Tony Bennett makes new offer to in-state ‘sniper’ Kaiser Jr.
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Jamie Kaiser Jr. (Photo: prephoops.com)
After a three-hour Zoom call with Tony Bennett and staff on Thursday night, 2023 wing Jamie Kaiser Jr. announced he had received an offer from Virginia.
Kaiser is a 6-foot-6, 200-pound prospect from Bishop Ireton in Alexandria. He’s been described as a three-level scorer and a sniper from the 3-point range who has a quick release with his shot.
Formerly from Lake Braddock High School in Burke, Kaiser played quarterback, which he said has made him a tougher athlete.
He has a ton of offers, UVA being the latest. His other offers: Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, VCU, Pitt, Maryland, Davidson, Creighton, Georgetown, TCU, Stanford and others. Kaiser said he will not commit until some time in July.
Virginia has offered eight players from the 2023 recruiting class:
- Jamie Kaiser, 6-6 (Virginia)
- Taison Chatman, 6-4 (Minnesota)
- Freddie Dilione, 6-4 (North Carolina)
- TJ Power, 6-8 (Massachusetts)
- Cam Christie, 6-3 (Illinois)
- Milan Momcilovic, 6-8 (Wisconsin)
- Blake Buchanan, 6-10 (Idaho)
- Andrej Stojakovic, 6-6 (California)
Check out Kaiser’s junior season highlights below.
No. 12 Virginia hosts Clemson in final ACC home series of 2022
No. 12 Virginia (35-12, 14-10 ACC) will play its final three home games of the regular season with a weekend ACC series against Clemson (31-18, 9-14 ACC) beginning Friday.
The first two games of the series will be broadcast on ACCNX, while the finale on Sunday is scheduled to air on ACC Network.
ACCNX is available to authenticated subscribers of ACC Network via ESPN.com and the ESPN app. For more information on ACC Network and a list of providers visit GetACCN.com. In addition, all three games can be heard locally in Charlottesville on WINA (98.9 FM/1070 AM) and anywhere on WINA.com. Links to live stats can be found on VirginiaSports.com. Fans can get in-game updates on the team’s official twitter page (@UVABaseball).
Weekend Promotions
- Friday —”Happy Hour” – 50% off the price Route 11 chips, 22oz soda (first hour that gates are open)
- Saturday – “Happy Hour” – $1 popcorn or a small bag of chips assorted (first hour that gates are open)
- Sunday—”Happy Hour” $1 popcorn and $1 small bag assorted lays
- Sunday— FREE Ice Cream for kids running the bases after the game. (First 500)
Parking
- For Friday’s game only – baseball fans can park in JPJ South lot, JPJ East lot and the Emmett/Ivy Garage. The JPJ Arena lot and garage will be reserved for an event at the Arena.
Probables
Friday – 6 p.m.
Clemson: RHP Mack Anglin (5-4, 3.65 ERA, 61.2 IP, 39 BB, 63 SO)
Virginia: LHP Brian Gursky (7-0, 2.53 ERA, 53.1 IP, 25 BB, 65 SO)
Saturday – 4 p.m.
Clemson: TBA
Virginia: LHP Nate Savino (4-4, 3.86 ERA, 60.2 IP, 23 BB, 66 SO)
Sunday – 3 p.m.
Clemson: TBA
Virginia: LHP Jake Berry (5-2. 4.34, 45.2 IP, 18 BB, 58 SO)
Shellenberger named 2022 Tewaaraton Award finalist
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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Virginia attackman Connor Shellenberger (Charlottesville, Va.) has been named one of five finalists for the Tewaaraton Award.
Shellenberger’s recognition as a finalist marks the 11th instance in program history. Steele Stanwick, who became the third player in program history to win the award in 2011, was Virginia’s most recent top-5 finalist in 2012.
In addition to Shellenberger, Chris Gray (North Carolina), Logan Wisnauskas (Maryland), Brendan Nichtern (Army West Point) and Sam Handley (Penn) were also named finalist for the nation’s most-outstanding-player award.
The Tewaaraton recipients will be chosen at the conclusion of the 2022 college lacrosse season by selection committees comprised of premier college coaches who are appointed annually by the Tewaaraton Foundation.
Up next, Shellenberger and the Cavaliers (11-3) return to action on Saturday (May 14), when it travels to eighth-seeded Brown (10-5) for the First Round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Opening faceoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
Cavaliers dominate ACC postseason awards, earn five on All-ACC list
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Virginia defenseman Cole Kastner (Defensive Player of the Year), goalie Matthew Nunes (Freshman of the Year) and head coach Lars Tiffany (Coach of the Year) took home ACC individual postseason honors. A
dditionally, the Cavaliers tied for a league-best five All-ACC selections in Kastner, Connor Shellenberger, Matt Moore, Jeff Conner and Petey LaSalla.
North Carolina attackman Chris Gray was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year.
The 2022 All-ACC Team and award winners were determined by a vote of the league’s head coaches. The All-ACC team consists of three attackmen, three midfielders, three defenseman, one faceoff specialist, one short-stick defensive midfielder, one long-stick defensive midfielder, one goalie and five at-large selections.
Kastner is the first UVA defensive player to garner player-of-the-year honors snice Mark Koontz did so in 2002. He’s also the first player to win ACC Player of the Year since Steele Stanwick was tabbed the league’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2012. A Tewaaraton Award nominee, Kastner led the ACC with 28 caused turnovers – five more than the next player – in 14 games played this season. He also anchors a Virginia defense that leads the nation in ground balls (39.14/game) and is fourth in the ACC in opponent clear percentage (.766), which also leads the ACC. Additionally, Kastner and the Cavaliers currently lead the league in man-down defense (.694). Kastner, who was named a Second Team All-American by USA Lacrosse Magazine, earned ACC weekly honors in back-to-back weeks (March 8 & 15) earlier this season.
Nunes is the third player under the guidance of Tiffany to be named the ACC’s Freshman of the Year, joining Moore (2019) and Michaela Kraus (2017). He is also just the second goalie in UVA history earned ACC freshman-of-the-year honors, which Tillman Johnson achieved in 2001. Nunes is currently second in the ACC in goals-against average (11.12/game), which is also good for 25th nationally. With 132 saves in 13 games so far this season, Nunes is currently fifth in totals saves among freshman netminders in UVA history. He was also named ACC Defensive Player of the Week three times this season, which tied for the most by any player in the league this season.
Tiffany collects his second ACC Coach of the Year award, having also won it in 2019. Under Tiffany’s guidance, the Cavaliers earned their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth after winning a share of this year’s ACC title. Tiffany and the Cavaliers went 5-1 in league games and defeated Notre Dame, which also won a share of the ACC championship. Tiffany and former head coach Dom Starsia are the only coaches in program history to win ACC Coach of the Year in multiple seasons.
Shellenberger, also a Tewaaraton Award nominee, is second in the ACC in assists (2.86/game) and third in points (4.86/game). He set a career-high eight points with three goals and five assists in Virginia’s 20-11 victory over then-No. 14/15 Johns Hopkins (March 5). His five assists against the Blue Jays also matched his career best, which he achieved in UVA’s first two games of the year, a pair of wins over Air Force (Feb. 5) and High Point (Feb. 13). Shellenberger, who has posted at least one point in all 32 career games, has registered multiple points all 14 games so far this season. He was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week on March 15.
Moore is fourth in the ACC in assists (2.09/game), sixth in points (4.18/game) and seventh in goals (2.09/game). In 11 appearances in 2022, Moore posted five hat tricks, including in UVA’s ACC-title clinching game at Syracuse (April 23). On the road against the Orange, he also dished out a season-high six assists, the most by a Cavalier in a single game this season. One of three Virginia team captains, Moore was named a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, which is bestowed to a men’s lacrosse student-athlete that excels in the community, classroom, character and competition. On May 10, Moore was drafted No. 4 overall in the 2022 Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) Draft by the Archers.
Conner appeared in 11 games in the midfield and totaled 11 goals and 15 assists. His 15 assists are good for third on the team. On April 26, he was tabbed the ACC’s Offensive Player of the Week for his performance at Syracuse. Against the Orange, he posted a career-best seven points after scoring four goals on six shots and dished out three assists. Conner registered at least one point in 10 of his 11 appearances.
LaSalla leads the ACC in faceoff win percentage (.614) and is third in ground balls (6.86/game). As one of the most prolific creators of offense as a faceoff specialist in the nation, LaSalla posted at least one point in six of his 14 appearances, including a career-best three points in the Carrier Dome. He registered a faceoff win percentage of at least .500 in 12 games so far this season. Earlier this season, LaSalla shattered Virginia’s all-time faceoff wins and ground balls records.
Virginia (11-3) returns to action on Saturday (May 14), when it travels to eighth-seeded Brown (10-5) for the First Round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Opening faceoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
Virginia Women’s Soccer announces 2022-23 incoming class
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The Virginia women’s soccer team will welcome six freshmen to the program for the 2022-23 academic year.
The class of six, which is ranked ninth nationally, features five players ranked in the top 170 nationally by Top Drawer soccer and three in the top 75 nationally. Joining the Cavaliers for the upcoming season are Maggie Cagle, Maya Carter, Jill Flammia, Tatum Galvin, Meredith McDermott and Helen Symbas.
“We look forward to welcoming the 2022 class to Virginia this fall,” head coach Steve Swanson said. “Having had the opportunity to meet, get to know and watch this class compete over the last full recruiting cycle we are confident each of them will not only fit into our style of play but, will also help strengthen our team culture. This is a very dynamic group, with excellent overall technical skill and creativity who make good decisions under pressure. As excited as we are about their ability on the field, it is their qualities as people and students that truly standout. They are motivated, driven, unselfish, work hard and each of them have the qualities to be strong leaders for us in the future.”
The incoming class will join a returning group of 27 players who helped the Cavaliers advance to the NCAA Tournament for the 28th consecutive season and 34th time overall. Virginia claimed the ACC regular-season title a year ago and ascended to the top of the national rankings on the way to an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. The Cavaliers finished the year ranked eighth nationally and posted a 18-3-2 mark overall and were the only undefeated program in ACC play last season earning that regular-season title.
Sarah Coon named to ACC All-Freshman Team
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Freshman third baseman Sarah Coon of the Virginia softball team has been named to the ACC All-Freshman team.
The All-ACC and All-Freshman teams are voted on by the league’s coaches and coaches are not allowed to vote for their own players.
Virginia received bye and opens play at the ACC Championships on Thursday (May 12) when the Cavaliers take on third-seeded Florida State at 7:30 p.m. on ACC Network. The tournament is being played at Vartabedian Field at Pittsburgh.
Coon has started all 50 games for the Cavaliers, hitting at a .279 clip with six home runs, 30 runs scored and 32 RBI which tied for the team lead. She has drawn a team-leading 25 walks and been hit by 11 pitches for a team-leading 36 free bases. Coon also has gone 7-for-9 on steal attempts this season.
The freshman helped Virginia finish sixth in the overall standings – a jump of six spots from last season. The Hoos won four series in ACC play this season, including sweeps of NC State, Boston College and Pittsburgh. Virginia also took the series from then No. 24 Notre Dame to open conference play. The 13 ACC wins ties for the most in season in program history, while the 27 wins is the most in a season since 2012.
Tennis: Virginia men, women host Super Regionals this weekend
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The No. 7 Virginia men’s tennis team (24-5) hosts No. 10 South Carolina (23-6) in the Round of 16 of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Tennis Team Championship on Friday at 3 p.m. at the Virginia Tennis Facility at the Boar’s Head Resort.
The Charlottesville Super Regional winner will advance to the quarterfinals which will be held on Thursday, May 19, at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex in Champaign, Ill.
Friday’s match is scheduled to be played outdoors. Please monitor the team’s social media accounts for weather-related updates.
CHARLOTTESVILLE SUPER REGIONALS SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, MAY 13 – Men
3 p.m. (7) VIRGINIA vs. (10) South Carolina
SATURDAY, MAY 14 – Women
1 p.m. (5) VIRGINIA vs. (12) Oklahoma State
HOW TO FOLLOW
- All matches will stream live on the TennisOne App
- Live scoring will be available through links posted on VirginiaSports.com
TICKET INFORMATION
- $5 for general admission and $3 for students with a valid ID per day
- Ages 2 and up are required to have a ticket
- Tickets will be available for purchase online, over the phone, or at the Bryant Hall ticket office and can be picked up at the courts
Four Cavaliers earn IWLCA All-Region honors
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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Virginia women’s lacrosse had four players recognized on the 2022 IWLCA All-South Region Teams.
Senior Ashlyn McGovern earned first team honors, while freshman Rachel Clark, sophomore Mackenzie Hoeg and sophomore Aubrey Williams received second team honors.
McGovern, a first team All-ACC selection, has scored 60 goals this season to tie for the team lead. The attacker has multiple goals in 16 contests and has scored at least one goal in all 18 games this season. She has a goal streak of 27 games dating back to the 2021 season. McGovern has recorded 13 hat tricks, including one in each of the last six games UVA has played. She is second in the ACC in free position goals per game (1.11) and tied for third in goals per game (3.33).
Clark is the ACC Freshman of the Year after setting a UVA freshman record with 60 goals so far in 2022. The attacker leads the Cavaliers with 70 points on the season. She was the lone player to earn All-ACC Second Team honors as well as All-Freshman Team honors. Clark has recorded multiple goals in 15 contests with 13 of those being hat tricks. She has scored multiple goals in UVA’s last six games. Clark is also tied for third in the ACC with 3.33 goals per game and is second in free position percentage (.615).
Hoeg has stepped up as a steady presence in the midfield for the Cavaliers. She has started the last 10 contests and has finished with at least one goal or one assist in 11-straight games. The midfielder is fourth on the team with 36 points, second with 11 assists, third in caused turnovers (12) and fourth in draw controls and ground balls.
Williams has served as UVA’s draw specialist this season. She owns the single season record for draw controls as a Cavalier with 144 so far, eclipsing the previous record of 97 in the 12th game of the season. Williams is third in the ACC and ninth in the NCAA with 8.00 draw controls per game. She has grabbed double-digit draw controls in six games, including a career-high 15 in UVA’s win over Stanford.
McGovern, Clark and Williams also were named US Lacrosse Magazine Honorable Mention All-Americans.
The Cavaliers will open play in the 2022 NCAA Championship on Friday, May 13 when they face USC at 5 p.m. in Chapel Hill, N.C.
#12 Virginia pulls away, defeats Longwood, 8-3
No. 12 Virginia (35-12) came away with an 8-3 victory over Longwood (19-28) in its final non-conference game of the regular season. Virginia improved to 27-4 at home in 2022 and finish the year 21-2 against non-ACC foes.
Graduate student Alex Tappen drove in the game’s final four runs in a 2-for-4 effort at the plate. The bulk of his damage came on a three-run homer in the eighth, his 13th long ball of the season. Tappen has 65 RBI on the year, tied for the sixth-most in a single season by a UVA player. The home run was his 26th of his career, moving him into a tie with UVA Baseball Hall of Famers Jarrett Parker and Joe Koshansky for 10th on Virginia’s all-time home run list.
Dylan Bowers earned his first victory as a Cavalier, pitching two scoreless innings after taking over in the fifth. He was part of a quartet of UVA relievers – Will Geerdes, Jay Woolfolk, and Alex Greene to keep Longwood off the scoreboard over the final four innings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Jake Gelof recorded his 68th RBI of the season and put the Cavaliers up 1-0 in the first inning. Kyle Teel came around to score on the hit and run play all the way from first base. The RBI moved Gelof into sole possession of second place on UVA’s single season RBI list.
- Freshman Ethan Anderson put UVA up 2-0 with his first career triple off the very top of the wall in right field. He later scored on a Max Cotier groundout to make it 3-0 Cavaliers after two innings.
- Longwood responded with the game’s next three runs, two on an RBI double by Hunter Gilliam in the fifth. The tying run came around to score in the fifth when Gregory Ryan crossed the plate on an RB groundout by Eliot Dix.
- The Cavaliers broke the tie with an RBI groundout of their own, Anderson scored on a ground ball by Griff O’Ferrallto shortstop in the sixth inning. Tappen followed with a two-out single to right field to give Virginia a two-run advantage.
- Will Geerdes and Jay Woolfolk were both credited with holds in the contest, the first two holds of the season for the Cavalier bullpen. Geerdes faced the minimum in the seventh and struck out the final batter of the frame. Woolfolk struck out three of the four batters he faced in the top of the eighth.
FROM HEAD COACH BRIAN O’CONNOR
“I thought that was a really well-played game overall. I shared with the team that we haven’t played in a week and I’m always concerned in the sport of baseball, not playing for a week. What are your instincts going to be like? We threw strikes on the mound, we played good defense and we were opportunistic offensively on the back half of the game. So that was that was great to see. I’m always concerned about this game. Coming off not competing for a week and practicing sparingly because of exams because that’s got to be their priority. I thought our guys stepped up and did some really good things and we got a number of guys on the mound so happy with what we saw. We have just a very small handful of guys that still have to finish some exams and then we’ll be ready to go for Clemson on Friday.”
UP NEXT: The Cavaliers will host their final ACC home series of the season this weekend with a three-game set against Clemson. Game one on Friday (May 13) is slated for a 6 p.m. first pitch. The middle game will start at 4 p.m. on Saturday (May 14) and the series finale on Sunday (May 15) will be broadcast live on ACC Network at 3 p.m.
UVA advances to NCAA Championships with runner-up finish in Ann Arbor
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For the 12th time in program history, the No. 8 Virginia women’s golf team has advanced to the NCAA Championships. The Cavaliers punched their ticket to the national championship by placing second at the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional on Wednesday at the University of Michigan Golf Course. The top four teams from six regional sites advance to the championship round of the event.
Virginia, the number-two seed at the regional site, finished second with a 54-hole total of 13-over 865. Top-seed San Jose State used a late final-round surge to move past the Cavaliers on the leaderboard and finish first at 10-over 862. UVA shot 6-over 290 during the final round while the Spartans posted a score of even par 284. Also qualifying from the site were Arkansas and Michigan. Those teams tied for third place at 28-over 880.
“I am so proud of the way the team played and carried themselves this week,” said Virginia head coach Ria Scott. “They were extremely disciplined and confident in their course management and that was such a difference maker.”
UVA’s finish matched its best showing at an NCAA Regional site in the program’s 19-year history. The Cavaliers were the runners-up at the 2018 event in Madison, Wisc. Last season UVA failed to advance out of the regional site in Columbus, Ohio as a team. Beth Lillie advanced as an individual competitor and went on to place ninth at the NCAA Championships.
“I’m so proud of the team for the year of hard work that has helped us get to this moment,” Lillie said. “I feel so lucky to practice and compete with such driven teammates and I can’t wait to watch all our hard work pay off at the national championship!”
The Cavaliers were led by fifth-place finishes from freshman Amanda Sambach and sophomore Jennifer Cleary. They finished the tournament at 2-over 215. Sambach posted a final-round score of 1-over 72 while Cleary shot 75.
Junior Celeste Valinho had UVA’s best closing-round score, shooting 1-under 70 to post an 11th-place finish at 4-over 217. Lillie was 19th overall at 9-over 222. She shot 77 on Wednesday. Senior Riley Smyth, who was substituted into the lineup after the opening round, shot 73 to be a counting player for UVA during the final round.
Cleary’s finish marked the fifth time this season she has recorded a top-10 performance while Sambach’s was her fourth of the year and second straight after coming off a third-place showing at the ACC Championships.
Virginia is one of three ACC teams to advance to the NCAA Championships. No. 16 Florida State won the Tallahassee Regional and No. 4 Wake Forest placed third at the Franklin Regional hosted by Vanderbilt. A total of 10 ACC teams qualified for NCAA Regional competition.
“We’ve played a very strong schedule this year where we’ve competed well with top teams week in and week out,” Scott said. “We were prepared for this week and will be even more ready for nationals.”
The NCAA Championship will be contested at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. The 54-holes of stroke play begin Friday, May 20. The tournament consists of three days of stroke play on Friday thru Sunday (54 holes), after which the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team will be determined. That will be followed by a final day of 18 holes of stroke play (Monday) to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play as well as the 72-hole individual champion. The team national champion will be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted on Tuesday, followed by the finals on Wednesday.
Golf Channel will provide live coverage of the event starting with the final round of stroke play on May 23.
NCAA Ann Arbor Regional
University of Michigan Golf Course
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Par 71, 6,265 yards
Final Results
Team Results
- San Jose State 294-284-284-862
- Virginia 294-281-290-865
- Arkansas 291-291-298-880
- Michigan 293-300-287-880
- Virginia Tech 302-302-279-883
- Pepperdine 300-304-289-893
- North Carolina 299-306-290-895
- Ohio State 300-304-298-902
- Washington 293-305-305-903
- Xavier 299-310-296-905
- UCF 300-304-305-909
- Oakland 316-312-314-942
Individual Leaders
- Natasha Andrea Oon, San Jose State 70-69-68-207
- Emily Mahar, Virginia Tech 72-71-69-212
- Lucia Lopez-Ortega, San Jose State 72-71-70-213
- Jana Melichova, Old Dominion 69-74-70-213
Virginia Results
- Amanda Sambach 73-70-72-215
- Jennifer Cleary 73-67-75-215
- Celeste Valinho 73-74-70-217
- Beth Lillie 75-70-77-222
- Riley Smyth na-75-73-148
- Rebecca Skoler 76-na-na-na
No. 12 Virginia returns to action Wednesday to host longwood
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.
No. 12 Virginia (34-12) will host Longwood (19-27) on Wednesday in its final non-conference game of the regular season. The contest is scheduled to air live on ACCNX at 6 p.m.
Game coverage
ACCNX is available to authenticated subscribers of ACC Network via ESPN.com and the ESPN app. Links to live stats can be found on VirginiaSports.com. Fans can get in-game updates on the team’s official twitter page (@UVABaseball).
Probables
Longwood: RHP Cole Taylor (1-1, 8.54 ERA, 26.2 IP, 17 BB, 20 SO)
Virginia: RHP Matt Wyatt (0-1, 7.15 ERA, 11.1 IP, 11 BB, 13 SO)
Moore drafted No. 4 overall by Archers in 2022 PLL Draft
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Virginia attackman Matt Moore (Garnet Valley, Pa.) was drafted fourth overall by the Archers Lacrosse Club Tuesday night in the fourth annual Premier Lacrosse League Draft.
Virginia is the only school with at least one first round selection in each of the first four PLL Drafts. The Cavaliers also have the most first round picks among any collegiate program in PLL history with four since the league’s inception in 2018. Virginia’s 26 professional lacrosse (PLL & MLL) first round draft picks are also the most of any school in the nation. UVA’s 62 overall professional lacrosse draft picks is No. 3 among the college ranks.
Moore guided Virginia to NCAA titles in 2019 and 2021. With 271 career points (140 goals & 131 assists), Moore soared to No. 1 on UVA’s all-time points earlier this season, passing 2011 Tewaraaton Award recipient and 2012 MLL second overall pick Steele Stanwick (269 points). Moore also holds Virginia’s single-season points record, which he set in 2019 with 46 goals and 43 assists. He garnered All-American distinction three years in a row (2019-21), was named to the NCAA’s All-Tournament Team in 2019 and 2021 and crowned the 2018 ACC Freshman of the Year.
This season, Moore, one of three Virginia team captains, was named a Senior CLASS finalist, a national award that is bestowed to a men’s lacrosse student-athlete that excels in the community, classroom, character and competition. Moore attained his undergraduate degree from UVA in 2021 in foreign affairs and is currently pursuing his master’s degree in public policy.
President Ryan to lead two-mile run at Track’Ville Talks season finale
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
This season’s fourth episode of Track’Ville Talks, hosted by the Virginia track and field program, is set to feature a community two-mile run led by the university’s president Jim Ryan at Lannigan Field on Tuesday, May 17 at 7 p.m.
Jim Ryan is an avid runner who participated in his eleventh consecutive Boston Marathon in April. Ryan will kick off Tuesday’s episode of Track’Ville Talks with a two-mile run that will be open to the community. Those planning to participate in the run are asked to arrive at Lannigan Field by 6:45 p.m. for a 7 p.m. start. Following the run, the program will open with the community corner segment where President Ryan will be a featured guest.
As a part of the student athlete spotlight segment, the program will feature Virginia’s top performers from the ACC Outdoor Championships which will take place from May 12 through May 14.
Virginia track and field alumna, Kate Hamilton will feature in the alumni spotlight segment of the show. Hamilton remains an active member of the Charlottesville community and owns several local businesses in town.
The event is open to the public to attend in person but will also be streamed live on the Virginia Track & Field and Cross Country Facebook page.
Women’s Golf: Behind Cleary’s 67, UVA surges to lead at NCAA Regional
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The No. 8 Virginia women’s golf team put together one of the best team scores ever recorded at the University of Michigan Golf Course to move into first place after the second round of play at the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional on Tuesday. The Cavaliers shot 3-under 281, the third best single-round score by a women’s team in the course’s history, to enter Wednesday’s final round in first place at 7-over 575. The top four teams from the site’s 12-team field will advance to the NCAA Championships.
Top seeded San Jose State is in second place at 10-over 578. The No. 5 Spartans shot even par 284 during the second round. No. 20 Arkansas is third at 14-over 582 and No. 18 Michigan is in fourth place at 25-over 593.
“I’m really proud of the way the team played today,” said UVA head coach Ria Scott. “Everybody was really clear in their course management plan and a majority of them executed the shots they intended. When you marry those two things together it equals some great scores.”
Sophomore Jennifer Cleary led the Cavaliers by shooting a career-best 4-under 67. She finished the day in second place at 2-under 140, one shot behind San Jose State’s Natasha Andrea Oon. Cleary posted birdies on her first, sixth and ninth holes to make the turn at 3-under par. A bogey on No. 12 cost her a stroke but she answered with back-to-back birdies on holes 14 and 15 before finishing her round with three consecutive pars.
“Everyone seems to be trending right in time for postseason,” Cleary said. “We got some momentum today and are ready for more steady golf tomorrow.”
Cleary became the fourth Cavalier to ever shoot 67 during an NCAA Regional event. That’s the lowest round ever posted by a UVA competitor at a regional site. UVA’s team score was the fourth best by a Cavalier squad in regional competition history.
UVA first-year Amanda Sambach is in fourth place at 1-over 143. She shot 1-under 70 during the second round. Graduate student Beth Lillie matched that number to finish the day in eighth place at 3-over 145. Junior Celeste Valinho is in 17th place at 6-over 147. She shot 3-over 74, that included a triple bogey on her final hole. Senior Riley Smyth entered the UVA lineup for the second round as a substitute player and shot 4-over 75.
“We know Wednesday’s hole locations will be the most challenging we will see this week, but we feel like we are getting to know this golf course and these greens very well and we can play some smart golf and finish it off tomorrow,” Scott said. “It feels good to be in the position we are in, but I think you’ll see a team that will go out and play to win during the final round. They won’t be looking back at cut lines.”
Wednesday’s final round will start at 8 a.m. with the Cavaliers paired with San Jose State and Arkansas.
NCAA Ann Arbor Regional
University of Michigan Golf Course
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Par 71, 6,265 yards
Second Round Results
Team Results
- Virginia 294-281-575
- San Jose State 294-284-578
- Arkansas 291-291-582
- Michigan 293-300-593
- Washington 293-305-598
- Ohio State 300-304-604
- Pepperdine 300-304-604
- Virginia Tech 302-302-604
- UCF 300-304-604
- North Carolina 299-306-605
- Xavier 299-310-609
- Oakland 316-312-628
Individual Leaders
- Natasha Andrea Oon, San Jose State 70-69-139
- Jennifer Cleary, Virginia 73-67-140
- Ela Anacona, Arkansas 69-73-142
Virginia Results
- Jennifer Cleary 73-67-140
- Amanda Sambach 73-70-143
- Beth Lillie 75-70-145
- Celeste Valinho 73-74-147
- Rebecca Skoler 76-na-na
- Riley Smyth na-75-na
Women’s Lacrosse: Rachel Clark named ACC Freshman of the Year
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Virginia women’s lacrosse’s Rachel Clark has been named the 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year.
Clark is Virginia’s first ACC Freshman of the Year winner since 2017, when Sammy Mueller earned the distinction. She joined Jamie Ortega (Attacker of the Year), Ally Mastroianni (Midfielder of the Year), Emma Trenchard (Defender of the Year) and Jenny Levy (Coach of the Year) as 2022 ACC award winners. The awards were selected following a vote of the league’s nine head coaches.
Clark was the lone student-athlete to earn spots on both the All-ACC First Team and All-Freshman Team this season. She also earned a spot on the ACC All-Tournament Team.. Clark led all ACC freshmen and tied for third in the league in goals per game at 3.33. She has 60 goals, tied for fourth most in the league.
Virginia begins play in the 2022 NCAA Championship on Friday, May 13 when it plays USC at 5 p.m. in Chapel Hill, N.C. The winner of Friday’s game will advance to the NCAA Second Round to face 1-seed North Carolina on Sunday, May 15 at noon.
Porter named final ACC Track Performer of the Week for 2022
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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Wes Porter of the Virginia men’s track and field team was named the ACC Track Performer of the Week for the first time in his career after breaking the four-minute mark in the mile.
The Cavaliers hosted the Virginia High Performance Meet as their final outing of the season on Wednesday, May 4 where Porter captured the elusive four-minute mile feat while winning the event clocking 3:58.84.
The accomplishment comes as a notable milestone for Porter, whose improvement has been impressive since joining Vin Lananna’s squad in the fall of 2020. The distance runner out of Kansas City, Mo. arrived in Charlottesville with a personal-best mile time of 4:16. After a full season of cross country, as well as indoor and outdoor track and field in 2021, Porter shaved those 16 seconds off his mile time but missed the incredible four-minute mark at the final meet of the season by just .08 seconds.
In the final regular season meet of the 2022 season, Porter’s goal was clear. After running an incredibly well-paced race, the sophomore unloaded in the final 100-meters and crossed the finish line with a shrug of the shoulders as he achieved the admired accomplishment.
Porter and the Cavaliers now turn their attention to the ACC Championships to be held at Duke’s Morris Williams Track and Field Stadium in Durham, N.C. from Thursday (May 12) through Saturday (May 14).
Some UVA fans don’t want Kihei back, and neither do rival ACC coaches
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Kihei Clark (Photo: UVA Athletics)
Just about every ACC basketball coach made a similar comment last season following their last game against Virginia.
“Please tell me this was Kihei Clark’s last season.” Or, “Man, I hope Kihei is gone because I’m tired of playing against him.”
By now, the bad news has traveled from Boston to South Bend, from Louisville all the way down the coast to Miami; Kihei is back for a fifth year. Not only were ACC coaches disappointed to learn of the return, but a segment of UVA’s own fan base didn’t want another year of Kihei, which left rival coaches scratching their heads.
“People don’t want Kihei Clark back? Why would that be?” asked Miami coach Jim Larrañaga, almost in disbelief.
Some Cavalier fans didn’t like the way Clark penetrates deep into the lane and sometimes turns the ball over. Some didn’t like the fact he wasn’t a higher-percentage shooter, particularly from deep. Others believe Clark’s return for a fifth year will hold back the development of backcourt mate Reece Beekman and possibly incoming freshmen.
“Holy mackerel,” Larrañaga responded. “Are you serious?”
The Miami coach quickly looked up Clark’s season statistics, which only further convinced him that Virginia fans were wrong.
“When you’re a point guard, you have a lot more responsibility than everybody else, because you’re initiating the offense and you’re initiating the defense,” Larrañaga said. “If you don’t have a good on-ball defender, you’ve got a problem at the point. And you’re talking about a guy (Clark) who I would say the coaches around the league believe is one of the best on-ball defenders. He’s an outstanding defensive leader.
“So you look at his statistics, plays 36 minutes a game, averages 10 points, 38 percent from 3, 70.8 percent from the foul line. Four and a half assists and a two-to-one, assist-to-turnover ratio. I don’t know if you get a lot better point guards than that.”
Virginia Cavaliers guard Kihei Clark (0) reacts after drawing a foul on the Louisville Cardinals during the second-round game of the 2022 ACC Tournament in Brooklyn (Photo by David Welker / theacc.com).
Larrañaga said that if the coaches around the ACC were polled on whether they’d like Kihei Clark to stay or go, “Every one of them would say I hope he’s gone.”
One of those coaches is Georgia Tech’s Josh Pastner, who also found it difficult to believe Cavalier fans wouldn’t want Clark back for a fifth year.
“If Virginia fans don’t like Kihei, then when we play [UVA], I’m happy to put a Georgia Tech jersey on him,” Pastner said. “I have great respect for Virginia fans, a great fan base, however for anyone that wouldn’t want Kihei back, that’s just irrational.
“He’s one of the best guards in the ACC … heck, he’s one of the best guards in the country. He’s older. I’d rather play Virginia without him. He just makes Virginia that much better.”
Pastner said he’s seen Clark hit big shot after big shot for the past four seasons. He helped them get to the national championship and win it. Who could ever forget the most memorable assist in Virginia basketball history, the last-second pass to Mamadi Diakite that saved UVA’s bacon in the Elite Eight against Purdue in 2019? CBS’ Mr. Final Four, Jim Nance, said it was the greatest assist in NCAA Tournament history.
“I don’t think Tony Bennett needs any help in putting his teams together,” Pastner said. “As long as he doesn’t fall off a cliff, Tony’s going to be in the Hall of Fame one day. I think he knows what he’s doing, and I’m sure he would tell you how excited he was when Kihei told him he’s coming back.”
Pastner said the thought of any portion of UVA fans against Clark coming back for another year is completely “mind boggling to me.”
Larrañaga wished Clark had packed his bags and left college basketball at halftime in Virginia’s game at Miami last season.
“He beat us,” Larrañaga said. “He made three 3’s to start the second half. We were up six at the half, and all of a sudden we’re down six to start the second half, and Kihei Clark was the whole reason. He changed the whole game around.”
Larrañaga said he believes Virginia fans are just spoiled over Bennett’s success. He pointed out all of the regular-season championships UVA has won over the past decade, not to mention tournament titles and the natty. He pointed out the Cavaliers have won more regular-season crowns (five) than either Duke or North Carolina during the same span.
“If someone said to you back in 2010 that over the next decade, Virginia is going to win five regular-season titles and Duke only one, I think you’d be pretty pleased with that,” said Larrañaga, who was an assistant on Terry Holland’s UVA staff in the 1980s.
“Getting back to Kihei, he puts so much pressure on the other team’s ball-handler, and the Pack-Line provides Virginia the most consistent defense this league has seen since I’ve been in this conference (at Miami), and that’s 11 years,” Larrañaga said. “Throughout Tony Bennett’s time at UVA, they have been either the best team or one of the top two defense teams in the conference.
“The standard is so high that if you have a year when you’re not first or second in the league, it’s almost like a bad year for Virginia now.”
Larrañaga watched the Cavaliers improve from the beginning of the season with two transfers — Armaan Franklin and Jayden Gardner — playing key roles, in addition to Kayden Shedrick getting a starring role for the first time.
“It took time for that team to gel,” Larrañaga said. “What they lacked was experience playing together. With their top six guys coming back, Kihei getting an extra year, a good recruiting class and the Vander Plas kid transferring in, they’ve got one hell of a chance to win the ACC next year. Preseason, I’d say Carolina one, Virginia two. I would think people should be happy with that.”
Well, maybe most people. The Kihei detractors will still find a reason to complain.
Agugua-Hamilton named to USA Basketball U18 Trials Coaching Staff
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Amaka “Mox” Agugua-Hamilton. Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.
USA Basketball today announced the trio of coaches who will lead the 2022 USA Basketball Women’s U18 National Team this summer, as well as two who will assist as court coaches during the USA U18 National Team trials.
Texas A&M University head coach Joni Taylor, who was an assistant coach for the 2021 USA U19 World Cup Team that claimed gold, will serve as head coach. Virginia head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton will be one of two court coaches during the May 31-June 4 trials, held at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She and Villanova’s Denise Dillon will be tasked with aiding the coaching staff in on-court skills and drills and scrimmages.
This is Agugua-Hamilton’s first USA Basketball coaching assignment.
“I am extremely blessed, honored, and humbled,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “USA Basketball is synonymous with greatness in my opinion. To be selected and recognized by the committee as someone fit to be a part of the USA Basketball Family is nothing short of amazing. I am very thankful and appreciative of the opportunity.”
A now-biennial event launched in 1988 and open to athletes 18 years old or younger, the FIBA Americas U18 Championship features eight national teams from North, South and Central America and the Caribbean. The USA Basketball women claimed 10-straight gold medals from 2000-2018, as well as in 1988, and silver medals in 1992 and 1996. USA Basketball is 59-2 in FIBA Americas U18 Championship action.
UVA finishes first round of NCAA Regional in fourth place
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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The No. 8 Virginia women’s golf team completed the first round of the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional tied for fourth place. The Cavaliers shot 10-over 294 to be tied with No. 5 San Jose State, the region’s top seed, after the opening 18 holes of play. Arkansas, ranked No. 20, leads the 12-team field at 7-over 291 while No. 43 Washington and No. 18 Michigan are tied for second at 9-over 293.
The top four teams from the regional will advance to the NCAA Championships. The 54-hole tournament runs through Wednesday.
The Cavaliers held the tournament lead late in their round before a poor showing on the University of Michigan Golf Course’s 18th hole cost them multiple strokes. UVA’s four scoring players played the par four hole at a combined 5-over par.
UVA was led during the opening round by a trio of players who shot 1-over 73. Freshman Amanda Sambach, sophomore Jennifer Cleary and junior Celete Valinho finished the first round tied for 13th place. Graduate student Beth Lillie was in 32nd place after posting a score of 75. Sophomore Rebecca Skoler was 38th with an opening-round score of 76.
“This course requires focus on every single shot,” said UVA head coach Ria Scott. “We let a few big numbers get away from us and need to minimize those mistakes tomorrow.
“We talked to the team about how different these par fives are, as par is a good score on most of them. They aren’t “attack” par fives like we are used to, as shown by the fact no team was under par on them. We are in good position and look forward to cleaning up our rounds tomorrow.”
Tuesday’s second round will start at 8 a.m. The Cavaliers will be paired with San Jose State and Xavier during Tuesday’s play.
NCAA Ann Arbor Regional
University of Michigan Golf Course
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Par 71, 6,265 yards
First Round Results
Team Results
- Arkansas 291
- Washington 293
- Michigan 293
- Virginia 294
- San Jose State 294
- Xavier 299
- North Carolina 299
- Ohio State 300
- Pepperdine 300
- UCF 300
- Virginia Tech 302
- Oakland 316
Individual Leaders
- Ela Anacona, Arkansas 69
- Jana Melichova, Old Dominion 69
- Natasha Andrea Oon, San Jose State 70
- Stefanie Deng, Washington 70
Virginia Results
- Amanda Sambach 73
- Celeste Valinho 73
- Jennifer Cleary 73
- Beth Lillie 75
- Rebecca Skoler 76
Virginia earns NCAA Tournament berth: Travels to Brown Saturday
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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Virginia (11-3) will travel to eighth-seeded Brown (10-5) in the First Round of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament as was announced during the NCAA Lacrosse Selection Show Sunday night. The two-time reigning national champions and Bears will square off from Stevenson-Pincince Field on Saturday (May 14) at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
The Cavaliers, who are currently ranked No. 3 in the Inside Lacrosse media poll and No. 4 in the USILA coaches poll, will make their fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Lars Tiffany with at least 10 wins. This season, Virginia earned a share of the program’s 19th ACC title and will make its 41st NCAA Tournament appearance overall, third nationally behind Johns Hopkins (47) and Maryland (44).
Virginia was the only ACC team to make this year’s NCAA Tournament, which marks the first time since 1975 that only one ACC team qualified for the big dance.
The Bears received an at-large bid after going 10-5 overall, including 4-2 in Ivy League play, before falling 14-9 to Penn, which won this year’s Ivy League Tournament at Stevenson-Pincince Field.
Saturday’s matchup marks the 16th all-time between meeting the two teams as Virginia leads the all-time series, 12-3. The Cavaliers won the lone NCAA Tournament meeting in 1995, 16-13, at Klöckner Stadium. Brown, the alma mater of UVA head coach Lars Tiffany where he also served as head coach from 2007-16, won the most recent contest against the Cavaliers, 14-13, during the abbreviated 2020 season at Stevenson-Pincince Field. In 2019, Virginia was victorious in overtime – also by a final score of 14-13 – at Klöckner Stadium.
The winner of Virginia and Brown will face the winner of top-seeded Maryland and Vermont/Manhattan in the quarterfinals at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday, May 22. Opening faceoff is scheduled for either noon or 2:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
