Women’s Basketball: Virginia wins 74-65 against Pitt
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The Virginia women’s basketball team (5-20, 2-15 ACC) picked up its second straight win with a 74-65 victory against Pittsburgh (11-16, 2-14 ACC) on Sunday at John Paul Jones Arena.
The Cavaliers opened the game on an 11-2 run and held a 36-28 lead at halftime. Pitt tied the game in the third quarter and held a one-point lead for 22 seconds, but the Cavaliers opened the fourth quarter on a 9-1 run to take back control of the contest.
Junior guard Taylor Valladay scored a career-high 30 points, the most by a Cavalier in a game this season, while also dishing seven assists. Sophomore guard Mir McLean scored 16 points with eight rebounds.
Pittsburgh had three players finish the game in double figures, led by 16-point games from Dayshanette Harris and Destiny Strother.
Pitt missed its first seven field goal attempts as the Cavaliers slowly built an 11-2 lead in the first quarter. A three-pointer from Strother with 4:08 left in the quarter ended their cold spell. Strother hit another three-pointer ninety seconds later to cut the gap to 13-8 with 2:30 remaining. The Cavaliers scored the final five points of the quarter, including a jumper from McLean and a layup from junior forward London Clarkson to take an 18-8 lead into the second quarter.
Virginia held a 10-point lead with 5:48 remaining in the half when Pitt began to chip away with an and-one, a trip to the free throw line, and a layup making it a four-point deficit, 24-20. Grad student guard Amandine Toi ended the run, hitting a three-pointer to make it 27-20 with 3:24 remaining. A three-pointer from grad student guard McKenna Dale extended the UVA lead to eight, 30-22, with 2:37 remaining, but Pitt hit a pair of threes of its own, making it a four-point game, 32-28, with 1:01left in the half. A pair of free throws from junior guard Carole Miller and a layup from Valladay with 4.6 seconds remaining sent the Cavaliers into the break with a 36-28 edge.
Pitt scored the first four points of the second half before a three-pointer from Valladay to beat the shot clock gave UVA a 39-32 lead with 7:51 remaining. A pair of three-pointers from Harris made it a three-point game, 41-38, with a three-pointer from Hueston with 5:33 left in the quarter tying the game at 41. An and-one from Harris gave the Panthers their first lead of the game, 44-43, with 4:52 remaining. Back-to-back layups from McLean and Valladay put UVA back ahead 47-44 34 seconds later. The Cavaliers and Panthers had six lead changes in the quarter with a driving layup from Valladay with 8.6 seconds remaining giving UVA the 54-53 edge heading into the fourth quarter.
Pitt opened the fourth by tying the game with a free throw, but the Cavaliers pushed back out to a 60-54 lead on six free throws of their own, including four from Clarkson. Valladay hit her second shot-clock-beating three of the game to make it 63-54 with 6:11 remaining. Back-to-back scores from Valladay gave UVA a 68-60 lead with 2:36 remaining. The Cavaliers led 68-62 heading into the final minute of play. Pitt grabbed three offensive rebounds, but missed four shots on its next possession, with Dale making a pair of free throws on the opposite end to put UVA back up 10 with 22 seconds remaining. The Cavaliers held on for the victory.
FROM HEAD COACH TINA THOMPSON
“I’m really, really excited for my team. I think they’ve kind of found a groove and a rhythm. We’re learning that if we can execute consistently and be solid in our schemes, good things will happen. It’s something that we’ve been talking about all year and it’s starting to come into fruition. Playing this game tonight, it was a tough one. It was one of those games that you had to grind out. Both teams were making runs, but we stayed solid when it counted, and we didn’t panic. We didn’t become frustrated when things weren’t going our way, we just continued to execute in a way that allowed good things to happen for us, which led to a win so I’m really happy about that.”
NOTES
- Virginia shot 51.2 percent (22-of-43); Pitt shot 37.7 percent (23-of-61)
- Virginia held a 33-31 edge in rebounding
- Pitt ranks ninth in the nation in rebounds per game (44.3), leading the ACC
- Mir McLean scored 8 points in the first quarter
- Taylor Valladay had all seven assists in the first half
- Valladay scored 13 points in the third quarter and 12 in the fourth
- Valladay was 11-of-19 from the field, 2-of-3 from three-point range and 6-of-8 from the free throw line
- This was the first 30-point game by a Cavalier since Kylie Kornegay-Lucas scored 31 against Old Dominion on Nov. 24, 2019
- Camryn Taylor had the previous season-high in scoring for the Cavaliers with 27 in the season-opener at JMU
- London Clarkson also finished the game in double figures, scoring 10 points, including going 6-of-8 from the free throw line. This is her fourth straight double-digit scoring effort
- McKenna Dale scored eight points with eight rebounds and four blocked shots
- Destiney Strother was 2-of-2, both three-pointers, in the first quarter. The rest of the Panthers were a combined 0-of-9
- Pitt only scored two points in the final 4:50 of the game
ON THE HORIZON
- Virginia closes out the regular season on Thursday, Feb. 24 by hosting No. 24 North Carolina at 7 p.m. The game will be Virginia’s Senior Day celebration with Eleah Parker, Amandine Toi and Tihana Stojsavljevic being honored in a pregame ceremony at approximately 6:40 p.m.
Men’s Golf: UVA in fifth place to Open Watersound Invitational
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The Virginia men’s golf team shot 3-over 291 and finished the opening day of the Watersound Invitational in fifth place. Georgia Tech leads the 14-team field at Shark’s Tooth Golf Course in Panama City Beach, Fla., at 3-under 285. The event is Virginia’s first team tournament of the spring.
Sophomore George Duangmanee led the Cavaliers by shooting 3-under 69. He is tied for second place after the first 18 holes. Duangmanee used an eagle on his 16th hole and a birdie on his 18th hole to play his back nine at 3-under par.
Senior Jimmie Massie, playing in his first tournament of the season, had the Cavaliers’ second-best score, shooting 1-over 73 to finish the round in 21st place. Junior Pietro Bovari is in 30th place after posting a score of 74 while sophomores Chris Fosdick and Jaron Leasure are tied for 43rd place at 75.
The Cavaliers will start their second round at 10:20 a.m. Monday while paired with Notre Dame and Wake Forest. Live scoring of the tournament is online at Golfstat.com.
Watersound Invitational
Shark’s Tooth Golf Course
Panama City Beach, Fla.
Par 72, 7,202 yards
First Round Results
Team Results
- Georgia Tech 285
- Virginia Tech 286
- North Carolina 286
- NC State 287
- Virginia 291
- Louisville 292
- Arkansas 293
- Clemson 294
- Wake Forest 295
- Alabama 296
- Florida State 297
- Duke 298
- Notre Dame 301
- Boston College 314
Individual Leaders
- Canon Claycomb, Alabama 67
- Connor Burgess, Virginia Tech 69
- Austin Greaser, North Carolina 69
- George Duangmanee, Virginia 69
Virginia Results
- George Duangmanee 69
- Jimmie Massie 73
- Pietro Bovari 74
- Chris Fosdick 75
- Jaron Leasure 75
Virginia Baseball completes perfect opening weekend
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.
Virginia (3-0) finished the Jerry Bryson Classic with an 8-3 win over NJIT (2-1) on Sunday (Feb. 20). The Cavaliers picked up wins over Bellarmine, host Gardner-Webb and NJIT in the three-day tournament.
The Cavalier pitching staff turned in its second-straight double-digit strikeout effort, fanning 16 Highlander hitters on the day. Every Cavalier in the lineup recorded a hit, including multi-hit efforts from Chris Newell, Devin Ortiz and Colin Tuft.
Making his first start on the mound as a Cavalier, graduate transfer Brian Gursky earned the victory after striking out a career-high eight over five innings. The lefthander retired the first nine batters he faced. His only blemish came in the fourth when he surrendered two runs including a solo homer to Albert Choi to lead off the frame. Gursky finished his outing by striking out three of the last five batters he faced.
Virginia jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to a two-out RBI single by Max Cotier in the second and an RBI single by Chris Newell in the third. The Highlanders knotted the game at two in the fourth with three-straight hits to lead off the frame.
The stalemate did not last long as Virginia scored six runs over the next two frames including four in the top of the fifth. After back-to-back RBI doubles by Newell and Casey Saucke, sophomore Jake Gelof put the Cavaliers ahead 6-2 with his first home run of the spring, a two-run shot that cleared the left field wall with plenty of room to spare.
The Cavaliers tacked on two more runs in the sixth courtesy of an Alex Tappen two-run single.
Reliever Luke Schauer struck out five of the first six batters he faced in his first outing of the year. He came on in the sixth and got UVA out of a bases loaded jam with strikeout of Nick Hussey. Schauer struck out the side in the seventh and the first batter of the eighth.
Jacob Hodorovich recorded the final two outs of the eight with a pair of strikeouts. In his second appearance of the weekend, Matt Wyatt worked around a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth.
UP NEXT: Virginia will begin a nine-game game homestand with its home opener against VMI on Tuesday (Feb. 22). First pitch at Disharoon Park is scheduled for 3 p.m.
From Head Coach Brian O’Connor
“Brian Gursky pitched well for us all fall and certainly earned his start today. I thought he was terrific. I was proud in the fact that we were able to get through the weekend without committing an error. From an offensive standpoint, it’s always tough this time of year and this weekend with the wind was certainly a factor. I’ve always said that wind is the great equalizer. NJIT returned seven guys from last year’s team and is a very good ball club. I expect them to be back in the tournament this year.”
Additional Notes
- Virginia improved to 3-0 to start the season for the first time since 2017 and the eighth time (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2021) under Brian O’Connor.
• Gursky and Dylan Bowers, both graduate transfers from Southern California and Northern Colorado, respectively made their UVA debuts. - Sophomore Kyle Teel went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run, extending his reached base streak that dates back to last seaasonto 29 games.
- The two runs in the fourth inning snapped a 21-inning opponent scoreless streak.
Women’s Golf: ‘Hoos off to hot start at Moon Golf Invitational
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The No. 8 Virginia women’s golf team finished the opening round of the Moon Golf Invitational in second place after posting a score of 1-under 287.
The Cavaliers trail tournament leader Florida State by one shot. It marked the fifth consecutive round where UVA posted a team score of par or better.
Virginia sophomore Jennifer Cleary topped the Cavaliers by shooting 3-under 69 at the Suntree Country Club’s Classic Course. It was the fifth consecutive below-par round for Cleary. She finished the first day of the competition tied for third place,
UVA freshman Amanda Sambach was one stroke behind Cleary on the leaderboard in fifth place. UVA’s other first-round scores included a 73 by Rebecca Skoler and 75s by Celeste Valinho and Beth Lillie. Skoler, playing in the UVA lineup for the first time in her career, was in 23rd place while Valinho and Lillie are tied for 39th.
Monday’s second round is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. Live scoring is online at Golfstat.com.
Moon Golf Invitational
Duran Golf Club
Melbourne, FL
Par 72, 6,479 yards
First Round Results
Team Results
- Florida State 286
- Virginia 287
- Florida 291
- Louisville 291
- LSU 292
- UCF 292
- Auburn 295
- South Carolina 295
- Arkansas 296
- Alabama 297
- North Carolina 298
- Baylor 301
- Augusta 302
- Duke 304
- Miami 307
Individual Leaders
- Ingrid Lindblad, LSU 66
- Kendall Griffin, Louisville 68
- Jennifer Cleary, Virginia 69
- Julie McCarthy, Auburn 69
Virginia Results
- Jennifer Cleary 69
- Amanda Sambach 70
- Rebecca Skoler 73
- Celeste Valinho 75
- Beth Lillie 75
Women’s Lacrosse: No. 10 Virginia falls 17-11 to No. 16 Princeton
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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The No. 10 Virginia women’s lacrosse team (2-2) fell 17-11 to No. 16 Princeton (1-0) on Sunday afternoon at Klöckner Stadium.
Sophomore Morgan Schwab led UVA with three goals and an assist. Seniors Ashlyn McGovern, Courtlynne Caskin and Annie Dyson each had two goals. Junior Kiki Shaw and freshman Kate Miller had one goal apiece.
It was a close game, with UVA taking 33 shots to 34 for Princeton. The Cavaliers had a 17-15 edge in ground balls and led 16-15 in draw controls. Both teams finished with 13 turnovers. Princeton made 15 saves to eight for the Cavaliers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Princeton scored just 21 seconds into the contest and Virginia responded with its first goal from Schwab 44 seconds later to tie it up 1-1.
- The Tigers took a 4-2 lead at the end of the first quarter with a 3-1 run.
- UVA scored back-to-back goals from Shaw and Miller within 47 seconds to cut Princeton’s lead to 5-4 with 11:06 to go in the second quarter.
- Princeton closed the first half with a 4-1 run to lead 9-5 at the break.
- Dyson scored just 50 seconds into the second half to cut it to three.
- Princeton extended its lead to 12-6 on a 3-0 run over the next 12 minutes.
- McGovern scored at the end of the third quarter and Caskin opened the fourth with a goal to make it 12-8, but the Tigers had another 3-0 run to lead 15-8 with 8:37 to play.
- Caskin and Schwab scored two goals just 10 seconds apart, but Princeton responded once again to keep the momentum.
FROM HEAD COACH JULIE MYERS
“I thought we played pretty consistently, but obviously not well enough against a really hungry and talented Princeton team. A lot of credit to Princeton for coming in after 700+ days without playing a competitive game. I’d say they did very well. We were better today than we were Friday, but we are not quite good enough. The good news is its February 20, we have a lot of practice and film days and game days left so we are going to focus on what we can control and where we can get better.”
NOTES
- It was the second game against a ranked opponent in three days for the Cavaliers.
- Schwab had her first hat trick of the season.
- McGovern has scored a goal in all four games this season and multiple goals in three of those.
- Sophomore Aubrey Williams led the Cavaliers with a season-high nine draw controls.
- Dyson had five draw controls and three caused turnovers to go with her two goals.
- Sophomore Maggie Bostain had a career-high and team-best five ground balls.
UP NEXT
Virginia hosts No. 1 Boston College at 1 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium. Admission will be free and the game will be streamed live on ACCNX.
Softball: Virginia downs Sacred Heart 8-0 in five innings
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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Virginia closed the weekend at the CSU Buc Up Tournament with a run-rule victory on Sunday, defeating Sacred Heart by a score of 8-0 in five innings.
Katie Goldberg helped lead the Cavalier offense, going 2-for-2 with two home runs, three RBI. She also drew a walk and scored two runs.
Virginia (5-5) got off to a quick start with a five-run second inning. The frame started with a leadoff single from Abby Weaver before Kelly Ayer would drive her in two batters later. Ayer came home on an error at single on ball in play from Bailey Winscott before Lauren VanAssche would drive Winscott in with a single. Goldberg then hit her first home run of the day, a two-run shot, to cap the scoring in the inning.
The Cavaliers pushed another run home in the third when Ayer scored on another Sacred Heart error. Virginia then got back-to-back home runs from Goldberg and Tori Gilbert in the fourth inning to put the run-rule in play and pick up the win with a scoreless top of the fifth.
Mikayla Houge (3-0) picked up the win in relief, working 2.1 scoreless innings. She took over in the circle for Molly Grube who worked 2.2 innings in the start, allowing three hits and striking out five.
Sarah Lawton (2-1) took the loss for Sacred Heart (2-3), allowing six runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Only one of the runs was earned.
NOTES ON THE GAME
- It was the first multiple-home run game for Katie Goldberg who has 11 career home runs.
- Molly Grube made her first appearance of the season working 2.2 innings in the start against Sacred Heart.
- Kelly Ayer went 1-for-3, recording her first collegiate hit, RBI and run scored in the game.
- Tori Gilbert hit her third home run of the season to cap the scoring for the Cavaliers in the fourth.
- Goldberg and Gilbert’s back-to-back home runs were the first for UVA since Goldberg and Donna Friedman did it at Clemson (2/29/20).
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“I’m really proud of how we came out today ready to attack from the first pitch. Molly Grube was fearless in her first start. She’s been working diligently week-to-week, so I’m really happy for her. I could see our team making adjustments at the plate, remaining disciplined and taking aggressive swings the entire game. Sunday is all about toughness in a weekend tournament or series. I was really happy with how we competed today and expect us to carry that enthusiasm into practice this week.”
UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
Virginia returns to action next weekend at the UNCG Invitational. The Cavaliers will face Bucknell, Loyola-Chicago, Towson and host UNCG over the course of the weekend. Play begins on Friday (Feb. 25) when Virginia will face Towson at 12 p.m. and Bucknell at 5 p.m.
Virginia football adds Stanford pass rusher to roster
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Virginia’s defense has added a second pass rusher in only two days with the commitment of Stanford grad transfer Andres Fox.
The 6-foot-4, 245-pound defensive end/outside linebacker announced his commitment via his Twitter account on Saturday night. Fox, originally the ninth-ranked overall prospect in the state of Alabama back in 2018, has two years of eligibility remaining.
Fox reportedly chose Virginia over offers from Maryland and Florida State.
He joins former Miami of Ohio edge rusher Kam Butler (see related story), who committed to the Cavaliers on Friday as Tony Elliott and defensive coordinator John Rudzinski rebuild UVA’s defense. Fox is the fourth transfer portal commitment on the defensive side of the ball.
Graduating from Mobile (Ala.) Christian School, Fox was rated highly by ESPN’s recruiting analysts, the No. 138 overall prospect in the nation and the 14th-best defensive end, the state of Alabama’s sixth-best overall recruit.
At Mobile, Fox had 13 sacks and seven forced fumbles as a senior to go along with 18 sacks as a junior.
At Stanford, Fox played in all six games during the Covid-shortened 2020 campaign, then appeared in six games last season, starting one game, while posting seven tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Swimming & Diving: Virginia women win third straight ACC Championship
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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Virginia’s women’s swimming & diving team won its third consecutive ACC Championship and its 18th overall on Saturday night at the McAuley Aquatic Center.
UVA’s women finished with 1418 points after winning 14 events at the 2022 ACC Championships.
“At this point I just get out of the way and let them do their thing,” head coach Todd DeSorbo said. “They push each other, build on each other and support each other. They are just a family. They race for each other, for the Hoos, their parents, the fans and their male counterparts.”
Sophomore Alex Walsh was named the ACC Women’s Most Valuable Swimmer with three individual ACC titles (200 IM, 200 free and 200 breast) and three relay championships. Walsh was a part of two of the American record-setting relays.
WOMEN’S RESULTS
- Along with Walsh, junior Kate Douglass won three individual ACC titles. Freshman Emma Weyant, junior Ella Nelson and freshman Reilly Tiltmann also won individual championships.
- The Cavaliers swept all five relays for the second consecutive year.
- Tiltmann won her first ACC individual title in the 200-yard backstroke. She finished with a personal-best and NCAA A time of 1:50.49.
- Douglass completed her individual event sweep with her second consecutive title in the 100-yard freestyle. She won in 46.81. Freshman Gretchen Walsh took second just .04 seconds behind Douglass with a 46.86.
- Walsh closed out the individual events with the second-fastest time in history in the 200-yard breaststroke with a 2:03.02.
- Junior Maddie Donohoe earned All-ACC honors with a third-place finish in the 1650-yard freestyle with a personal-best time of 16:03.28. Weyant finished fifth in 16:15.14.
- Freshman Ella Bathurst finished seventh in the 200 back with a time of 1:53.42 and sophomore Sophia Wilson was 13th in 1:55.55.
- Lexi Cuomo finished 11th in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 48.74 and freshman Kate Morris was 20th in 49.62.
- UVA had four women in the 200-breast final. Nelson finished third with a NCAA A time of 2:04.95. Sophomore Anna Keating finished sixth in 2:07.86 and senior Alexis Wenger was seventh in 2:07.87.
MEN’S RESULTS
- Virginia’s men finished fourth at the 2022 ACC Championships.
- Freshman Jack Aikins finished second in the 200-yard backstroke with a UVA record time of 1:39.53. Senior Justin Grender was seventh with a time of 1:40.98. Sophomore Will Cole was 12th in 1:42.20, junior Sean Conway was 14th in 1:42.67 and junior Max Edwards finished 16th in 1:44.26.
- UVA’s trio of sophomore Matt King, freshman Connor Boyle and sophomore Matt Brownstead finished second, third and fourth, respectively, in the 100-yard freestyle. King swam the second-fastest time in school history, 41.89 and Boyle’s 42.09 is the third-fastest time in school history. August Lamb was 20th in 43.37.
- Freshman Scooter Iida finished eighth in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:53.87, to rank fifth all-time. Sophomore Noah Nichols was ninth in 1:53.20 and senior Casey Storch finished 12th in 1:54.31.
- The Cavaliers closed out the meet with a second-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
UP NEXT
Virginia’s divers will compete at the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships March 7-9.
With 17 minutes left in game, Virginia had Hurricanes just where it wanted them
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Photo by Matt Riley | UVA Athletics
Less than three minutes into the second half, Jim Larrañaga knew his Miami Hurricanes were in trouble.
Virginia, which had trailed by eight at the half, was surging back early in the second, ignited by a Kihei Clark 3-pointer that ended a six-minute drought for the visiting Cavaliers. Combined with a Jayden Gardner layup and a Kody Stattmann triple, UVA had cut Miami’s lead to 40-38 and Larrañaga had seen enough.
“We played a terrific first half, but the start of the second half Virginia really took over, Kihei Clark in particular just took over the game,” Larrañaga said. “I called the earliest timeout of this season, and maybe ever, when I called it with 17 minutes left in the game, but I saw the signs and certainly hoped we could correct it, but nothing went well for us for a while.”
Virginia, desperately trying to add to its postseason resume, had been prodded by Tony Bennett at halftime to “leave everything on the floor,” and his players got the message. Bennett knew that his style of offense was incredibly difficult for Miami to defend, and that eventually the Hurricanes just might wear down.
Larrañaga knew it, too. During that early second-half timeout (17:18 precisely), he warned his players that Virginia had become the aggressor, and that his team’s energy and intensity had dropped.
“I told them that if we didn’t pick it up, this was going to be just like it was at their place,” Larrañaga shared after the game.
His warning wasn’t enough, as the Cavaliers went on a 23-4 run and outlasted the Hurricanes in the final minutes for a 74-71 win, UVA’s sixth straight win over Miami (including three straight in Coral Gables). The win gave Virginia a season sweep over the ‘Canes, after beating them two weeks ago in Charlottesville by a 71-58 count.
UVA shot 62.5 percent from the field in the second half, which mirrored its first-half effort against the Hurricanes in Charlottesville, a game in which Virginia made 60 percent of its shots in that game.
With the win — an important Quad-1 win — the Cavaliers improved to 17-10 overall and 11-6 in the ACC, tied for fifth place with Wake Forest and only a half-game behind third-place Miami (19-8, 11-5) and North Carolina.
Even with the big run and Virginia leading 65-57 with less than two minutes to play (see accompanying game story), Miami managed to trim the lead to 68-65 on a Charlie Moore triple with less than 40 seconds to go. Virginia iced the win with a parade of free throws (4 of 6) and a Clark layup down the stretch.
Gardner scored 15 of his team-high 23 points in the second half as Clark — who joined the UVA career 1,000-points club in the game — put up 14 of his 17 after the break. Gardner, who made 9 of 14 field-goal attempts, also had seven rebounds. Kadin Shedrick posted 13 points and 13 rebounds off the bench, adding to his double-double mystique. UVA is 8-1 when the seven-footer gets a double-double.
Leading 60-55, Bennett said afterward that he told his team that “it comes down to can you take care of the ball? We had to get a stop and take care of the ball. It was who was going to flinch or who would not yield.”
Shedrick said that after the Cavaliers cut the lead in the second half, “we just wanted to keep playing hard and hoped [Miami] would wear down, get exhausted.”
“Our defense has never been one that can just play man-to-man and guard guys,” Larrañaga said. “Virginia’s offense and its defense work very well against us and that’s why we’ve struggled against them through the years.”
Miami doesn’t match up well against Virginia’s bigger lineup, even though Francisco Caffaro played only nine and a half minutes. Shedrick clocked more than 30 because Bennett felt his mobility would be crucial in the game against a quicker Miami team. Gardner, who plays bigger than his frame, was hard for the Hurricanes to handle.
Nearly a minute before Larrañaga called his early second-half time out, Bennett inserted Stattmann for Armaan Franklin, who has been struggling offensively, but who had additionally been plagued by early foul trouble and was also suffering from a toe injury.
The final 18 minutes or so, Bennett did not substitute, using Stattmann, Gardner, Clark, Shedrick and Beekman to finish off the Hurricanes. It was a bold move by Bennett, but it worked.
Not only did Stattmann contribute eight points, but also did a good job defensively on Miami’s Kameron McGusty, who was held to seven points (he had a team-high 20) in the second half.
Virginia, battling for its postseason life, hosts Duke Wednesday in a crucial game for the Cavaliers’ chances. UVA upset Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium two weeks ago.
Softball: Coon powers Virginia at CSU Buc Up Tournament Saturday
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Freshman Sarah Coon went 4-for-6 with two home runs, five RBI and two runs scored to lead the Virginia softball team (4-5) on Saturday in a pair of games at the CSU Buc Up Tournament hosted by Charleston Southern.
Virginia defeated Sacred Heart (1-2) by a score of 9-4 before falling to Charleston Southern (3-5) by a score of 5-2.
GAME 1: Virginia 9, Sacred Heart 4
The Cavaliers scored first, plating a run on a Sarah Coon single, but Sacred Heart would string together a three-run rally in the home half to take the 3-1 lead on Virginia.
The Cavaliers would tie it in the third with an RBI single from Leah Boggs and an error before pushing three more runs home in the fourth with a bases-loaded walk from Tori Gilbert and a sac fly from Coon combined with a throwing error. Sacred Heart would answer with one run in the bottom of the fourth.
Virginia then got a two-run home run from Coon and a sacrifice fly from Abby Weaver to take the lead out to 9-4 in the sixth.
Mackenzie Wooten (1-0) picked up the win for the Cavaliers in relief, working 3.2 scoreless innings while allowing three hits, walking one and striking out two batters. Mikayla Houge worked 3.1 innings in the start, allowing the four runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
Olivia Vadas (0-1) took the loss, allowing six runs – three of them earned – on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 4.0 innings of work.
GAME 2: Charleston Southern 5, Virginia 2
Charleston Southern jumped out to the early lead on the Cavaliers, using a two-run home run as part of a three-run first inning.
Virginia would push a run across in the third on a single to left from Katie Goldberg, but the Bucs would answer with two runs in the fifth. The Cavaliers would get one more run in the sixth when Coon hit her second home run of the day, but could get no closer.
Aly Rayle (1-1) took the loss, allowing the five runs on five hits with three strikeouts. She worked 3.2 innings in the start.
Blake Holtorf (1-2) picked up the win as she allowed two runs on eight hits with two strikeouts in the complete game.
NOTES ON THE DAY
- A reliever, Mackenzie Wooten picked up her fourth career victory with the decision against Sacred Heart.
- Freshman Sarah Coon hit her first collegiate home run with a two-run shot in the sixth against Sacred Heart.
- It was also the first multiple-hit game for Coon, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI against Sacred Heart.
- Coon followed it up with a second home run for the day in the game against Charleston Southern.
- Bailey Winscott went 2-for-3 with a run scored in the game against Charleston Southern.
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“We had some very positive moments throughout the day. The challenge on a doubleheader day is to bring the same intensity to every pitch of every inning in every game. Our team is learning a lot about who we are as a team. As we become more consistent, we give ourselves a better opportunity to sustain desirable outcomes. I love coaching this team and I love fighting with them.”
UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
Virginia will close out the CSU Buc Up Tournament with a single game on Sunday (Feb. 20) when the Cavaliers take on Sacred Heart at 10 a.m.
Men’s Tennis: No. 7 Virginia falls 4-2 against No. 5 Florida
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The No. 7 Virginia men’s tennis team (5-5) suffered a 4-2 loss against No. 5 Florida (6-2) in a consolation match at the 2022 ITA Division I Men’s National Team Indoor Championship at the Nordstrom Tennis Center in Seattle, Washington.
Florida won the doubles point with wins on the top two courts to take a 1-0 lead.
Senior Gianni Ross tied the match 1-1 with a dominant 6-0, 6-2 win against Lukas Greif on court six. The Gators took a 3-1 lead with a win on the top court. Sophomore Jeffrey von der Schulenburg made it 3-2 with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Duarte Vale on court three.
Sophomore Chris Rodesch dropped his first set 6-2 against No. 3 Ben Shelton and then rebounded with a 6-4 win in the second set to force a third set. Rodesch staved off one deuce match point when down 5-4 in the third set, but Shelton came back to win the next two games and take the set 7-5 and the match for the Gators.
Goetz was up 7-6 (3), 3-6, 4-1 in the third set against Josh Goodger on court five when play was abandoned.
Virginia will play either Georgia or Washington in its final consolation match on Sunday at either 6:30 or 9:30 pm ET.
MATCH NOTES
- This is the fourth straight match for the Cavaliers against a top-five-ranked team
- Florida is the No. 4 seed in the tournament; Virginia is the No. 12 seed
- Florida was the preseason No. 1 team after winning the 2021 NCAA Championship
- Sam Riffice, Florida’s No. 1 singles player, is the reigning NCAA singles champion
#5 Florida Gators 4, #7 Virginia 2
Singles competition
- #92 Sam Riffice (UF) def. #30 Inaki Montes (VA) 6-3, 6-2
- #3 Ben Shelton (UF) def. #17 Chris Rodesch (VA) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
- #82 J vd Schulenburg (VA) def. Duarte Vale (UF) 6-3, 6-4
- Andy Andrade (UF) def. #120 Bar Botzer (VA) 6-3, 6-2
- Josh Goodger (UF) vs. #29 Ryan Goetz (VA) 6-7 (7-9), 6-3, 1-4, unfinished
- Gianni Ross (VA) def. Lukas Greif (UF) 6-0, 6-2
Doubles competition
- Sam Riffice/Ben Shelton (UF) def. Chris Rodesch/Bar Botzer (VA) 6-3
- #44 Andy Andrade/Mattias Siimar (UF) def. Inaki Montes/J vd Schulenburg (VA) 6-2
- Ryan Goetz/William Woodall (VA) def. Duarte Vale/Abedallah Shelbayh (UF) 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,4,1,3,2)
ITA National Team Indoors Consolation
T-2:50
Track & Field: Virginia closes weekend competition in Blacksburg
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The Virginia men’s and women’s track and field teams finished competition at the Virginia Tech Challenge in the teams’ final tune-up before the ACC Indoor Championships on Saturday afternoon.
Virginia’s high jumpers turned in solid performances in their final outing prior to the championship season. Jacob Kelly placed second in the high jump with a personal best performance as he leaped to a height of 2.08m (6’9.75”). The mark ranks in the top-eight in the ACC and places Kelly in a tie for seventh on Virginia’s all time performance list.
On the women’s side Bex Hawkins won the high jump for the second time this season with a mark of 1.71m (5’7.25”). Hawkins’ personal best mark sits at 1.77m (5’9.75”) and ranks fifth in the ACC this season.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
- Claudio Romero placed third in the shot put
- Gabriella Recce recorded a personal best in the pole vault (3.92m / 12’10.25”)
- Ashley Anumba placed third in the shot put with a personal best mark (15.27m / 50’1.25”)
- Maria Deaviz finished fourth in the shot put
- Morgan Johnson recorded a personal best in the shot put (14.67m / 48’1.75”)
- Will Trent recorded a personal best in the 200m
Up Next
The ACC Indoor Championships will be hosted by Virginia Tech at Rector Field House in Blacksburg, Va. The three-day affair is set to begin on Thursday, Feb. 26.
Baseball: Virginia records second consecutive shutout in win over Gardner-Webb
Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.
Virginia (2-0) used four pitchers in a 7-0 shutout of host Gardner Webb (0-2) on Saturday at the Jerry Bryson Classic. The Cavaliers start the year with consecutive shutouts for the first time since 2009 and only the second time in the history of the program.
The Cavaliers pitching staff combined to strike out 14 batters and surrendered just three hits. Virginia was led by starting pitcher Nate Savino who fanned five Runnin’ Bulldogs over 3.1 innings. Graduate student Devin Ortiz earned the win after striking out four of the six batters he faced over two innings of work. Sophomore Jake Berry fanned four batters and allowed one hit over 2.2 innings. Freshman Jay Woolfolk made his collegiate debut and worked a perfect ninth inning to preserve the shutout.
The Cavaliers scored five of their seven runs in the fifth inning. Three Gardner-Webb pitchers combined for four walks in the frame, including three with the bases loaded. Freshman Colin Tuft plated a runner on a fielder’s choice and Max Cotier capped the rally with a two-out RBI single up the middle that scored Jake Gelof.
Freshman Casey Saucke tacked on a pair of runs with a two-run, opposite field homer in the seventh inning. The first year was 3-for-4 with his first collegiate homer and two RBI.
Virginia will finish its stay in Boiling Springs, N.C. on Sunday with a matchup against NJIT at 11 a.m. Lefty Brian Gursky will start on the mound for UVA and he will be opposed by fellow southpaw Aidan Kidd. The game will be joined in progress at noon on WINA (98.9 FM/1070 AM) and on WINA.com
Notes
- Tuft, Saucke, Woolfolk and Anthony Stephan all made their collegiate debuts. Saucke recorded his first collegiate hit in his first at bat, an infield single in the third. Tuft got his first base knock with a single to right field in the eighth.
- Virginia began the 2009 season with a 12-0 shutout against Bucknell and then held the Bison scoreless in the first game of a doubleheader, 7-0 in Charlottesville.
- The last time UVA posted back-to-back shutouts was 2019, the second game of a doubleheader against Seton Hall (4-0) on March 2 and a 12-0 win over Wagner on March 4
- The win for Ortiz was his first since April 30, 2019 at VCU.
- Catcher Kyle Teel walked and scored a run in the fifth, extending his reached base streak to 28 games.
- Virginia is 2-0 to start the season for the first time since 2017.
- Saturday marked the second meeting between UVA and Gardner-Webb. The Cavaliers won the previous matchup 6-2 on Feb. 25, 2006 in Charleston, S.C.
Behind another big day from Gardner, UVA bounces back, rallies to sweep Miami, 74-71
By Scott Ratcliffe
Photo: UVA Athletics
Virginia erased a double-digit deficit in the second half and held on late to complete the season sweep at Miami Saturday, 74-71. Senior forward Jayden Gardner poured in a game-high 23 points as UVA picked up a huge conference road win and improved its NCAA Tournament resume with just two weeks left in the regular season.
Gardner’s turnaround jumper with 1:39 left beat the shot clock and gave the Cavaliers (17-10, 11-6 ACC) an eight-point lead. Miami cut it to three, 68-65, on a Charlie Moore triple a minute later, but a Reece Beekman touchdown-pass inbound assist to a streaking Kihei Clark for an easy layup sealed the contest with 14 seconds to play.
Trailing by 10 early in the second half, the Hoos got a much-needed 3-pointer from Clark to break a six-minute scoring drought. Fellow senior Kody Stattmann followed with a wide-open triple to get Virginia back within a basket, 40-38, with 17:20 to go.
Clark drilled another long ball at the 15-minute mark to give the Hoos a 45-44 advantage, Gardner scored on consecutive possessions, and Clark connected again from deep to cap a string of eight-consecutive Wahoo buckets.
Kadin Shedrick split a pair from the charity stripe to extend the scoring run to 23-4 and the UVA lead to 53-44, but Kameron McGusty’s 3-ball with 11:55 to play stopped the bleeding for the Hurricanes (19-8, 11-5), who responded with 7 unanswered points over a three-minute stretch to get back within two points.
Beekman beat the buzzer with a jumper to push the Cavalier lead to four as the clock went under five minutes, and then delivered an assist to Gardner on a strong take the next trip down, and Virginia held a 61-55 advantage at the final media timeout with 3:41 remaining.
Shedrick came up with an important block on an Isaiah Wong layup attempt as the game went under three minutes, leading to two Beekman free throws on the other end, and the Hoos were able to hang on.
Virginia shot 63 percent after halftime (15 for 24) and 49 percent on the evening (25 for 51), connecting on 5 of 16 from long range (31 percent) and 19 of 25 (76 percent) from the foul line. UVA edged Miami on the boards, 36-33, committing 11 turnovers while forcing six. The Cavalier bench outscored the Hurricane non-starters, 21-6.
Gardner posted his sixth game of the season with at least 20 points, adding 7 rebounds, a game-high 3 blocks and 2 assists on 9-of-14 shooting.
Clark, who was 1 for 12 from the field over his last 60 minutes of basketball prior to Saturday’s second half, scored 14 of his 17 points after halftime (he was 5 for 10, 3 for 6 from deep in the half) to go along with 5 assists.
Shedrick double-doubled with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Stattmann scored all of his 8 points in the second half. Beekman finished with 6 points, 4 boards and a game-high 7 assists.
McGusty led the Hurricanes with 20 points, while Jordan Miller (15 points), Moore (14) and Wong (10) also registered double figures.
FIRST HALF
The Hurricanes sank their first five shot attempts — and six of their first seven, using a 7-0 run to grab an early 12-4 lead.
The Hoos answered with a 10-3 spurt as Franklin trimmed it to one, 15-14, with the Hoos’ lone 3-pointer of the half (1 for 8), and then Shedrick tied it up at 18-apiece with a pair of free throws at the 13-minute mark.
After missing their first three field-goal attempts of the contest, the Cavaliers went on to make seven of their next eight, while also knocking down their first eight from the free-throw line.
Gardner’s second bucket of the half knotted the score at 25-all with 7:30 to play, as Miami went over four minutes without a point, missing six field-goal attempts in a row.
Shedrick, who scored 10 first-half points, gave UVA its first lead of the game on a three-point play with 6:17 left, 28-27, but he picked up his second foul two minutes later and didn’t return until after halftime.
Gardner gave the Hoos a 30-29 edge with 5:06 on the clock, and those would be the final Virginia points of the half. UVA missed its final six shots and Miami closed on a 9-0 run to lead 38-30 at the break.
Team Notes
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
- Virginia improved to 17-10, 11-6 ACC
- UVA is 5-6 on the road (5-4 in ACC play)
- The Cavaliers have won five or more ACC road games for the sixth consecutive season
- Virginia’s 8-0 run cut the Miami lead to 40-38
- UVA used a 23-4 run to gain a 53-44 lead
- UVA has won 11 or more ACC games for the 10th straight season
- Miami closed the first half on a 9-0 run and led 38-30
- UVA improved to 3-8 when trailing at the half
- Virginia is 142-11 when scoring at least 70 or more points under Tony Bennett
- UVA is 6-1 when scoring 70 or more points in 2021-22
Series Notes
- Virginia is 15-12 all-time vs. Miami in the series that began in 1965-66
- The Cavaliers recorded their first regular season two-game sweep over the Hurricanes
- UVA defeated Miami 71-58 on Feb. 5 at John Paul Jones Arena
- UVA has a six-game winning streak vs. Miami, including a three-game winning streak at Watsco Center
- The Cavaliers are 4-7 against the Hurricanes in Coral Gables
- Thirteen of the last 15 meetings between the teams have been decided by 10 points or less
- Head coach Tony Bennett is 12-6 all-time against Miami
Player Notes
- Double Figure Scorers: Jayden Gardner (23), Kihei Clark (17), Kadin Shedrick (13)
- Clark become the 50th Cavalier with 1,000 career points
- Gardner reached double figures for the 22nd time (95th career)
- Gardner’s consecutive free throw streak ended at 30
- Gardner has a 10-game double figure scoring streak
- Gardner matched a career high with three blocked shots
- Shedrick added a career-high 13 rebounds for his third career double-double
- Shedrick reached double figures for the ninth time (11th career)
- Clark (5 assists) passed Othell Wilson into sixth on UVA’s career assist list with 496.
- Clark reached double figures for the 14th time (48th career)
- Reece Beekman’s steal streak ended at 16
UP NEXT
Mike Krzyzewski makes his final trip to Charlottesville as Duke head coach Wednesday when the Hoos host the ninth-ranked Blue Devils (7 p.m., ESPN).
Men’s Lacrosse: No. 1 Virginia blows past Towson, 18-9
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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After trailing 4-1 at the end of the first quarter, No. 1 Virginia (3-0) outscored Towson (1-2) 17-5 the rest of the way as the Cavaliers defeated the Tigers 18-9 Saturday afternoon at Johnny Unitas Stadium.
Nine different UVA players found the back of the net, including Jack Simmons and Payton Cormier, who scored a game-high four goals apiece. Simmons’ four goals is a career best and marks the first hat trick of his career.
First-year goalie Matthew Nunes (3-0) played for 53:36 and earned his third career win in as many tries.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Towson led 4-1 at the end of the first quarter, despite the Cavaliers leading in shots, 14-7. Virginia responded by tallying five straight goals from five different Cavaliers in the first 5:00 of play in the second. The Tigers halted UVA’s run at the 8:18 mark in the second quarter, but still trailed 6-5. Both teams would score once more before the end of the half at which point the Cavaliers led 7-6. Simmons and Connor Shellenberger (2 goals, 3 assists) led UVA at the break with two goals each. Settling in towards the end of the first period, the Cavaliers’ defense forced 12 Towson turnovers – six in both periods.
Virginia continued its offensive spree into the third quarter and scored the final six goals of the period, three of which were scored by Cormier. Connell Kumar and Patrick McIntosh both notched their first goals of the season in the second half. The Cavaliers fired 17 of their 33 total shots on goal in the second half, while holding Towson to just seven shots on goal in the final 30 minutes of play.
FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
Lars Tiffany on executing in one-on-one matchups…
“We had a big challenge today and we didn’t do well early on winning those one-on-one matchups. We often see teams slide and double to us. That was tough-going early on because you start looking to not your top players to necessarily win the matchups, but who has the short-stick [defensive] middie. Jack Simmons stepped up for us, because now it’s a day where they’re not supporting the man being dodged as much as some other teams do. We’ve got to win some matchups and give Jack Simmons credit. He stepped up today when those opportunities arose for him”
NOTES
- Virginia now leads the all-time series 15-3, including an 8-2 mark in Towson, Md. Head coach Lars Tiffany improved to 2-0 all-time against the Tigers, having won last year’s matchup 20-11.
- The Cavaliers forced 21 turnovers while only producing 11 giveaways, including zero in the first quarter. It marked the most turnovers by a UVA opponent since North Carolina’s 22 giveaways in last year’s NCAA semifinals on May 29, 2021.
- With four goals, Jack Simmons set his career high in goals and notched his first career hat trick.
- Payton Cormier also finished with four goals to nab his 19thcareer multi-goal game and 13th career hat trick.
- With 12 wins at the center-X today, Petey LaSalla tied Jack deVilliers’ record of 604 career faceoff wins. LaSalla did so in just 47 career games. LaSalla finished 12-of-22 on faceoffs Saturday.
- In his eighth career game, Will Cory made his first career start. Cory found the back of the net on his only shot of the contest and added one ground ball.
- Matt Moore, who did not play in Saturday’s game due to a lower extremity injury, had his 19 consecutive games started streak come to an end.
UP NEXT
Virginia hosts Syracuse (1-0) on Saturday, Feb. 26 in the first of two regular-season meetings between the two teams. Opening faceoff from Klöckner Stadium is scheduled for noon and is slated to broadcast on ACC Network.
Softball: Virginia splits games at CSU Buc Up Tournament Friday
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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The Virginia softball team (3-4) split a pair of games on Friday to open play at the CSU Buc Up Tournament hosted by Charleston Southern. The Cavaliers dropped the first game of the day to Sacred Heart (1-1) before rallying to defeat Charleston Southern (2-5) in game two.
GAME 1: Sacred Heart 5, Virginia 4
After Sacred Heart took a 2-0 lead in the first, the Cavaliers answered in the second when Arizona Ritchie delivered a two-RBI single that scored Kailyn Jones and Leah Boggs who reached on a fielder’s choice and a double, respectively. Virginia then moved in front with a two-out, RBI single from Katie Goldberg that was followed by a double steal as Bailey Winscott scampered home when Goldberg swiped second.
The Pioneers responded with a three-run third inning to take the lead back at 5-4. Virginia would get baserunners in four of the last five frames, but Sacred Heart kept them in check each time to pick up the win.
Savanah Henley (0-4) suffered the loss, allowing five runs – three of them earned – on five hits with a walk and two strikeouts in 2.1 innings of work.
Sarah Lawton (1-0) picked up the win, allowing the four runs on eight hits with two walks and five strikeouts as she went the distance.
Game 2: Virginia 4, Charleston Southern 1
Charleston Southern took the early lead with a solo home run in the first inning before Virginia would even the game in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Sarah Coon that scored Tori Gilbert.
Virginia would then move ahead in the sixth inning, plating two runs to take the lead out to 4-1. It began with another sacrifice fly from Coon that scored pinch runner Emma McBride. A second run would come home on an error at short that allowed Gilbert to score her second run of the game.
A fourth run came home in the seventh, this time a sacrifice fly from Gilbert that scored Lauren VanAssche as the Cavaliers put the game out of reach.
Mikayla Houge (2-0) picked up the win, working a complete game and allowing the one run on three hits with no walks and two strikeouts.
Baylee Eaton (0-1) took the loss as she allowed three runs – one earned – on six hits. She walked two and struck out three in 6.0 innings of work.
NOTES ON THE DAY
- In game one, senior second baseman Arizona Ritchie went 1-for-2 with 2RBI, a run scored and a walk.
- Mikayla Houge worked 2.2 scoreless innings in relief against Sacred Heart and faced only seven batters.
- Houge followed it up with her fourth career complete game against Charleston Southern.
- Houge retired 16-of-17 batters following the solo home run – including a stretch of 16 consecutive batters.
- Tori Gilbert was 1-for-2 with two RBI, a run scored and a walk in the win over Charleston Southern.
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“Our team continues to respond to challenges. Game one was uncharacteristic of our team. I liked how we responded in game two with more enthusiasm and focus. Mikayla Houge set the tone in the circle to close out game one and throw all seven innings in game two. I loved her competitiveness. We will continue to learn and grow together. I love my team and believe in them so much. Tomorrow is a new opportunity to take what we learned today and execute at a higher clip.”
Virginia beats out Penn State, Ole Miss, Kansas State for standout pass rusher Butler
By Jerry Ratcliffe
When Kam Butler entered the transfer portal in late January, he thought he might draw interest from some Group of Five schools, but what transpired in the past few weeks has blown his mind.
Apparently the Miami (Ohio) edge rusher’s stock was worth a lot more value than he anticipated.
Suddenly offers came pouring in from Penn State, Ole Miss, Iowa, West Virginia, Kansas State and Virginia.
“This was definitely not what I expected,” Butler said of his recruitment. “I expected some interest from Group of Five schools. Once I was reached out to by schools like Penn State and other Power Five schools, it definitely excited me.”
While Butler was heavily recruited by Penn State, when it all came to picking a school, the Florence, Ky., standout chose Virginia. He announced his commitment to Tony Elliott’s Cavaliers on his Twitter account on Friday.
Butler is a 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive end who was first-team All-MAC this past season for the RedHawks after making second-team all-conference in 2020 and 2019.
This past season, Butler recorded 53 tackles, three forced fumbles, eight sacks (sixth in the MAC) and 12 solo tackles (fourth). Pro Football Focus gave him an overall defensive grade of 79.3. He was known as one of the premiere defensive players in the MAC.
Miami (Ohio) coach Chuck Martin sung Butler’s praises.
“I’ve been coaching for 29 years and I’m talking every day at practice, Butler’s motor runs as hot as any player I’ve coached. Even our hardest-working teammates would tell you Kam Butler never has an off-switch. He just plays at a feverish pace and a relentless pursuit.”
After Butler starred in a win over Akron, Martin couldn’t say enough about his defensive end’s performance.
“I swear, every time I looked up he was either sacking somebody, a tackle for loss, or he was chasing somebody a hundred miles an hour. It was literally like they couldn’t block him.”
A 3-star edge rusher coming out of high school, Butler played in 10 games in 2018, started 14 games in 2019 (45 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, including two sacks and four tackles for loss against Cincinnati). He played in all three of Miami’s games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and had 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss.
Butler will add experience to a Virginia front seven that was depleted by graduation and transfers this past season, and should help give defensive coordinator John Rudzinski another veteran pass rusher.
Out-recruiting Penn State is a big deal for Elliott’s new Virginia staff.
“The Penn State offer was a big deal in my eyes,” Butler said. “I’ve grown up watching college football and have always known about Penn State’s history and culture. I was contacted by (Lions’ defensive coordinator) Manny Diaz (former Miami University head coach) and another member of the defensive support staff. He talked to me about their defensive scheme and how it would be a good fit for me. He also talked about his track record with defenses and recruiting great defensive talent.”
In the end, Diaz couldn’t outsell Virginia’s Rudzinski, who has secured yet another piece that could help rebuild the Cavaliers’ defense for 2022.
Butler joins former Michigan State defensive end Jack Camper, a 6-4, 250-pound, three-year letterwinner for the Spartans, as two transfer ends to Virginia’s program.
Virginia breaks fourth American record at ACC Championships
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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A Virginia women’s relay set an American record for the third consecutive day, and it was the fourth American record overall for the Cavaliers at the 2022 ACC Swimming & Diving Championships on Friday night at McAuley Aquatic Center.
The most recently record to fall was in the women’s 400-yard medley relay. Freshman Gretchen Walsh, senior Alexis Wenger, sophomore Alex Walsh and junior Kate Douglass, respectively, crushed the previous American record by three seconds from 2018 and US Open and NCAA record by two seconds as they finished first in 3:22.63.
Virginia’s women have set an American record in three of the four relays at the ACC Championships.
WOMEN’S RESULTS
- UVA capped off the night with its third American record and currently leads the standings with 1028.5 points. NC State is second (993) and Louisville third (787.5).
- Senior Jessica Nava just missed defending her 200-yard butterfly title by .41 seconds as she finished second with a time of 1:54.54. Sophomore Abby Harter was fifth with a time of 1:55.43 and senior Julia Menkhaus finished 13th in 1:56.55.
- Gretchen Walsh and freshman Reilly Tiltmann finished second and third in the 100-yard backstroke, respectively. Walsh swam a 50.13 to finish under pool and meet records and Tiltmann swam under the meet record with a 50.42.
- Wenger swam set an ACC record in the 100-yard breaststroke prelims with a time of 57.22 and improved on that with a NCAA A time of 56.76 to set a UVA record, but finished just .04 seconds behind NC State’s Sophie Hansson for second. Sophomore Anna Keating was sixth with a 59.60.
MEN’S RESULTS
- UVA is currently fourth with 715 points, behind NC State (1128.5), Louisville (935.5) and Virginia Tech (790).
- Senior diver Walker Creedon just missed the podium on the platform, posting a score of 367.60 to finish fourth.
- Junior Josh Fong was fifth in the 200-yard butterfly, clocking in at 1:42.27, a personal-best and the third-fastest time in UVA history. Senior Justin Grender swam the fourth-fastest time in school history to finish 11th in 1:43.38. Freshman Colin Bitz swam a personal-best 1:45.20 to finish 19th.
- Four Cavaliers advanced to the 100-yard backstroke finals. Sophomore Matt Brownstead finished eighth (46.78) after posting the second-fastest time in UVA history (45.83) in prelims. Freshman Jack Aikins swam the fourth-fastest time with a 46.13 to finish 10th and junior Max Edwards recorded the fifth-fastest time (46.28) to place 13th. Sophomore Will Cole won the C Final in 46.63.
- Sophomore Noah Nichols finished fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke in 52.07. Freshman Scooter Iida was 18th in 53.04 to move into sixth all-time at UVA. Freshman Daniel Worth finished 20th in 53.35 to rank ninth and August Lamb swam the 10th fastest time of 53.50 to finish 21st.
- Grender, Nichols, Fong and sophomore Matt King, respectively, finished fourth in the 400-yard medley relay with a NCAA A time of 3:05.33.
UP NEXT
The final day of competition at the ACC Championships will include the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, women’s platform, 1650 free and the 400 free relay.
Wrestling: Virginia falls to No. 7 Virginia Tech, 20-15
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
For the third straight season the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash was decided by five points or fewer as Virginia (4-6, 1-4 ACC) fell to No. 7 Virginia Tech (9-3, 4-1 ACC) by a score of 20-15 at Memorial Gym.
The dual counted as a single point in the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash – a head-to-head athletic competition between the two schools. Virginia Tech leads the annual competition 6.0 to 1.5 after Friday night’s dual.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia Tech jumped out to the early lead in the dual score, claiming the first four matches of the night by decision to take the 12-0 lead. Down the stretch, the Cavaliers would win four of the last six, to cut into the lead.
Jake Keating started things off with a decision in a matchup of nationally-ranked foes at 157 pounds with a decision against No. 28 Connor Brady before No. 23 Justin McCoy would grab a win by decision at 165 pounds. Virginia Tech would then claim victory at 174 and 184 pounds.
With two bouts left, Jay Aiello pinned No. 30 Dakota Howard at 197 pounds before Quinn Miller gutted out a 4-3 decision over No. 14 Nathan Traxler at heavyweight to close the night.
NOTES ON THE DUAL
- For the third straight season the dual with Virginia Tech was decided by five points or fewer.
- Quinn Miller handed Nathan Traxler his first ACC loss this season and second loss of the year.
- Jay Aiello’s pin was his fourth of the season as he improved to 10-2 on the season.
- Jake Keating has won five straight matches including his extra countable match Friday night.
- Justin McCoy improved to 13-1 on the season with his win over Clayton Ulrey.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
125: No. 20 Sam Latona (VT) dec. Patrick McCormick, 9-4 – VT 3, UVA 0
133: No. 5 Korbin Myers (VT) vs. No. 20 Brian Courtney, 8-3 – VT 6, UVA 0
141: No. 22 Colin Gerardi (VT) dec. Dylan Cedeno, 6-2 – VT 9, UVA 0
149: No. 5 Bryce Andonian (VT) dec. No. 32 Jarod Verkleeren, 5-4 – VT 12, UVA 0
157: No. 26 Jake Keating dec. No. 28 Connor Brady (VT), 5-3 – VT 12, UVA 3
165: No. 23 Justin McCoy dec. Clayton Ulrey (VT), 6-2 – VT 12, UVA 6
174: No. 3 Mekhi Lewis (VT) major dec. Justin Phillips , 17-5 – VT 16, UVA 6
184: No. 14 Hunter Bolen (VT) major dec. No. 25 Michael Battista, 14-3 – VT 20, UVA 6
197: No. 17 Jay Aiello pinned No. 30 Dakota Howard (VT), 6:23 – VT 20, UVA 12
285: No. 32 Quinn Miller dec. No. 14 Nathan Traxler (VT), 4-3 – VT 20, UVA 15
EXTRA COUNTABLE MATCHES
133: No. 20 Brian Courtney major dec. Brandon Wittenburg (VT), 14-1
157: No. 26 Jake Keating dec. Jake Hart (VT), 5-4
FROM HEAD COACH STEVE GARLAND
“Quinn Miller ended the dual with a huge, signature win and we were so excited for him in his final home dual. He and Jay Aiello both went out at home with a bang in dual action. He stayed the course against a wrestler with a great motor and got the fall. That’s what our young guys needed to see because that’s how big matches are won. There’s no secret sauce there. When we won, we were riding tough and being stingy. When we lost, we were getting ridden. We have to do a better job of neutralizing the other team’s strength and wrestling to our strengths.”
Women’s Lacrosse: No. 10 Virginia battles in 17-13 loss to No. 8 Maryland
The No. 10 Virginia women’s lacrosse team (2-1) fell 17-13 in a battle with No. 8 Maryland (2-0) on Friday at Klöckner Stadium.
It was a game of runs, as UVA had a 5-0 run in the second quarter and a 4-0 run to open the fourth quarter, while Maryland outscored the Cavaliers 8-0 in the third quarter and closed the game on a 3-0 run.
Freshman Rachel Clark and senior Ashlyn McGovern each had four goals to lead the Cavaliers. Maryland led 35-25 in shots and 19-15 in draw controls. UVA goalkeeper Ashley Vernon had a season-high 12 saves. Libby May led Maryland with five goals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Clark and senior Courtlynne Caskin scored back-to-back goals to tie the game 2-2 after Maryland scored two goals to start the game.
- UVA responded with back-to-back goals from Clark and McGovern after another pair of Terrapin goals to tie it up again.
- Maryland led 6-4 after the first quarter.
- UVA held Maryland without a goal for 18 minutes, including the entire second period.
- The Cavaliers outscored Maryland 5-0 in the second quarter to lead 9-6 at the half. McGovern had two goals in the run, while freshman Kate Miller, sophomore Jaime Biskup and Clark each added a goal.
- Maryland responded with an 8-0 run in the third quarter.
- Virginia halted the run with a goal by junior Kiki Shaw just 43 seconds into the fourth quarter.
- The Cavaliers scored four-straight over the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter to cut it to 14-13 with 6:19 remaining.
- The Terrapins scored the final three goals of the game to make it a 17-13 final.
FROM HEAD COACH JULIE MYERS
“There was a lot to that game, a lot of runs for both teams. Obviously, that third quarter without having possession of the ball they just got the better of us. They scored on almost every shot and had us on our heels. I was happy that we responded and answered back in the fourth quarter, but at the end of the day we were undisciplined and too often we had yellow cards. The one that was unleasable I think they scored two goals, so we need to be better. We need to clean up in transition and make sure we take care of the ball. It is early in the season, so a lot of good takeaways. I like that we were resilient. We showed some toughness and stayed together, but clearly, we came up short, so we need to make sure that we are getting better every day and tomorrow is another chance.”
