Swimming & Diving: Kaye takes 1M title, qualifies for NCAA Championships
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
Virginia mens’ and women’s divers are competing at the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships at the Rutgers Aquatics Center in Piscataway, N.J.
Senior Lizzy Kaye won the 1-meter competition on Tuesday after finishing second in the 3-meter on Monday.
Kaye had the top score in prelims in the 1m with a 298.65. She scored 304.25 in her six dives in the finals to give her a combined total of 602.90, narrowly edging Holly Prasanto of Rutgers (602.40) by 0.50 to hold on to the top position. This is her first time winning the 1m at Zones after finishing second last year.
The previous day, Kaye had the top score in the 3m prelims, posting a 337.05, to head into the finals session as the top seed. She scored 337.20 in her six dives in the finals session to finish second with a total score of 674.25. Katerina Hoffman of Rutgers won the event with a 714.85.
Both finishes qualify Kaye to compete at the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, being held at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center in Federal Way, Washington, from Wednesday, March 19 to Saturday, March 22.
This is Kaye’s third year qualifying for the NCAA Championships. She won the 3m in both 2023 and 2024 and was third last year in platform in addition to her second-place finish in the 1m.
Two other Cavaliers competed in the 1m. 55. Alena Lotterer was 55th with a 208.55. Ruby Borzekowski was 67th with a 195.50.
Kaye was the lone Cavalier to compete in the 3m.
The men had three divers competing on Monday in the 1m. Sophomore Dean Treanor had the top finish, placing 33rd (247.50), followed by freshman Mitch Brown (38th, 240.45) and senior Nicholas Sanders (41st, 232.05).
On Tuesday, the same three competed in the 3m, with Sanders having the top finish at 35th with a score of 262.00. Brown followed in 38th (252.70) followed by Treanor (242.30).
The Zone Diving Championships are the qualifying meet for the NCAA Championships. The top 18 in each prelim advanced to the event final. From those 18 finalists, the top seven women finishers qualify in the 1m, six in the 3m and five in platform. The top four male finishers qualify in 1m with five apiece for 3m and platform.
Nick Wanzer (1m, 3m) and Jessica Buntman (platform) both qualified for Zones, but did not compete at the meet.
NCAA Selections will officially be announced once all of the NCAA Zone competitions are completed.
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
- 9:30-11 am – Women’s Platform Prelim
- 11:30-12:30 – Women’s Platform Finals
A look at the reported finalists for the Virginia men’s basketball job
“The Jerry & Jerry Show” had a lively exchange with viewers this week when it came to who might be the Cavaliers’ next basketball coach. The duo broke down the pros and cons of each coaching candidate on the eve of UVA’s game in the ACC Tournament.
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The Jerry & Jerry Show airs live Tuesday from 10:15 am – 11:15 pm on The I Love CVille Network.
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Men’s Golf: UVA slips up in final round; finishes fifth at The Hayt
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
Bryan Lee finished in a tie for sixth place after posting a 54-hole total score of 212 at The Hayt in Ponte Verde, Fla. Virginia dropped down to fifth in the overall team standings and was even par for the tournament.
Texas was the only team with a final-round score under par and overcame a nine-shot deficit to take home the tournament crown. Lee (69-70-73) and Ben James (72-66-76) were two of 13 competitors under par in the three-day competition.
Lee found himself in the top 10 for the third time in seven starts this season. After matching a season-best score of 66 on Sunday, James was 4-over on Monday and finished in a tie for 11th overall. It marks his 30th top 20 finish as a collegian.
Senior Paul Chang (76-69-74) had the third-best Cavalier finish and was 3-over for the tournament, good for a tie for 33rd.
Virginia will be back in action at the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate in Williamsburg, March 24-25. The 54-hole competition will be played at the Golden Horseshoe Gold Course.
TEAM RESULTS
1. Texas 290-272-282 (-18)
2. Duke 283-280-290 (-11)
3. Alabama 279-275-304 (-6)
4. North Carolina 290-279-294 (-1)
5. Virginia 286-273-303 (E)
T6. South Carolina 286-286-298 (+5)
T6. Louisville 295-295-292 (+5)
8. USF 292-292-295 (+7)
9. Coastal Carolina 305-305-295 (+11)
10. Northwestern 301-301-296 (+18)
11. North Florida 295-295-301 (+21)
12. Charlotte 289-289-306 (+22)
13. UTSA 307-307-291 (+23)
14. Liberty 291-291-308 (+24)
15. Navy 311-311-310 (+54)
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
T6. Bryan Lee 69-70-73 (-4)
T11. Ben James 72-66-76 (-2)
T33. Paul Chang 76-69-74 (+3)
T43. Josh Duangmanee 71-70-80 (+5)
T49. Maxi Puregger* 77-70-75 (+6)
T64. Deven Patel 74-73-80 (+11)
* Competing as an individual
VCU’s Ryan Odom jumps to top of UVA coaching search
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Photo: VCU Athletics
Ryan Odom has leapfrogged over other candidates as the top choice to become Virginia’s next basketball coach, according to sources close to the search committee.
Odom is the 50-year-old head coach at VCU with ties to UVA’s basketball program going back to the 1980s, when his father, Dave Odom, was the longtime assistant to Terry Holland. Ryan Odom was a ball boy in those days at University Hall and watched the rise of Cavalier hoops with Ralph Sampson.
Presently, Odom’s VCU Rams are 25-6 overall and sit atop the Atlantic 10 standings at 15-3, tied with George Mason heading into Friday’s conference tournament.
VCU is Odom’s third head coaching job and he’s won everywhere he’s been: UMBC, Utah State and the past two seasons at VCU. Over those 11 seasons, his teams are a collective 219-126 (.635 winning percentage).
There’s no question that Odom is ready for a major job. If Virginia doesn’t grab him, someone else will. Hopefully, UVA learned a lesson at the end of Holland’s regime when Holland announced he would leave at the end of the 1990 season and pushed for UVA to replace him with Odom.
However, then-AD Jim Copeland, who didn’t get along with Holland, decided to make a national search and botched it. Odom was scooped up by Wake Forest and led the Deacons to unprecedented success. Virginia got lucky and hired Jeff Jones, the second-youngest major college coach in the nation, and Jones kept the program at a high level until things unraveled.
Young Odom has been on Virginia’s radar for quite some time during its national search, which began last October. Marquette’s Shaka Smart was UVA’s top target, but may be out of the picture.
One source, when asked what happened to Shaka, replied: “Shaka is focused on his current position.” Normally that means, not interested. Thanks and goodbye.
Of course, that could also be a smoke screen, throwing media off course.
Other candidates under consideration, should the pursuit of Odom not work out, include T.J. Otzelberger, 47, the head coach at Iowa State, who we pointed out several weeks ago as a leading candidate, Ben McCollum, 43, from Drake, and Bob Richey, 41, from Furman.
It’s going to be tough getting Otzelberger out of Iowa State because of his allegiance to the school, a long-term contract and a high buyout, but it’s not impossible. The guy is a winner and has done wonders for the Cyclones. He would be an excellent choice.
McCollum is an interesting figure. He’s a Division II coach who is winning with several DII players he brought with him to Des Moines, where Drake is 30-3. He won two national titles in DII and won 395 games at Northwest Missouri State.
Who knows, he might be another John Wooden, but if you’re Carla Williams, can you afford to take that risk? She has to get this hire right, and we’re told is leaning heavily on former UVA star Wally Walker, who heads up the selection committee, and who had some influence in getting Tony Bennett to Charlottesville.
Walker was president and GM of the NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics, and has a strong background in finding talent.
Richey, like Odom, knocked Virginia out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round in 2023 (Odom’s UMBC squad delivered one of the worst blows in history to Virginia basketball in 2018, becoming the first 16 seed to oust a No. 1 seed).
Richey has been the Paladins’ coach for the past eight years.
McKneely named All-ACC honorable mention selection
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
Virginia junior sharpshooter Isaac McKneely was named All-ACC Honorable Mention, the league announced on the ACC Network’s ACC PM show on Monday.
McKneely, who leads UVA in scoring at 14 points per game, ranks first in the ACC in 3-point percentage (41 percent), second in 3-pointers made per game (3.0) and eighth in minutes per game (34.5).
He has netted seven 20-point games, including a season-high 27 in Virginia’s 83-75 win at Wake Forest. McKneely scored his 1,000 career point at North Carolina and ranks 48th on UVA’s all-time scoring list with 1,062 career points.
ACC Player and Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg (Duke) was joined on the All-ACC first team by Defensive Player of the Year Chucky Hepburn (Louisville), Maxime Raynaud (Stanford), Chase Hunter (Clemson) and Hunter Sallis (Wake Forest).
RJ Davis (North Carolina), Markus Burton (Notre Dame), Ian Schieffelin (Clemson), Kon Knueppel (Duke) and Jamir Watkins (Florida State) were named to the All-ACC second team.
Terrence Edwards Jr. (Louisville), Tyrese Proctor (Duke), Baye Ndongo (Georgia Tech), Boopie Miller (SMU) and Jaland Lowe (Pitt) were named to the All-ACC third team.
No. 9 seed Virginia (15-16) battles No. 8 seed Georgia Tech (16-15) in the second round of the 2025 ACC Tournament on Wednesday. Tipoff at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., is set for Noon on ESPN.
2024-25 ACC AWARD WINNERS
Player of the Year – Cooper Flagg, Duke
Defensive Player of the Year – Chucky Hepburn, Louisville
Rookie of the Year – Cooper Flagg, Duke
Sixth Man of the Year – Jeremiah Wilkinson, California
Most Improved Player – Donald Hand, Jr., Boston College
Coach of the Year – Pat Kelsey, Louisville
2024-25 ALL-ACC TEAM
First Team
(Name, School, Points)
Cooper Flagg, Duke, 400
Maxime Raynaud, Stanford, 392
Chucky Hepburn, Louisville, 364
Chase Hunter, Clemson, 328
Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest, 257
Second Team
RJ Davis, North Carolina, 241
Markus Burton, Notre Dame, 238
Ian Schieffelin, Clemson, 225
Kon Knueppel, Duke, 208
Jamir Watkins, Florida State, 150
Third Team
Terrence Edwards Jr., Louisville, 125
Tyrese Proctor, Duke, 72
Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech, 72
Boopie Miller, SMU, 71
Jaland Lowe, Pitt, 62
Honorable Mention
Matthew Cleveland, Miami, 49
Andrej Stojakovic, California, 48
Naithan George, Georgia Tech, 40
Isaac McKneely, Virginia, 38
J.J. Starling, Syracuse, 32
Donald Hand Jr., Boston College, 29
Cameron Hildreth, Wake Forest, 26
Khaman Maluach, Duke, 23
Viktor Lakhin, Clemson, 20
Eddie Lampkin, Syracuse, 19
All-Defensive Team
Chucky Hepburn, Louisville, 70 votes
Cooper Flagg, Duke, 57
Jaeden Zackery, Clemson, 55
B.J. Edwards, SMU, 34
Sion James, Duke, 28
Zack Austin, Pitt, 28
All-Rookie Team
Cooper Flagg, Duke, 80 votes
Kon Knueppel, Duke, 79
Ian Jackson, North Carolina, 65
Jeremiah Wilkinson, California, 59
Khaman Maluach, Duke, 47
Softball: No. 23 UVA avoids sweep with 9-2 win over No. 18 Hokies
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
Virginia hit four home runs on the day, including two from Sydney Hartgrove, and pushed seven runs across in the final two innings as the No. 23 Cavaliers downed No. 17 Virginia Tech by a score of 9-2 on Sunday.
The Hokies (19-5, 2-1) answered in the second with a double to the wall in right center from Rachel Castine that drove in Michelle Chatfield from second. Chatfield singled up the middle with one out and took second on a wild pitch to set up the score on the Castine hit. Zoe Yaeger’s two-out single to center drove in Castine and the Hokies led 2-1 after the third.
Sydney Hartgrove tied things up in the fifth with a solo shot to center before Macee Eaton put the Hoos back in front with a solo shot to center in the sixth. The inning continued and for the second straight inning, Hartgrove went yard with a two-run shot to left center and Virginia led 5-2 after the top of the sixth.
The Cavaliers continued to build on the lead, adding four more runs in the seventh inning. It started with a sac fly to right center from Bella Cabral after the first three batters in the inning reached safely. After a passed ball moved Ayer into scoring position with Hylton on third, Macee Eaton drove a ball back up the middle to bring in both runners. The Hoos worked the bases loaded for Reece Holbrook who brought the fourth run home with a walk to make it 9-2 for Virginia.
The Hoos held Virginia Tech in check in the bottom of the inning to lock up the victory.
Eden Bigham (5-3) picked up the win as she worked the final 4.0 innings, allowing two hits with seven walks and three strikeouts. She relieved Savanah Henley who worked the first 3.0 innings and held the Hokies to two runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
Emma Lemley (9-3) took the loss, allowing five runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts through 6.0 innings of work.
- Sarah Coon’s home run in the second inning was her second of the season.
- Macee Eaton’s home run in the sixth inning was her fifth of the season to tie for the team lead.
- Sydney Hartgrove’s two home runs marked her first multiple-home run game of her career and has her at three home runs for the season.
- Virginia’s four home runs brings the season total to 27 for the Hoos and it was the seventh multiple-home run game of the season for the Cavaliers.
UP NEXT
Virginia returns home to host JMU on Tuesday in a 4 p.m. contest at Palmer Park. It kicks off an eight-game homestand for the Cavaliers.
Wrestling: Cedeno leads Virginia to sixth-place finish at ACC Championships
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
Fifth-year Dylan Cedeno claimed the title at 141 pounds to lead the Virginia wrestling team in action at the ACC Championships on Sunday at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham.
Cedeno was one of four Cavaliers to earn automatic bids to the NCAA Championships and he led a trio of Cavaliers to place finishes at the annual event. Nick Hamilton finished as runner up at 165 pounds, while Keyveon Roller finished third at 125 pounds.
Virginia finished sixth at the ACC Championships with 38.5 team points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Cedeno, who missed the entire fall portion of the season as he rehabbed injury, stormed through the event to put an exclamation mark on his spring as he prepares for the NCAA Championships in two weeks. The fifth-year wrestler grabbed a tech fall in his opening round match with Duke’s Christian Coleman before taking a 4-3 decision over Pitt’s Briar Priest in the semifinals.
He controlled the finals match against top-seeded Sam Latona of Virginia Tech from the outset, getting a takedown less than 30 seconds into the match. The takedown was not initially not awarded, but was given on review after a challenge by the Virginia coaching staff. Cedeno built a 7-2 lead coming down the stretch before Latona would get an escape point with 15 seconds remaining and a takedown with three seconds remaining, but the lead was too great as Cedeno took the title.
Dylan Cedeno has been a man on a mission this spring!
There’s more ahead, but what a moment along the way as he picks up some hardware!#GoHoos | #TheVirginiaWay pic.twitter.com/8LW7eTKtpo
— Virginia Wrestling (@UVAWrestling) March 10, 2025
Jack Gioffre (149), Michael Gioffre (157) and Nick Hamilton (165) all picked up big wins in their first round of matches to give the Cavaliers four wrestlers in the semifinals. Hamilton held serve as the two seed in his weight classes to move on to the semifinal round. Jack Gioffre got a late takedown in his opening match to upset fourth-seeded Koy Buesgens of NC State with a 4-1 decision, while Michael Gioffre went feet to back with third-seeded Dylan Evans of Pitt in sudden victory for the 8-1 decision.
Hamilton picked up the win in his semifinal match, taking a 4-2 over NC State’s Derek Fields. Both Gioffre’s fell in their semifinal bouts, with Jack facing off against top-seeded and 2024 NCAA Champion Caleb Henson, while Michael fell to second-seeded All-American Ed Scott.
Hamilton battled in the finals before a penalty point for stalling with less than 20 seconds remaining in the match and a takedown at the buzzer broke a 1-1 tie with top-seeded Hunter Garvin of Stanford. Jack Gioffre advanced to the third place match before dropping a 4-1 decision in overtime to Buesgens in a rematch of his first match of the day. His finish gave him a spot in the NCAA Championships.
Roller fell in his first match of the day, but rolled through the consolation bracket on the way to his third-place finish and an NCAA Championship berth. In the consolation semifinals, Roller took an 8-5 decision over third-seeded Spencer Moore of North Carolina and won the rematch with fourth-seeded Nick Babin of Pitt in the third-place match with a 7-5 decision.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Dylan Cedeno claimed his first ACC title with his win over top-seeded Sam Latona and avenged his only loss of the season to date with the decision in the championship round.
- Cedeno is the 95th individual ACC champion for the Cavaliers and it marks the third straight season for Virginia to have an ACC Champion – Justin McCoy won at 165 in 2023 and Nick Hamilton won at 165 in 2024.
- Nick Hamilton earned his second straight NCAA berth with his runner-up finish and his second straight season to earn All-ACC honors with the second-place finish.
- Keyveon Roller and Jack Gioffre each earned their first bid to the NCAA Championships by virtue of their finishes at the ACC Championships on Sunday.
FROM HEAD COACH STEVE GARLAND
“We are so happy for Dylan Cedeno. His journey has been filled with trials and setbacks, injuries and adversity, and to see the way he has overcome this year – with a 12-1 record and an ACC Championship he probably just locked up a top-10 seed at the NCAA Championships. It’s one of the bigger comeback stories in my career. I’m really proud of him. He’s such an example for the rest of the team and he showed them all today that you can break through.
“We are excited for the other guys who punched through and got automatic bids to the NCAA Championships. They are going to get a chance to go after one of their main dreams in Philadelphia, so I am filled with joy thinking about that. Overall, our guys wrestled their hearts out. We avenged a lot of losses from the regular season and did some of our best wrestling at the end of the year which is what every coach wants to see.”
125
No. 5 seed Keyveon Roller – Third Place Finish – NCAA Qualifier
R1: No. 4 seed Nick Babin (Pitt) major dec. Roller, 10-2
Conso. SF: Roller dec. No. 3 seed Spencer Moore (UNC), 8-5
THIRD PLACE MATCH: Roller dec. No. 4 seed Nick Babin, 7-5
133
No. 5 seed Gable Porter
R1: No. 4 seed Kai Orine (NC State) major dec. Porter, 13-3
Conso. QF: No. 3 seed Tyler Knox (Stanford) major dec. Porter, 10-2
141
No. 2 seed Dylan Cedeno – ACC Champion – NCAA Qualifier
R1: Cedeno tech fall No. 7 seed Christian Coleman (Duke), 21-5 (4:34)
SF: Cedeno dec. No. 6 seed Briar Priest (Pitt), 4-3
FINAL: Cedeno dec. No. 1 seed Sam Latona (VT), 8-6
149
No. 5 seed Jack Gioffre – NCAA Qualifier
R1: Gioffre dec. No. 4 seed Koy Buesgens (NC State), 4-1
SF: No. 1 seed Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) tech fall Gioffre, 21-4 (6:40)
Conso. SF: Gioffre dec. No. 6 seed Finn Solomon (Pitt), 8-5
THIRD PLACE MATCH: No. 4 seed Koy Buesgens (NC State) dec. Gioffre, 4-1 (sv-1)
157
No. 6 seed Michael Gioffre
R1: Gioffre dec. No. 3 seed Dylan Evans (Pitt), 8-1 (sv-1)
SF: No. 2 seed Ed Scott (NC State) dec. Gioffre, 9-5
Conso. SF: No. 4 seed Sonny Santiago (UNC) dec. Gioffre, 8-2
165
No. 2 seed Nick Hamilton – Second Place Finish – NCAA Qualifier
R1: Hamilton dec. No. 7 seed Charlie Darracott (UNC), 5-1
SF: Hamilton dec. No. 3 seed Derek Fields (NC State), 4-2
FINAL: No. 1 seed Hunter Garvin (Stanford) dec. Hamilton, 5-1
174
No. 6 seed Rocco Contino
R1: No. 3 seed Luca Augustine (Pitt) dec. Contino, 5-4
Conso. QF: Contino tech fall No. 7 seed Gaetano Console (Duke), 21-6 (4:01)
Conso. SF: No. 1 seed Josh Ogunsanya (UNC) dec. Contino, 5-2
184
No. 6 seed Justin Phillips
R1: No. 3 seed Gavin Kane (UNC) major dec. Phillips, 12-4
Conso. QF: Phillips dec. No. 7 seed David Hussey (Duke), 8-4
Conso. SF: No. 4 seed TJ Stewart (VT) dec. Phillips, 9-4
197
No. 6 seed Steven Burrell Jr.
R1: No. 3 seed Andy Smith dec. Burrell Jr., 8-2
Conso. QF: Burrell Jr. major dec. No. 7 seed Kwasi Bonsu (Duke), 14-2
Conso. SF: Burrell Jr. dec. No. 4 seed Cade Lautt (UNC), 6-5
THIRD PLACE MATCH: No. 3 seed Andy Smith dec. Burrell Jr., 4-2
HWT
No. 7 seed Gabe Christenson
R1: No. 2 seed Jimmy Mullen (VT) pinned Christenson, 1:50
Conso. QF: No. 3 seed Nolan Neves (UNC) dec. Christenson, 4-1 (sv-1)
Women’s Tennis: No. 12 Wolfpack outlast No. 2 Cavaliers, 4-2
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
The No. 2 Virginia women’s tennis team dropped its first match of conference play, falling to No. 12 NC State, 4-2, on Sunday at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center in Raleigh.
The Cavaliers (12-3, 4-1 ACC) won the doubles point but lost four singles matches to snap a seven-match win streak in ACC regular season matches dating back to last season.
NC State (9-3, 4-0 ACC) started the match with a quick 6-1 doubles victory on the top court. Junior Annabelle Xu and freshman Martina Genis Salas followed with a dominant 6-2 win on doubles court two. Partnered together for the first time, grad student Sara Ziodato and freshman Isabelle Lacy clinched the doubles point on doubles court three, coming through with a 6-4 victory to give Virginia an early lead.
The Wolfpack responded with a straight set win on court five to tie the match.
NC State rattled off two more wins on courts one and four to take a 3-1 lead over the Cavaliers.
On court three, Xu split sets with No. 106 Maddy Zampardo but rallied in the third to take her match 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
The Cavaliers and the Wolfpack split sets on courts two and six. While senior Elaine Chervinsky was playing in a third set tiebreak on court two, NC State clinched the victory over Virginia with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 win on court six.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Annabelle Xu and Martina Genis Salas improved to 9-3 in dual matches this season in doubles
- Isabelle Lacy picked up her second doubles win of the weekend
- Senior Melodie Collard was unavailable for the Cavaliers
UP NEXT
The Cavaliers are off next week but will return home the following week to take on California on Friday, March 21, and Stanford on Sunday, March 23.
NC STATE 4, VIRGINIA 2
Singles
1. #42 Michaela Laki (NCSU) def. #22 Sara Ziodato (VA) 7-5, 6-1
2. Anna Zyryanova (NCSU) vs. #18 Elaine Chervinsky (VA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-6 (5-6), unfinished
3. #24 Annabelle Xu (VA) def. #106 Maddy Zampardo (NCSU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
4. Gabriella Broadfoot (NCSU) def. #104 Isaabelle Lacy (VA) 6-4, 6-4
5. Kristina Paskauskas (NCSU) def. Blanca Pico Navarro (VA) 6-0, 6-3
6. Mia Slama (NCSU) def. Martina Genis Salas (VA) 7-5, 4-6, 6-2
Doubles
1. #2 Gabriella Broadfoot/Maddy Zampardo (NCSU) def. Meggie Navarro/Elaine Chervinsky (VA) 6-1
2. #35 Annabelle Xu/Martina Genis Salas (VA) def. Anna Zyryanova/Michaela Laki (NCSU) 6-2
3. Sara Ziodato/Isabelle Lacy (VA) def. #88 Jasmine Conway/Kristina Paskauskas (NCSU) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,4,1,3,6)
No. 9 UVA drops ACC opening series with 6-3 loss to BC in finale
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
In front of the first sold-out crowd of the season at Disharoon Park, the No. 9 Virginia baseball team fell, 6-3, to Boston College on Sunday afternoon.
Throughout the three-game series against Boston College, a total of 16,301 fans packed Disharoon Park. The most for a regular season home series in program history.
Henry Ford recorded his team-high eighth multi-hit game with two base knocks. Freshman James Nunnallee drove in two of the three Virginia runs in the contest.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Following a scoreless opening inning, Boston College (6-6, 2-1 ACC) scratched across the game’s first run with a two-out RBI single off the bat of Esteban Garcia to left field.
The Cavaliers (9-5, 1-2) answered right back in the bottom of the frame, starting with a leadoff double from Aidan Teel. The UVA centerfielder came home to score on a Nunnallee sacrifice fly to notch the game at one after two innings.
In the top of the third, back-to-back two-out BC singles led to a three-run home run from Jack Toomey that put the visitors up 4-1.
Boston College added to its lead in the fourth inning when two Eagles came around to score on a Virginia fielding error.
A Ford leadoff single and an Teel hit by pitch set the stage for a two-run UVA fourth inning. Ford came home on a Trey Wells sacrifice fly to centerfield before a James Nunnallee RBI single up the middle plated Teel for the final run of the game.
In relief, Kevin Jaxel held the Eagle bats in check by only allowing one hit over his season-long outing of 3.2 innings.
Jaxel and the bullpen duo of Matt Lanzendorfer and Jack O’Connor did not allow a Boston College hit over the final 4.2 innings of Sunday’s weekend finale.
Virginia brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth after Nunnallee and Jackson Sirois were each hit by pitches to start the frame. The rally was contained with a double-play ball and flyout to end the game.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Godbout extended this on-base streak to 34 games with a double in the fifth inning.
- Teel has reached base safely in all 14 games this season, thanks to his double in the second inning.
- Ford’s single in the fourth inning extended his team-best hit streak to 12 games.
- Joe Colucci made his first career start on the mound for the Cavaliers in the series finale.
UP NEXT
Virginia will play its next four games away from Disharoon Park beginning with a neutral site contest against former ACC foe Maryland in Frederickburg on Tuesday. The contest will be played at Virginia Credit Union Stadium, the home of the Fredericksburg Nationals. First pitch is slated for 5:35 p.m. on ACCNX and WINA (98.9 FM/1070 AM).
Men’s Tennis: No. 5 Hoos fall, 4-1, against top-ranked Demon Deacons
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
The No. 5 Virginia men’s tennis team suffered a 4-1 defeat to No. 1 Wake Forest on Sunday at the Virginia Tennis Facility at the Boar’s Head Resort.
The Cavaliers (9-5, 1-3 ACC) dropped their second straight match, falling to 1-3 in the ACC. Freshman Rafael Jódar recorded the lone point for Virginia.
The top-ranked Demon Deacons (21-0, 4-0 ACC) opened the match with a 6-3 doubles victory on the top court. Junior Ty Switzer and freshman Jangjun Kim responded with a 6-3 win on doubles court three. Jódar and grad student James Hopper saved three match points on doubles court two but fell short in a back-and-forth tiebreak to No. 6 Luciano Tacchi and Luca Pow.
Wake Forest extended its lead to 2-0 with a straight set win on court four.
On the top court, Jódar cut into the deficit, getting Virginia on the board with a 6-2, 6-4 win over No. 5 DK Suresh Ekambaram.
The Demon Deacons followed with two more straight set wins on courts five and six to clinch the victory.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- The Cavaliers dropped back-to-back ACC regular season matches for the first time since 2018
- Sunday’s match was Virginia’s second contest of the season playing the No. 1 team in the ITA Team Rankings. The Cavaliers defeated then-No. 1 Texas at home on February 2
- Rafael Jódar won his eleventh straight match, improving to 11-1 on the season
- Jódar picked up his second victory of the season over a top 5 player in the ITA Singles Rankings
- Freshman Keegan Rice was unavailable for the Cavaliers
UP NEXT
The Cavaliers are back on the road next weekend, taking on Boston College on Friday at 3 p.m. and SMU on Sunday at noon.
WAKE FOREST 4, VIRGINIA 1
Singles
1. #18 Rafael Jódar (VA) def. #5 DK Suresh Ekambaram (WF) 6-2, 6-4
2. #22 Dylan Dietrich (VA) vs. #65 Ioannis Xilas (WF) 6-3, 3-6, unfinished
3. James Hopper (VA) vs. Charlie Robertson (WF) 7-6 (7-5), 2-2, unfinished
4. Luciano Tacchi (WF) def. Jangjun Kim (VA) 6-1, 6-0
5. Luca Pow (WF) def. Mans Dahlberg (VA) 6-0, 7-5
6. Franco Capalbo (WF) def. Stiles Brockett (VA) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles
1. #50 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Charlie Robertson (WF) def. #67 Dylan Dietrich/Mans Dahlberg (VA) 6-3
2. #6 Luciano Tacchi/Luca Pow (WF) def. Rafael Jódar/James Hopper (VA) 7-6 (10-8)
3. Ty Switzer/Jangjun Kim (VA) def. Ioannis Xilas/Franco Capalbo (WF) 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (4,1,6,5)
Shoddy defense, poor shooting spells doom for UVA
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Photo: UVA Athletics
During the Tony Bennett era, Virginia seemed to always find a way to beat Syracuse in the Dome. Bennett owned the Orange (12-2), including a 6-2 record up in the frozen tundra, and the last five in Syracuse.
All that didn’t matter Saturday night. It all went out the window — if the Dome had a window — as the host Orange demolished UVA, 84-70, ending the regular season for both teams.
Cavaliers interim coach Ron Sanchez said his team’s goal was to avoid playing on the first day of next week’s ACC Tournament in Charlotte. Mission accomplished.
Win or lose Saturday night, Virginia had a lock on ninth-place (a five-way tie) in league standings, a first-round bye and a date with 8th-seeded Georgia Tech at high noon next Wednesday. The winner of that one faces top-seeded Duke.
Bummer.
If Virginia can’t discover more energy than it displayed in Syracuse, it’s stay in Charlotte will be brief. Sanchez couldn’t figure out why the Cavaliers got their doors blown off in the first half Saturday night when the Orange rolled to a 43-26 lead.
“That is just unacceptable,” Sanchez. “We are better than that. We did not compete hard enough to do what we needed to do defensively.”
Syracuse (13-18, 7-13 ACC) exposed all of Virginia’s warts. The Orange, led by center Eddie Lampkin’s 25 points, 10 rebounds, scored 42 points in the paint, controlled the boards 31-17 and physically dominated the Cavaliers with defense.
Meanwhile, UVA (15-16, 8-12) experienced its first losing regular season since 2010. The Wahoos defense, especially in the first half, was atrocious, an embarrassment to the Pack-Line.
Syracuse made 59.6 percent (31 of 52) for the game, the highest number against UVA this season.
In 500 games under Bennett, UVA gave up 80 points or more only a dozen times. This season alone, Cavaliers opponents scored at least 80 points seven times.
“[Lampkin] took advantage of our younger guys down there (in the paint),” Sanchez said. “We tried to trap him, double him. We just didn’t do a good enough job. That’s been a kind of kryptonite for us this season versus really good interior players.”
Normally, Virginia answers with good offense — particularly from the perimeter — but that part of the game plan was out of order.
The Cavaliers, who ranked No. 22 nationally in 3-point percentage coming in, couldn’t throw a beach ball into the ocean. They made 3 of 15 attempts from the arc, sharpshooter Isaac McKneely was 1 of 6, Andrew Rohde 0-2 and Dai Dai Ames 1-2.
When Virginia can’t play effective defense, it’s not good, but still can win if it’s shooting the ball well. When the shooting is also off, the Cavaliers have practically no chance.
Freshman Jacob Cofie led the way with 13 points and Ames added 10, the only players in double figures.
Steamrolled in the first half, Sanchez told the team in the locker room that it wasn’t about X’s and O’s, that it was more about energy and playing harder, a message that resonated 20 minutes too late.
Virginia outscored Syracuse 44-41 in the second half. Day late, dollar short.
Afterward, redshirt freshman big man Anthony Robinson (8 points, 6 rebounds) said that Sanchez told the team not to dwell on the trip north and to reset, looking toward the “third season” (non-conference games, ACC games, postseason).
Sanchez is looking forward to the ACC Tournament as a fresh start.
“We had a rough start to conference play, and to be able to right the ship and end up [No. 9] is a credit to our team and our coaching staff,” Sanchez said. “Now it’s time for postseason play, so there’s got to be a level of excitement from all of us.”
MBB: UVA closes regular season with 84-70 loss at Syracuse; still locks up 9-seed
By Scott Ratcliffe
Photo: UVA Athletics
Virginia stumbled in its regular-season finale at Syracuse on Saturday, surrendering countless easy buckets en route to an 84-70 loss at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Despite the setback, the Cavaliers (15-16, 8-12 ACC) still emerged as the No. 9 seed for next week’s conference tournament and will receive a first-round bye (see full details below).
The Orange (13-18, 7-13) got a huge night from senior big man Eddie Lampkin Jr., who recorded his 14th double-double of the season in his final collegiate regular-season game. The Wahoos seemingly had no answer for Lampkin, who made 11 of his 12 field-goal attempts and finished with game highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way.
First-year forward Jacob Cofie did all he could to keep the Hoos in it, connecting on all six of his field-goal attempts for a team-high 13 points, but UVA fell behind early on and never really got back within striking distance.
The Orange took advantage of UVA’s early giveaways and poor shooting — the Hoos misfired on six of their first seven shots to start the contest — as they knocked down eight of their first 10 attempts and built a 20-10 advantage midway through the first half. Virginia trailed by as many as 19 points and went into halftime staring at a 43-26 deficit.
An 8-3 Cavalier run midway through the second half, fueled by points in transition off of Syracuse turnovers, made it a 13-point ballgame, 62-49, on a Cofie baseline jumper with 9:52 to play, but that’s about as close as it got the rest of the night.
In the end, the Hoos shot at a 52-percent clip from the field (27 for 52), 20 percent from beyond the arc (3 for 15) and 72 percent from the free-throw line (13 for 18).
Dai Dai Ames (10 points) was the only other Wahoo in double figures aside from Cofie, extending his streak to 10 games with at 10 points or more. Isaac McKneely and Elijah Saunders each finished with 9 points in the defeat, while Blake Buchanan and Anthony Robinson each added 8 points.
“I don’t think that Isaac McKneely got a really good look today,” UVA interim coach Ron Sanchez pointed out after the contest. “I think he got one, in front of our bench, for the game. He usually gets six, seven, eight of those a game. So that is credit to [the Syracuse defense].”
Syracuse, which won the rebounding battle by a 31-17 margin, shot 31 for 52 on the night (60 percent), including 6 of 14 from downtown (43 percent) and 16 of 19 at the charity stripe (84 percent).
In addition to Lampkin’s big night, Jyare Davis (2 for 3 from long range) and Lucas Taylor (3 for 5 from deep) registered 15 points apiece, combining to knock down 12 of 19 attempts from the field.
Team Notes
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
- Virginia is 5-9 away from home and 4-7 in true road contests.
- The Orange scored 24 of its 42 points in the paint in the first half
- UVA has allowed 30 or more points in the paint in each of its last six games
- UVA has allowed 80 or points in five away games (St. John’s, Florida, Stanford, Louisville, North Carolina, Syracuse)
- UVA made a season-low three 3-pointers (15 attempts)
- Syracuse shot 59.6 percent (31 of 52) in the win, marking a season high vs. UVA
Series Notes
- UVA is 14-7 all-time against Syracuse, including a 12-3 mark in ACC action, in the series that dates to 1983-84
- Virginia’s six-game win streak and five-game road win streak against the Orange ended with the loss
- UVA fell to 6-3 against the Orange in Syracuse
- The 84 points scored by Syracuse marked a high in the series
- The Orange scored more than 69 points against Virginia for the first time in 17 meetings between the teams
Player Notes
- Double Figure Scorers: Jacob Cofie (13), Dai Dai Ames (10)
- Cofie reached double figures for the 10th time
- Ames reached double figures for the 10th consecutive game and 14th time this season (22 career)
UP NEXT
The Cavaliers will receive a first-round bye in the upcoming ACC Tournament before they face No. 8 seed Georgia Tech at noon ET in Wednesday’s first game of the second round at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte (ESPN). Check out the final standings and full bracket below.
Ninth-ranked UVA survives 22-16 shootout to even series with Eagles
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
In a game that saw 38 combined runs on 35 hits, the No. 9 Virginia baseball team outlasted Boston College, 22-16, on Saturday afternoon at Disharoon Park.
Paced by a career day from Henry Godbout, the Cavaliers (9-4, 1-1 ACC) plated a season-best 22 runs on a season-high 20 hits to even the three-game ACC series.
Godbout went 4 for 5 with four runs driven in while scoring five times himself on the afternoon. Not to be outdone, Chris Arroyo had his best day in a UVA uniform by going 5 for 5 with six RBIs and four runs scored.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Boston College (5-6, 1-1) opened the high-flying affair by plating three runs in the top of the first thanks in part to a pair of Cavalier errors in the frame.
UVA answered in the bottom half of the inning when Godbout and Arroyo reached base with back-to-back one-out singles. Godbout was the first Cavalier run of the game when Henry Ford doubled him home. Arroyo came across a few pitches later on Trey Wells’ sacrifice fly to cut the Eagles advantage to one after one inning played.
Virginia tied the game at three in the third on a Ford RBI single that brought around Godbout who doubled to left field to open the frame.
The visiting Eagles regained the lead with a three-run fourth on the heels of two more Virginia errors in the inning.
In the home half of the fourth, Virginia answered with five more runs, highlighted by a bases-clearing triple from Godbout and Arroyo’s first home run of the day that put the Cavaliers up 8-6.
After quiet fifth and sixth innings, the fireworks returned in the seventh when Boston College regained the lead with a three-run top of the inning.
The Eagle lead didn’t last for long as the Cavaliers plated nine runs following the seventh inning stretch. UVA’s nine runs came on eight hits, including three-straight RBI doubles from Aidan Teel, James Nunnallee and Harrison Didawick.
Boston College rallied to score four runs in the top of the eighth to draw within four at 17-13.
Powered by the duo of Eric Becker and Arroyo, Virginia scored five in the eighth to run the total to 22 on the day. Becker started the scoring in the frame with an RBI double before Arroyo clobbered his second no-doubt home run of the afternoon.
In the top of the ninth, the Eagles plated three more runs before a Matthew Buchanan strikeout secured the 22-16 Virginia victory.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- With the win, the Cavaliers improved to 4-0 after a loss this season.
- Virginia’s nine-run eighth inning is the most runs scored by the Cavaliers at home against an ACC opponent since scoring 10 on Georgia Tech in 2022.
- The 22 runs are the Most runs for Virginia in an ACC game since 2010 – 27 vs. Maryland (4/23/10).
- Virginia is the 29th team in DI college baseball to score 22 or more runs in game this season.
- Most runs (22) and the most combined runs (38) in 38 all-time meetings vs. BC
- UVA’s 22 runs and 20 hits are the most for the Cavaliers this season.
- The trio of Godbout, Arroyo and Ford combined to go 12 for 15 with 12 RBI and 12 runs scored in Saturday’s slugfest.
- Godbout scored five times to tie the single-game program record.
- Along with his runs scored, Godbout tied career highs in at-bats (5), hits (4) and RBI (4).
- Godbout extended this on-base streak to 33 games with a single in the first inning.
- Aidan Teel joined Godbout as the only two Cavaliers to each base safety in all 13 games this season with his RBI double in the seventh.
- Ford extended his team-high hitting streak to 11 games.
- The five Cavalier errors on Saturday are the most by the squad since also committing five in a victory over Fordham in 2009.
UP NEXT
Virginia will look to take the series on Sunday in the weekend finale. Righthander Joe Colucci will get the start on the mound for the Cavaliers. First pitch is set for noon on ACCNX and WINA (98.9 FM/1070 AM).
Softball: No. 17 Tech clinches series with 6-1 victory over No. 23 UVA
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: Virginia Tech Athletics
The long ball and timely hits were the tale of the tape on Saturday as No. 23 Virginia fell at No. 17 Virginia Tech by a score of 6-1 in a Smithfield Commonwealth Clash matchup.
Virginia Tech got all six of its runs off home runs on the way to the victory Saturday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia (16-7, 0-2 ACC) loaded the bases with one out in the first, but was kept off the scoreboard with back-to-back force outs at the plate. The Cavaliers kept the Hokies off the board in the home half after Virginia Tech put two on, but the Hoos got out of the frame with no damage.
Virginia Tech (19-4, 2-0) got on the board in the second with back-to-back home runs and the Cavaliers turned to the bullpen for Courtney Layne. Layne got the Hokies out of the second, but Virginia Tech extended the lead in the third when Zoe Yaeger came back to the plate with two outs and two on and hit a three-run home run to left field.
The Hokies got their sixth run with a solo home run in the fourth inning.
Virginia scored in the sixth with Jade Hylton legging out a fielder’s choice on a ball to short as Virginia Tech looked to turn two and end the inning. Hylton beat the throw and Sydney Hartgrove scored from third on the bases-loaded play to get the Hoos on the board.
The Hoos would get no closer as the 6-1 margin would hold for the Hokies.
Julia Cuozzo (3-1) took the loss, allowing two runs on three hits with a walk and a strikeout in 1.0 inning of work in the start. She was the first of three pitchers used on the day and faced two batters in the second inning.
Emma Mazzarone (4-2) picked up the win, allowing three hits with five walks and two strikeouts through 4.0 innings of work.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Kelly Ayer and Bella Cabral ran their active hit streaks out to eight straight games, while Cabral has now reached base safely in 14 consecutive games.
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“I saw a team competing to try to win today. We had a lot of opportunities and just couldn’t capitalize on them. Ava Hodges came in and put up a couple of zeros and did a great job for us in the circle to give us a chance. Going into tomorrow it’s ride or die and we have to scratch and claw for every opportunity. You never know what swing or what at bat is going to change the game. We have to attack tomorrow and be prepared to finish.”
UP NEXT
Virginia and Virginia Tech close out the series on Sunday with a noon first pitch on ACCNX.
Men’s Lacrosse: Hoos snap losing skid with convincing 11-6 win over Towson
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
Texas natives Matthew Nunes and Thomas Mencke played pivotal roles in Virginia’s 11-6 victory over Towson Saturday afternoon. The neutral-site meeting was contested at The Kinkaid School in Houston.
With the win, Virginia (3-3) snapped a two-game losing skid, while the Tigers dipped to 1-5.
In his first start of the season, Nunes (1-0) tallied 15 saves, including 11 in the second half. Nunes’ 15 saves are the most for him in a single game since UVA’s 2024 regular-season contest at Syracuse last year, when he also tallied 15 saves after facing a whopping 57 Orange shots.
Mencke recorded career highs in both goals (three) and points (four). His third and final goal came with five seconds left in the third quarter and proved to be the game-winner.
HOW IT HAPPENED
McCabe Millon (2g, 1a) scored on the game’s first possession, but shortly thereafter UVA failed its first three clears of the contest. The first half saw three lead changes, including one another strike from Millon and Truitt Sunderland’s (2g, 3a) first of two goals. The Tigers led 4-3 at the half.
Mencke recorded his first career hat trick with three goals in the third quarter. The UVA defense held the Tigers scoreless for more than 30 minutes, allowing the Cavaliers to fire off seven unanswered goals to take the lead for good.
Midway through the third quarter, Virginia inserted Mikie Harmeyer (1g), Tucker Mullen (1a) and Burke McFarlane on attack to give UVA’s first unit a breather in the nearly 80-degree heat. Harmeyer scored his second goal of the season on Mullen’s first career assist.
After Virginia was 2 of 8 at the faceoff X in the first half, Henry Metz (4-7 FO) gave the Cavaliers a nice lift in second half.
The Cavaliers were flagged for seven penalties in contrast to Towson’s single personal foul. UVA’s man-down successfully killed four of the Tigers’ seven EMO chances.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- The Kinkaid School marks the 42nd unique neutral site in program history.
- In addition to Nunes (The Woodlands), Texas natives Thomas Mencke (Dallas), Anthony Ghobriel (Dallas), Reese Stepanian (Houston) checked into Saturday’s contest.
- Virginia’s defense held Towson scoreless for 30:43, the longest scoring opponent drought by a UVA opponent this season.
- It’s also the longest scoring drought by a UVA opponent since the Cavaliers held Drexel scoreless for 37:20 last season.
- Nunes made his first start of the season and 49th of his career.
- Nunes’ last start was in the 2024 NCAA Tournament quarterfinals against Johns Hopkins (May 19).
- Nunes’ 15 saves are the most for him in a single game since the 2024 regular-season meeting at Syracuse, when he also had 15.
- For his career, Nunes now has 11 games with at least 15 saves.
- Mencke (3g, 1a) notched his first career hat trick and a career high in points.
- With two goals and three assists, Sunderland tallied a game-high in points.
WITH THE WIN…
- The Cavaliers extended their win streak in the series to 15 consecutive games, the second-longest active win streak over any opponent.
- UVA won its first-ever game against Towson at a neutral site
- The Hoos won their first-ever game held in the state of Texas.
- UVA won its first game away from Klöckner Stadium this season.
FROM HEAD COACH LARS TIFFANY
“I do have to highlight our two Texans, who came home to the Lone Star State and did so much to lead us to victory. Starting with [Matthew] Nunes in the goal – boy, was that reminiscent of what he did so often the first three years here as a Virginia Cavalier. The confidence he gives the entire defense, not only in making saves, which he did a whole lot of today, but in terms of the riding and clearing. What a wonderful moment for Matt Nunes to be able to come home and lead us to victory.
“And then give Thomas Mencke credit. Thomas exploded today – [his] three goals were huge for us. Those two Texans – when we needed it most – they stepped up today.”
UP NEXT
Virginia returns to Klöckner Stadium next Saturday for the first time in nearly a month to host No. 1 Maryland. Opening faceoff is set for 4 p.m. on ACC Network.
Women’s Lacrosse: No. 14 Virginia dropped by No. 2 Tar Heels, 20-8
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
The No. 14 Virginia women’s lacrosse team suffered a 20-8 defeat at No. 2 North Carolina on Saturday at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill.
North Carolina broke open a 3-2 game with a 6-0 run to go up 9-2 with 7:40 remaining in the second quarter. Sophomore attacker Madison Alaimo started a Cavalier comeback, scoring the first of four straight goals to make it 9-6 with 1:29 left in the half.
North Carolina (7-0, 3-0 ACC) scored with 21 seconds remaining in the period, but sophomore midfielder Kate Galica answered by winning the draw and heading straight to goal to score with two seconds remaining to make it 10-7 at the break.
The Tar Heels outscored the Cavaliers, 10-1, in the second half. Freshman attacker Jayden Piraino scored the lone Cavalier goal with 8:55 left in the game, ending a 21-minute scoring drought.
Junior goalkeeper Mel Josephson had a career-high 13 saves for the Hoos, who dropped to 4-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play with the loss.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Madison Alaimo had a hat trick for the second straight game. It was the third of her career. She also had an assist for four points
- Kate Galica had 12 draw controls, her fourth game this season with 12 or more draws
- Galica also scored two goals
- Freshmen Addi Foster, Jayden Piriano and Payton Sfreddo had a goal apiece
- Mel Josephson had eight saves in the first half and five in the second. Her previous career high was 12 which she had reached six times
- North Carolina’s two goalkeepers made 12 saves
- UNC held a 39-32 edge in shots
- Virginia had a 19-11 edge in draws
UP NEXT
Virginia is back home next Saturday (March 15), hosting No. 18 Duke at noon. This is UVA’s Alumni Game, as well as the Headstrong Game.
Women’s Golf: No. 11 Cavaliers record runner-up finish at Gators Invitational
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
The No. 11 Virginia women’s golf team finished in second place at the Gators Invitational, hosted by Florida at the Mark Bostick Golf Course in Gainesville.
The Cavaliers were led by Amanda Sambach, who followed up a strong opening two rounds shooting even-par 70 for a 54-hole score of 2-under 208. She finished tied for third in the overall field to mark her fourth top-three performance of the season.
Megan Propeck recorded her best performance of the season, finishing the tournament in a tie for 10th place, shooting 3-under 67 in the final round for a 54-hole score of 2-over 212.
As a team, the Cavaliers placed second in the field of 14, combining to shoot 11-over 851. Florida (9-over 849) took home the team title.
The Cavaliers are back in action at The Old Barnwell Match Play in Aiken, S.C., at Old Barnwell Golf Club. South Carolina is set to host on Monday, March 17 and Tuesday, March 18.
TEAM RESULTS
1. Florida 282-282-285 (+9)
2. Virginia 291-279-281 (+11)
3. Ole Miss 278-285-290 (+13)
4. UCF 279-290-290 (+19)
5. South Alabama 289-289-284 (+22)
6. Eastern Michigan 289-292-290 (+31)
7. Charlotte 296-289-289 (+34)
8. Michigan 288-293-298 (+39)
9. South Florida 288-292-302 (+42)
T10. Florida International 290-298-304 (+52)
T10. Chattanooga 295-300-297 (+52)
12. Mercer 303-288-304 (+55)
13. Florida Atlantic 308-304-302 (+74)
14. Jacksonville 303-311-304 (+78)
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
T3. Amanda Sambach 70-68-70 (-2)
T10. Megan Propeck 75-70-67 (+2)
T19. Chloe Schiavone 74-72-70 (+6)
T26. Jaclyn LaHa 76-69-74 (+9)
T52. Rebecca Skoler 72-76-79 (+17)
T41. Kiera Bartholomew* 74-78-72 (+14)
* Competing as an individual
Can Sanchez keep Tony Bennett’s streak alive vs. Syracuse?
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Photo by Jon Golden
Nobody has ever ruled over Syracuse the way Tony Bennett did. In 14 games against the Orange, Bennett’s Virginia teams always seemed to find a way to win. In fact, Bennett was 12-2 against ‘Cuse.
Didn’t matter where the game was played — Charlottesville, the Carrier Dome (since changed names) in Syracuse, or on the moon — the Cavaliers mastered the Orange. Hoos your daddy, Jim Boeheim?
Bennett’s teams were 6-2 at Syracuse, even though the Orange sometimes had a better team. Virginia has won five in a row at the Dome and has won six in a row against Syracuse, regardless of the site.
The question is, can Ron Sanchez capture the same magic as Virginia travels to Syracuse tonight (8 p.m., ACC Network)? Oddsmakers say no, making the Orange a 1-point to 1.5-point favorite. They’ve been wrong before in this series.
UVA (15-15, 8-11 ACC) is tied for ninth place in the conference with Virginia Tech, heading into next week’s ACC Tournament in Charlotte. The Hokies are 17-point underdogs against Clemson today. Even if Virginia also loses, the Cavaliers would win the tie-breaker with Tech because Sanchez’ team has defeated a higher-ranked team than the Hokies have, unless Tech stuns Clemson. UVA has a win over Wake Forest.
Syracuse (12-18, 6-13) is tied for 14th and even though the Orange are struggling once again, the school’s AD, John Wildhack, announced this week that Coach Adrian Autry will return for a third year.
Sanchez is kind of twisting in the wind as UVA’s interim coach. AD Carla Williams has conducted a national search, of which Sanchez is a candidate, but no word on whether he will return or be replaced. Virginia hired a search firm in Georgia, paying $45,000 according to reports, but from some of the names that have leaked out, there’s not a lot to get excited about.
If Sanchez can keep the Cavaliers close tonight at Syracuse, then his team has a chance. Autry’s Orange has displayed a penchant for choking down the stretch in recent games, blowing a 16-point lead vs. Pitt, losing a 13-point lead to Virginia Tech in the last three minutes, and then, after leading SMU for 35 minutes, and up 63-51 with 10 minutes to play, Syracuse lost 77-75 this week.
The Orange are led by junior guard JJ Starling, 18 points per game, Eddie Lampkin, a grad student center scoring 11 points and grabbing 9.6 rebounds a game, then junior forward Chris Bell (9.9 ppg) and senior forward Jyare Davis (8.9).
If Virginia can wrap up the No. 9 seed, it can gain a first-round bye next week, face the No. 8 seed on Wednesday, but will be paired up with No. 1 Duke in Thursday’s quarterfinals (see updated standings, Saturday’s schedule and the full bracket below).
The Cavaliers are led by Isaac McKneely, who averages 14.2 points per game and has 93 triples, shooting 41.7 percent from the 3-point arc. Dai Dai Ames has been on quite a streak, averaging 15.3 points over his last nine games and shooting 57.9 percent during that span. Elijah Saunders is second on the team in scoring (10.6) and in rebounding (5.1) and seems to have recovered from his late-season injury, having contributed heavily the past few games.
Andrew Rohde, who pulled off a miracle, winning 3-point shot to bury Florida State in Virginia’s latest outing, is third on the team in scoring (9.6) and has 4.4 assists per game.
UVA’s 3-point shooting has been incredibly consistent as exhibited against FSU, when Coach Leonard Hamilton said he couldn’t afford to slack off any of Virginia’s 3-point shooters because they were all so efficient. That could be a huge key in tonight’s game. The Cavaliers are ranked No. 22 nationally in 3-point shooting with a team 38 percent average.
ACC Saturday Schedule
NC State at Miami, Noon (The CW)
Stanford at Louisville, 2 p.m. (ESPNU)
Georgia Tech at Wake Forest, 2:15 p.m. (The CW)
SMU at Florida State, 4 p.m. (ESPNU)
California at Notre Dame, 4 p.m. (ACC Network)
Virginia Tech at Clemson, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
Boston College at Pitt, 6 p.m. (ACC Network)
Duke at North Carolina, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Virginia at Syracuse, 8 p.m. (ACC Network)
No. 9 Virginia drops ACC opener against Boston College, 7-4
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
The No. 9 Virginia baseball team dropped a 7-4 decision to Boston College on Friday night at Disharoon Park in its ACC opener.
Boston College trailed 4-1 entering the sixth inning before plating the final six runs of the contest, including a five-run top of the eighth.
Virginia starting pitcher Jay Woolfolk continued his impressive run of home starts by only surrendering one earned run over the 5.1 innings pitched. The righthander also collected four strikeouts but did not factor in the decision.
At the plate, Chris Arroyo led all batters with a 3-for-5 day and run driven in. Eric Becker also had two hits, including a two-run homer in the fourth inning, his second long ball of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Boston College (5-5, 1-0 ACC) got on the board first with a two-out RBI single in the second inning off the bat of Jack Toomey.
The Cavaliers (8-4, 0-1) answered in the third when Henry Godbout led off the frame with a leadoff single. Godbout later scored on Arroyo’s first triple of his career. One batter later, Virginia took the lead one batter on a Henry Ford RBI groundout that plated Arroyo.
A Becker two-run blast off the batter’s eye in centerfield put the Cavaliers out front at 4-1 after four innings. The dinger was Becker’s second in the last three games.
In relief of Woolfolk, Matt Lanzendorfer struck out the first five Eagles that he faced before allowing the game-tying two-run home run from BC’s Josiah Ragsdale in the top of the eighth.
Boston College tacked three more runs in the frame with back-to-back RBI singles through the UVA infield.
Arroyo’s third hit of the evening came in the bottom of the ninth with two outs before a flyout to center sealed the series-opening win for Boston College.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- The defeat snaps Virginia’s 13-game home winning streak that dated back to the start of the Virginia Tech series in 2024. The 13-game streak was the longest for UVA since setting the program record with 23-straight home wins during the 2023-24 seasons
- Over this last four starts at Disharoon Park, Woolfolk only allowed seven earned runs in 25.2 innings pitched with 28 total strikeouts.
- Godbout extended this on-base streak to 32 games with a single in the third inning.
- Aidan Teel joins Godbout as the only two Cavaliers to each base safety in all 12 games this season.
- Henry Ford extended his team-high hitting streak to 10 games with a single up the middle in the first inning.
- Arroyo tallied his team-leading fourth multi-RBI game on Friday.
UP NEXT
Virginia will look to even the series on Saturday with the middle game of a three-game set. Lefty Tomas Valincius (2-0) is set to start on the mound on the Cavaliers against Boston College’s lefthander Tyler Mudd (0-1). First pitch is set for 1 p.m. on ACCNX and WINA (98.9 FM/1070 AM).
Softball: No. 17 Hokies rally for 8-4 win over No. 23 Hoos to open ACC play
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: Virginia Tech Athletics
Virginia got off to a quick start, but the home team surged down the stretch in a Smithfield Commonwealth Clash matchup Friday as the No. 23 Cavaliers fell at No. 17 Virginia Tech.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hoos (16-6, 0-1 ACC) started strong with a pair of runs in the first inning. Jade Hylton scored on a single to right from Macee Eaton after reaching when she was hit by pitch to open the game. Kelly Ayer doubled to left to put two in scoring position for Eaton with one out. With runners at the corners following the single from Eaton, the Hoos executed a double steal with Ayer scoring from third to make it 2-0 after the top of the first.
Virginia added a third run in the second inning with a line drive to third from Hylton. The ball deflected off the fielder, allowing Sydney Hartgrove to score from second. Hartgrove reached on a single through the left side before taking second on a fielding error at first off a ball in play with wicked spin from Kailyn Jones.
Virginia Tech (18-4, 1-0) got on the board in the third with a leadoff single and a single as a result of catcher’s interference putting two on to start the frame. A passed ball moved both runners into scoring position before a Michelle Chatfield single to center brought a run home. With runners at the corners and one out, another single up the middle cut the lead to 3-2 in favor of the Hoos.
A fielder’s choice tied the game as the Hoos conceded the run for the out. With two on and two out, Kylie Aldridge singled to right and the Hoos went home on the play. Virginia Tech’s Bre Peck came home and was called out on the play at the plate, but upon review the call was overturned and the Hokies took a 4-3 lead.
Virginia answered in the fourth with a two-out single down the left field line from Bella Cabral. Kailyn Jones scored from third and Kelly Ayer raced home on the play, but was called out at the plate in a nip-and-tuck play that was upheld upon review.
The back-and-forth game continued in the bottom of the fourth when a sac fly to center with the bases loaded put the home team back in front and left two in scoring position as the Hoos made a second pitching change in the inning. The next batter drove a double to the wall in left center and Virginia Tech took the 7-4 lead on the Hoos.
The Hokies added a run in the fifth with a ground ball that dribbled between first and the circle with just enough pace to get past the charging fielders but too slow to get to the second baseman before all the runners were safe.
Ava Hodges (3-2) took the loss in relief, entering in the fourth inning with the game tied 4-4. She allowed three runs on one hit with two walks and a strikeout in 0.2 innings of work. She was one of four Virginia pitchers to see action on the night.
Emma Lemley (9-2) picked up the win, allowing four runs – three earned – on nine hits with a walk and two strikeouts in her 4.0 innings of work.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- The loss ended Virginia’s win streak at 12 games, the longest since the 2001 season.
- Virginia tallied 12 hits to nine for Virginia Tech on the night.
- Virginia scored in the first inning for the 15th time this season through the first 22 games.
- Macee Eaton’s RBI in the first inning was her 30th of the season as she leads the team in the category.
- Kelly Ayer extended her hit streak to nine games, while Macee Eaton and Bella Cabral each extended their active hit streaks to seven games. Cabral has reached base safely in 13 straight games.
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“I’m proud of how we came and competed out of the gate with intent and were intentional about our plan. We executed that well and I’m proud of the offense putting the runs up on the board early. The next phase is how do we keep runs off the board and how do we attack their offense a little more cleanly. This is a competitive series. Not only is it the Commonwealth Clash and an in-state rivalry, but it’s two really good teams going at it. This was an intense game one. We’re gonna go back to the tape, get to work and get ready to go in game two.”
UP NEXT
Virginia and Virginia Tech continue the series on Saturday with a 2 p.m. first pitch at the Tech Softball Park.
