down the stat sheet, you'd have no trouble figuring out that this year was the Wright & Littles Show. Or Littles & Wright Show. Having spent the better part of an hour trying to find a good reason to make this about one and not the other, I took the path of least resistance and made it about both. On the one hand, Wright scored 35 to lead the upset against Tennessee; on the other, the absence of Littles was a big factor in losing to Gonzaga. Against Maryland: 30 points and 28 points. First round of the NCAA tournament: 13 each. How do you separate the two? You don't. So here they are, one of two tandems to be FOV CotY finalists.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
making history is so much fun
I got back in from my class reunion exactly in time to see the first pitch of today's game, or I would have if UNC-ECU hadn't been finishing up. Seriously - I turned on the TV and the TiVo was in the process of changing the channel to start the recording. So that's some quality timing.
I bet you want to hear all about the reunion weekend, by the way. I just bet you do, and it's my blog and I've already said I reserve the right to go off on a tangent once in a great while. So a couple words. I found that it was a lot like showing up at the beginning of the fall semester every year, in that you think you know your way around but you need to adjust your paths for whatever new construction is blocking a thoroughfare somewhere. Those construction walls never get taken down, they just move. As I mentioned before it was the first time back on Grounds in a solid four years. I like to keep up with the ongoing projects in the report that comes out once a quarter, so it came as no surprise that various parking lots now had buildings in them; still, little surprises show up all the time ("hey, they actually bothered to get rid of the concrete steps that nobody ever uses on the back pathway to the A-school") and eventually you start noticing enough changes that it comes as a small surprise that there are still things that are the same ("oh look, the Teeter's still there.") A good time was had, in any event. The only complaint about the schedule is that there are so many school lunches and class dinners and stuff that it's nigh-impossible to eat at all the old hangouts you intend to hit up; still, I managed to get to the Italian Villa and Littlejohn's, which still does much of its best business at 2:30 in the morning. All in all a very reminiscent sort of weekend; I even got a parking ticket, just for old time's sake - four years of run-ins with (Anti)Parking & Transportation were obviously not enough. (For the record, PTS was ticketing all sorts of folks they weren't supposed to - I was not the first person going back to Alumni Hall with one after parking in a spot we were told was kosher - and the reunion organizers had to have a chat with some folks. SHOCKING, I know.)
If I have one complaint it's that you could fit all the Class of '04 attendees on one sheet of paper, and I know because they handed out a list, and if I have two, it's that my rental car was a Toyota with a Maryland license plate, which is pretty close to the most offensive thing you could give a Detroiter and UVA grad.
So, the baseball games. Clearly I'm not the only 'Hoo who had a good weekend - Brian O'Connor and his boys have been enjoying it too. GOING TO OMAHA! For the first time in history! It's more than we could have asked for out of this year, but that won't stop me from getting greedy. For my money, the players of the weekend are the newly resurgent Matt Packer, who pitched in all three games and did not allow an earned run; and Franco Valdes, who is clutch as hell - Valdes had an RBI in all three games, including the tying run in Game 2 and the go-ahead in Game 3. Ole Miss must feel like the baseball gods are against them, with all the difficulties they've had in the super regionals lately. I myself got that impression when Danny Hultzen snared a liner that had triple written all over it, which he was only able to get because he was holding a runner on first, and then fell onto the base for the double play. That's a rally-killer and worse, a spirit-crusher, and the game was about over at that point.
For the uninitiated, the College World Series is basically the first two rounds of the tournament, redux: two four-team double-elimination brackets with the winners playing a best-of-three. We have LSU first, but think of this as a regional with us, LSU, Fullerton, and Arkansas. LSU's flying just as high as we are - they haven't lost since the first game of the SEC tournament, and they eventually won said tournament. ACC champs vs. SEC champs. It's for conference supremacy.
A final word; this week, June 10 to be precise, From Old Virginia celebrates its first birthday. Yay! There will be no birthday cake, funny hats, or streamers. Boo! There will be presents, however. A present, actually, though it's just for fun and no actual trophy or benefit or any such thing exists in the physical sense. This week, each day I'll highlight two of our athletes (or in certain cases, pairs of athletes) that have had exceptional performances this year. It's worth being reminded that the money sports may not have had the best seasons, but there have been a lot of accolades handed down to our teams and players that are worth noticing and applauding. At the end of the week on Saturday, I'll post a poll, and you spend the next week voting on which of our athletes should be the FOV Cavalier of the Year. Here is a preview of the twelve I've chosen:
Baseball - Danny Hultzen
Men's basketball - Sylven Landesberg
Football - Eugene Monroe
Men's lacrosse - Danny Glading
Men's soccer - Tony Tchani
Men's swimming - Matt McLean
Men's tennis - Dominic Inglot/Michael Shabaz
Men's track & field - Yemi Ayeni
Women's basketball - Monica Wright/Lyndra Littles
Field hockey - Paige Solenski
Women's lacrosse - Blair Weymouth
Women's swimming - Mei Christensen
They'll appear two per day, paired randomly, with a blurb detailing their accomplishments, honors, achievements, and so forth. Enjoy!
I bet you want to hear all about the reunion weekend, by the way. I just bet you do, and it's my blog and I've already said I reserve the right to go off on a tangent once in a great while. So a couple words. I found that it was a lot like showing up at the beginning of the fall semester every year, in that you think you know your way around but you need to adjust your paths for whatever new construction is blocking a thoroughfare somewhere. Those construction walls never get taken down, they just move. As I mentioned before it was the first time back on Grounds in a solid four years. I like to keep up with the ongoing projects in the report that comes out once a quarter, so it came as no surprise that various parking lots now had buildings in them; still, little surprises show up all the time ("hey, they actually bothered to get rid of the concrete steps that nobody ever uses on the back pathway to the A-school") and eventually you start noticing enough changes that it comes as a small surprise that there are still things that are the same ("oh look, the Teeter's still there.") A good time was had, in any event. The only complaint about the schedule is that there are so many school lunches and class dinners and stuff that it's nigh-impossible to eat at all the old hangouts you intend to hit up; still, I managed to get to the Italian Villa and Littlejohn's, which still does much of its best business at 2:30 in the morning. All in all a very reminiscent sort of weekend; I even got a parking ticket, just for old time's sake - four years of run-ins with (Anti)Parking & Transportation were obviously not enough. (For the record, PTS was ticketing all sorts of folks they weren't supposed to - I was not the first person going back to Alumni Hall with one after parking in a spot we were told was kosher - and the reunion organizers had to have a chat with some folks. SHOCKING, I know.)
If I have one complaint it's that you could fit all the Class of '04 attendees on one sheet of paper, and I know because they handed out a list, and if I have two, it's that my rental car was a Toyota with a Maryland license plate, which is pretty close to the most offensive thing you could give a Detroiter and UVA grad.
So, the baseball games. Clearly I'm not the only 'Hoo who had a good weekend - Brian O'Connor and his boys have been enjoying it too. GOING TO OMAHA! For the first time in history! It's more than we could have asked for out of this year, but that won't stop me from getting greedy. For my money, the players of the weekend are the newly resurgent Matt Packer, who pitched in all three games and did not allow an earned run; and Franco Valdes, who is clutch as hell - Valdes had an RBI in all three games, including the tying run in Game 2 and the go-ahead in Game 3. Ole Miss must feel like the baseball gods are against them, with all the difficulties they've had in the super regionals lately. I myself got that impression when Danny Hultzen snared a liner that had triple written all over it, which he was only able to get because he was holding a runner on first, and then fell onto the base for the double play. That's a rally-killer and worse, a spirit-crusher, and the game was about over at that point.
For the uninitiated, the College World Series is basically the first two rounds of the tournament, redux: two four-team double-elimination brackets with the winners playing a best-of-three. We have LSU first, but think of this as a regional with us, LSU, Fullerton, and Arkansas. LSU's flying just as high as we are - they haven't lost since the first game of the SEC tournament, and they eventually won said tournament. ACC champs vs. SEC champs. It's for conference supremacy.
A final word; this week, June 10 to be precise, From Old Virginia celebrates its first birthday. Yay! There will be no birthday cake, funny hats, or streamers. Boo! There will be presents, however. A present, actually, though it's just for fun and no actual trophy or benefit or any such thing exists in the physical sense. This week, each day I'll highlight two of our athletes (or in certain cases, pairs of athletes) that have had exceptional performances this year. It's worth being reminded that the money sports may not have had the best seasons, but there have been a lot of accolades handed down to our teams and players that are worth noticing and applauding. At the end of the week on Saturday, I'll post a poll, and you spend the next week voting on which of our athletes should be the FOV Cavalier of the Year. Here is a preview of the twelve I've chosen:
Baseball - Danny Hultzen
Men's basketball - Sylven Landesberg
Football - Eugene Monroe
Men's lacrosse - Danny Glading
Men's soccer - Tony Tchani
Men's swimming - Matt McLean
Men's tennis - Dominic Inglot/Michael Shabaz
Men's track & field - Yemi Ayeni
Women's basketball - Monica Wright/Lyndra Littles
Field hockey - Paige Solenski
Women's lacrosse - Blair Weymouth
Women's swimming - Mei Christensen
They'll appear two per day, paired randomly, with a blurb detailing their accomplishments, honors, achievements, and so forth. Enjoy!
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