West Virginia NIT Champions Wear Misspelled T-Shirts
Friday, March 30, 2007

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Ouch! These T-shirts are hardly worthy of the NIT champions.

They say "West Virgina." That's right, no "i" before the "a."

The Mountaineers wore them anyway after their 78-73 victory over Clemson on Thursday night, their first NIT title in 65 years.

WVU sports information director Shelly Poe said the NIT printed the shirts. Calls to tournament officials were not immediately returned Friday.

West Virginia coach John Beilein was heading to the Final Four in Atlanta on Friday and could not be reached for comment.

 

Pair of top lax teams invade Klockner
Virginia plays host to Maryland men, Duke women today
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
March 31, 2007

Since a last-second loss to Drexel in the season opener on Feb. 18, the Virginia men’s lacrosse team has won seven straight games.

Since a humbling nine-goal loss to North Carolina on March 17, the UVa women’s team has reeled off three straight victories.

Today at Klockner Stadium, both squads will look to keep things rolling - but it probably won’t be easy.

The second-ranked men’s team (7-1, 0-0 ACC) plays eighth-ranked Maryland at 3 p.m. in its league opener, while the fourth-ranked women’s team (9-1, 2-1) takes on fifth-ranked Duke at noon. Both Maryland and Duke made it to their respective Final Fours last season.

“I’m happy that we can create an atmosphere where both teams are playing [on the same day at home],” said Virginia men’s coach Dom Starsia. “I think it’s good for the fans.”

Starsia’s squad, which is coming off a gritty 7-5 win over Johns Hopkins last Saturday, had its way with Maryland last season. Virginia easily defeated the Terrapins - once in the regular season, and then in the final of the ACC Tournament.

But UVa is a different team this year, and so is Maryland - perhaps more well-balanced after the departure of All-American Joe Walters, whom the Terrapins seemed to rely on a little too much at times.

Maryland (7-2, 1-1) has lost a lot of its scoring punch from last year, but Starsia believes the Terrapins are beginning to come around offensively, as evidenced by their 14-8 win over North Carolina last Saturday.

“We’ll have to be attentive and alert,” Starsia said. “It will be more of a chore like we faced against Towson than what we faced against Hopkins or Syracuse in terms of them just coming after us.”

Maryland has been stout on the defensive end. In its win over UNC, the Terrapins - who are only giving up seven goals per game - held the Tar Heels scoreless for a 24-minute stretch.

How much Maryland can contain Virginia junior Ben Rubeor, whose 29 goals are the most in Division I, will be a huge factor.

“They’re probably the best defensive team we’re going to face all year,” Starsia said. “They have a strong tradition of being a team that likes to get after you physically and takes pride in their defense. It’s a great challenge for us.”

Defense is certainly one area where Virginia women’s coach Julie Myers would like to see her team improve. While pleased with UVa’s 16-13 win over sixth-ranked James Madison on Wednesday, Myers wasn’t happy with giving up so many goals, including six to the Dukes’ Annie Wagner.

In addition, Virginia was sometimes sloppy with the ball, committing 12 turnovers.

That won’t fly against Duke (8-1, 1-1), which is coming off a 16-7 win over Virginia Tech last Friday.

“We need to be able to handle the pressure a little better,” Myers said. “Duke is going to be [playing] pressure defense, and we need to make sure that we cherish [possessions] and use them to our advantage. I don’t think in the last couple of games we’ve handled pressure too well.

“We need to get it in our heads that, ‘This is how people are going to defend us and this is how we need to attack it.’”

In the win over JMU, Virginia jumped out to a quick lead thanks to its dominance on draw controls. Brittany Kalkstein and Kaitlin Duff are ranked first and second in the country in that category.

Last season, Virginia defeated Duke twice, including a 13-8 win in the ACC Championship game.

“Revenge is not a word that is in my vocabulary,” said Duke coach Kerstin Kimel on the school’s web site. “Obviously, we respect Virginia a lot, and when you think about last year and you think about revenge, I think it’s taking the focus off of the game plan and this year’s team.”

 

Thompson brushes off scare, mows down Hokies
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
March 31, 2007

BLACKSBURG - English Field grew eerily silent as Jacob Thompson went to the ground in agony.

After bouncing off the mound to successfully field a grounder in the fifth, Virginia’s ace threw his hands over his face as his coach, Brian O’Connor, sprinted onto the field.

Luckily for Virginia, it was merely a footnote in another outstanding start for the sophomore.

Thompson scattered six hits over seven innings as UVa topped Virginia Tech, 3-1, marking the seventh straight win for the Cavaliers in the series.

“I was afraid Jacob did something to his ankle or his groin,” O’Connor said. “We are dealing with some injuries now, and you don’t want your Friday starter to go down.

“Fortunately, he was OK and came back and pitched great baseball.”

With the win, Virginia improved to 25-5 overall and 6-4 in the ACC. Virginia Tech dropped to 15-12 overall and 4-7 in league play.

Thompson (7-0) brushed off the scary moment, calling it a “minor strain” in his groin, quickly shifting his thoughts to the defensive performance of his teammates - Virginia turned three double plays in the game.

“I think I have taken my defense for granted at times,” Thompson said. “They really helped me out today.”

O’Connor said Thompson’s arsenal of pitches helps induce ground balls.

“Jacob has a good downward breaking ball, and he pitches inside and has good velocity, and those things usually lead to double plays,” O’Connor said. “I am surprised he hasn’t gotten more. Our defense played really well today and if you are going to win on the road you have to pitch well and play great defense.

“We did that today and had one big inning and held on.”

The big inning came in the second against Virginia Tech starter Greg Fryman.

After back-to-back singles from Beau Seabury and Patrick Wingfield, Tim Henry delivered a double and scored on a single from Greg Miclat, who extended his career-best hitting streak to 19 games.

Fryman (2-4) kept the Cavaliers off the board for the remainder of the game as he hurled the Hokies first complete game of the season.

“We just couldn’t get some big hits in a row,” O’Connor said. “We hit a lot of balls hard … but we just didn’t have anything to show for it. That’s going to happen in the game of baseball.”

Virginia closer Casey Lambert earned his seventh save of the season by pitching a perfect ninth. In fact, Lambert struck out the side by throwing 10 straight breaking balls.

“I did that once before, but it took 12 pitches,” Lambert said. “I feel really good on the mound right now.”

Virginia and Virginia Tech will play the second game of the series today at 1 p.m. when the Cavs throw freshman Matt Packer against Hokies senior Andrew Wells.

 

Spirits up at UVa, Tech
Coming into their three-game series, the Hokies and Cavs feel good about their seasons.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

At 5-4 and 4-5, Virginia and Virginia Tech hardly have ACC baseball records that would wow anybody -- unless you look at their schedules.

In the first three weekends of conference play, both Tech and UVa played two three-game series on the road, with their one home series against a 2006 College World Series participant.

"I do like where we stand," UVa coach Brian O'Connor said Thursday. "To go 4-2 against two teams [North Carolina and Miami] that were in the College World Series last year is nothing to be ashamed of."

O'Connor knew that March would be a pivotal month for the Cavaliers, who play three of their first four ACC series on the road, including a trip to Virginia Tech for the first of three games at 3 p.m. today.

The Hokies (15-11, 4-5 ACC) were a preseason choice for fifth place in the ACC's Coastal Division but opened the season by winning two out of three games at Georgia Tech.

Virginia Tech won one out of three games in each of its next two series, including a visit last weekend from then-No. 4 North Carolina.

"To be 4-5 with a team that went 4-25 last year and was 0-15 on the road in the ACC, I feel pretty decent about it," first-year Tech coach Peter Hughes said.

Moreover, Tech was without its best starter, senior David Cross, for two of those three weekends. On Thursday, Hughes learned that Cross (1-2, 2.89 ERA) will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ligament in his elbow.

"Not good," Hughes said. "Not good for us."

In Cross' absence, Hughes is using redshirt senior Adam Redd as his Sunday starter. Redd, exclusively a pitcher until this year, now doubles as a DH. He's hitting a team-high .392 as a clean-up hitter.

Another fifth-year pitcher, left-hander Andrew Wells, allowed one unearned run in seven innings Saturday in Tech's 6-3 win over UNC.

"You just don't see fifth-year seniors in college baseball and we've got a million of them," Hughes said. "When you see that many fifth-year kids, it's usually one of two things. Either they've been injured or they weren't really talented."

Wells pitched only eight innings in each of the past two seasons.

"He was a high-profile kid coming out of high school," Hughes said. "He threw 91, 92 [mph] from the left side, got drafted out of high school and had nothing but injuries after showing up on campus -- Tommy John [surgery] and everything. To see a kid have some success when his career could have passed without any hint of success is awesome."

Hughes spent eight seasons at Boston College before replacing Tech coach Chuck Hartman, who retired after 28 seasons. It is rare for head coaches in any sport to leave one ACC program for another, but O'Connor wasn't surprised.

"I don't think BC has had a home game yet," said O'Connor, speaking to the harshness of the New England spring weather.

Said Hughes: "No, they haven't. They haven't been on the field yet. That's the way it always was."

By comparison, Blacksburg has been almost balmy.

"It's not like this every March?" Hughes said. "You know what? I think we practiced indoors maybe three days from the second week of January on. Our guys are battle-tested. They're weather-tested. We practice in 25-degree weather outdoors for three hours, so our guys can handle anything."

Tech is likely to improve on last year's 20-33 record despite a staff ERA of 5.93. The Hokies already have lost games by scores of 11-0, 15-3, 19-4 and 13-1. For the season, they have been outscored by 28 runs.

"Our pitching staff is very thin," Hughes said. "When one game gets out of hand, you just kind of cut your losses and try to win the next day."

Sixth-ranked Virginia (24-5, 5-4) comes to town with a 2.76 staff ERA and a .349 team batting average, compared to Tech's .296. The Cavaliers are second in the ACC in both categories.

"There's not much credibility to those polls," Hughes said, "but, if they're not the fifth or sixth team in the country, I don't know who is. That's legit."
 

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Mar 31, 2007

SEASONED PRO: This time last year, Jeffrey Fitzgerald was a football player who hadn't played in a game since November 2003, his junior season at Hermitage High. Now, as he heads into his redshirt sophomore season at U.Va., he's an all-ACC candidate.

It's almost hard to quantify, Virginia coach Al Groh says, how far Fitzgerald has come in the past year.

"Whatever the difference is, it's so substantial, and it's so visible," Groh said. "He's seen it all now. It's just a question of developing his skills. Last year every look was new, and every experience was a new one. He was really coming in about as cold to that position as you could."

Fitzgerald, a 6-3, 280-pound defensive end, was named a first-team Freshman All-American by several publications in 2006. He started all 12 games and led the Cavaliers with six sacks. He tied for the team lead with 12 tackles for loss and returned a fumble for a touchdown against Duke.

Asked after a recent practice if he qualified as a grizzled veteran, Fitzgerald laughed.

"A whole lot has changed since last year, but I'm not quite a vet," he said. "But I have to have that mentality, because I don't have time for rookie mistakes."

Spring practice in 2006 "was more of a learning experience," Fitzgerald said. "Now I'm trying to perfect skills and even learn some more. A lot's changed since last camp."

Fitzgerald missed his senior season at Hermitage with a knee injury and then redshirted at U.Va. in 2005. He didn't know what to expect last season.

"Once I got out there, I just realized it was football again," he said.

CATCHING ON? Of the safeties listed on the two-deep, two will be seniors this season: starter Nate Lyles and reserve Jamaal Jackson. Lyles' replacement in 2008 may well be Brandon Woods, who'll be a redshirt sophomore this season.

Woods, a converted wide receiver, stands 6-2 and weighs about 215 pounds. His transition from offense and defense didn't always go smoothly last season, though, and he was used primarily on special teams.

"This is one of the projects for the spring," Groh said of Woods, who played at Southern High in Durham, N.C., with Maurice Covington, now a starting wideout at U.Va.

"We have a real good-sized, tough player who can run well. The whole key back there is getting enough looks for him to feel comfortable ... He was just kind of a guy running around out there last year. He was impressive doing that, as long as he didn't have a destination to arrive at."

STATUS QUO: As a redshirt junior in 2006, wide receiver Emmanuel Byers had 10 catches for 92 yards. Groh opted not to invite Byers back for a fifth year, though, and said yesterday that he hasn't reconsidered that decision in the wake of starting wideout Kevin Ogletree's injury.

Ogletree tore a ligament in his knee during practice March 23 and is likely to miss the 2007 season.

Asked yesterday if Mikell Simpson might move to wide receiver full time, Groh said the rising sophomore from Harrisburg, Pa., would continue to work at tailback, too.

STEPPING UP: Before spring drills began, Groh raised the possibility of redshirting Aaron Clark in the fall. Clark, a 245-pound outside linebacker, was in for 114 plays a true freshman in 2005 but for only 16 last season.

The 6-5 Clark has a large frame and might be able to carry enough weight to play defensive end. But Groh indicated this week that Clark has solidified his position as the No. 3 outside linebacker and so is likely to play in 2007.

"Aaron is really showing that, after two falls and a spring, the multiple things outside linebackers have to do are starting to click in reactively for him," Groh said. "That's a process they all have to go through."

U.Va.'s starters at outside linebacker are rising junior Clint Sintim and rising senior Jermaine Dias. Also at the position are John-Kevin Dolce, Denzell Burrell and Olu Hall, who began practicing this weekend. Those three "would really have to come on to pass [Clark]," Groh said.

EXPANDED ROLE: Since Vicqual Hall left Gretna for Charlottesville in 2005, U.Va. football fans have been clamoring for Groh to use him. They're likely to see Hall on the field more this season.

Hall, a rising sophomore who was a record-setting quarterback at Gretna High, is battling rising junior Mike Brown for the starting job at one cornerback spot. (Chris Cook has locked up the other.) No matter who wins the job, Brown and Hall could well both play in U.Va.'s nickel package.

Moreover, Hall will be the holder on field goals and extra points, and he's been working at punt-returner this spring, too, along with Brown and wide receiver Chris Dalton, Groh said.

- Jeff White
 

NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Jason Snelling, FB, Virginia
by Michael Abromowitz, 3/30/07. Is he a fullback or a running back? If you ask Virginia's coach Al Groh, he would tell you that Jason Snelling is both. Snelling played most of his career for the Cavaliers as its fullback blocking for ACC career touchdown leader and current Houston Texan, Wali Lundy. With Lundy gone, Snelling became the team's starting running back this past season rushing for 7 touchdowns. He finished his career at UVA rushing the ball 183 times for a 4.8 avg per carry. Snelling is also a strong receiver, catching 84 passes in his career.

What is your accurate height, weight and forty time?
Jason Snelling: 5”11, 230lbs, and 4.7

What position do you expect to play in the NFL?
Jason Snelling: Running back or fullback

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a football player and what area do you feel you need to improve in?
Jason Snelling: Greatest strength are my hands and my versatility. I can work on my initial bursts.

What NFL player do you do you think you compare favorably to?
Jason Snelling: Lawrence Taylor

Who is the best player you have faced during your career?
Jason Snelling: There are too many of them to name

What is your greatest football moment to date?
Jason Snelling: Just coming out of the tunnel on my first college game.

Did you have a favorite pro team growing up? Favorite player?
Jason Snelling: Giants and Randy Johnson

When you get your first professional paycheck what is the first thing you will buy?
Jason Snelling: Something for my parents

How have you been preparing and training since the end of your college season?
Jason Snelling: Right before Christmas I went down to Florida to train with Coach Tom Shaw. I trained with him through the East West Game and the Combine. After the Combine I came back to UVA to train for my Pro Day.

Do you have any goals in mind when it comes to the NFL Draft?
Jason Snelling: I consider it a blessing to be drafted anywhere

What is the one thing you will most miss at college?
Jason Snelling: The friendships and bonds I have with my teammates and coaches. It’s pretty cool.

Where is the best place to get a bite to eat in Charlottesville?
Jason Snelling: Zocalo's

What was your favorite college course?
Jason Snelling: Anthropology 250 (health and black folks) because I liked the course and the professor.

What have former college teammates now in the NFL told you about preparing for the league?
Jason Snelling: To basically handle it like I handled it throughout college although it is much more of a business.

With AL Groh (UVA’s head coach) as a former NFL head coach, what advice has he given you for the NFL?
Jason Snelling: That I should stay versatile and be willing to do whatever for the team.

Any pregame rituals? Food? Music?
Jason Snelling: No, I just like to go one-on-one with my teammates.

What is something football fans may not know about you?
Jason Snelling: I like to cook.

Do you read mock drafts or what draft experts have to say?
Jason Snelling: Naw, I don't pay any attention

What do you plan to do once your playing career is over?
Jason Snelling: Relax with my family and hopefully be involved in the restaurant business.

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions and good luck!
Jason Snelling: Thank you