UVa's non-revenue dominators: Lacrosse, baseball and tennis
Three Virginia teams currently boast a No. 1 ranking.
By Doug Doughty | The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- It was only fitting that Stephen Bruno knocked in the winning run Friday night for Virginia's baseball team and that Shamel Bratton shared Cavalier high-scoring honors Saturday in men's lacrosse action.

Both players wear No. 1 for their respective teams, and that seems to be the operative number at UVa this spring.

It might have seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime feat when three UVa teams were ranked No. 1 during the week starting March 7, but here it is, three weeks later, and Cavalier baseball, men's lacrosse and men's tennis teams still stand atop the polls.

"I suspect there has been a time when Virginia has had three No. 1 teams in the same year," said Gene Corrigan, a past UVa athletic director and ACC commissioner who was in attendance at Friday's men's lacrosse game. "But three No. 1 teams at the same time? That's incredible."

Two were in action on adjoining fields Saturday, when the UVa men's lacrosse team faced off with perennial national power Johns Hopkins at noon at Klockner Stadium. That was followed by a baseball doubleheader between the Cavaliers and Clemson at Davenport Field.

The UVa men's tennis team was off Saturday after defeating visiting Miami 7-0 on Friday at the Boar's Head Inn. The Cavaliers play most of their matches on campus at the Synder Tennis Center, but may be forced indoors again today against 22nd-ranked Florida State. Virginia has won 51 straight matches against ACC opponents and has won six conference championships in the last seven years under ninth-year coach Brian Boland. After suffering a rare in-season loss this year, Virginia won its third straight National Indoor Championship, at which point it ascended to the No. 1 spot.

"We have spent more time at No. 1 since 2006 probably than any other team in the country," Boland said. "To be completely candid, we've spent so much time at No. 1 that some weeks I don't even check. It's all about how you finish, not how you start."

Boland's team carries a 23-1 record into its meeting with the Seminoles.

The Virginia men's lacrosse team, which has been ranked No. 1 since defeating 2009 national champion Syracuse on March 7, improved its record to 9-0 with a 15-6 victory over Johns Hopkins on Saturday.

The Cavaliers have been ranked No. 1 on dozens of occasions under 18th-year head coach Dom Starsia. Virginia also has won three national championships under Starsia, who admits that his UVa coaching colleagues have set a high standard this season.

"There's a little bit of a competition in the department," said Starsia after UVa's game Saturday. "That thought occurred to me as we prepared for this game. If we had lost today to a good Hopkins team, I wouldn't have been too happy walking around if [Brian] O'Connor keeps winning and Boland keeps winning."

O'Connor's baseball team raised its record to 20-4 on Saturday night by beating No. 6 Clemson 3-1 in the second game of a double header. It should be noted that there are at least five college baseball polls, four recognized by the ACC, and the Cavaliers are ranked first in only two of those. But, Virginia has been ranked No. 1 in one poll or another for five consecutive weeks.

That streak was in jeopardy after Clemson snapped a 2-2 tie in the seventh inning Saturday and went on to beat Virginia 8-5 in the first game. That was the first smudge on a UVa day that included victories by the Cavaliers' third-ranked rowing team and fifth-ranked women's lacrosse team (at No. 3 Duke).

"All the Olympic sports [teams], we're pretty close," said UVa lacrosse player Max Pomper, a fifth-year senior. "We share the same training rooms, the same weight rooms. We definitely cross paths with the tennis team and the baseball team, so we're real proud of the work they're doing."

For the most part, they're respectful but somewhat superstitious. Boland said he can't remember a specific conversation with O'Connor or Starsia about their matching No. 1 rankings.

"The only time it comes up is when I try to give O'Connor a hard time, which is what I try to do just about every time that I see him," said Boland, who lives on the same street. "Razz him a little bit and let him know that finishing anything but first is completely unacceptable.

"But the problem is, when I say that to him, the comebacks are pretty tough. We've lost to the eventual national champion four of the last five years. It just happens that we've run into some hot teams."

Boland said that his current team is as good as any he has coached.

"I really want Boland to finish it off; they've been so good," Starsia said. "Did he tell you that I recruited [former NCAA singles champion] Somdev Devvarman? When Somdev was in high school, I met with him. Talked to him in my office for two hours. Boland wasn't even in town."

Virginia's Olympic sports teams are also linked in the Cavaliers' high finish in the Learfield Directors' Cup, which measures all-around athletic performance. UVa was second after the fall, thanks to a national championship by the men's soccer team, which finished the year No. 1.

"There is such a conflict at a school like this when football and [men's] basketball aren't good," Starsia said. "Some people look down their noses at success in Olympic sports, but for those of us who are part of it, it's very real."

Sylven Landesberg planned to go pro throughout sophomore year

Virginia guard Sylven Landesberg's decision to leave school was not related to a season-ending suspension, according to interviews with both Sylven Landesberg and Steve Landesberg, Sylven's father. Both said Sylven Landesberg's intent all along was to leave Virginia after his sophomore season and try his hand at professional basketball.

“My mind was pretty set,” Sylven Landesberg said Saturday in his first interview since the season-ending suspension and the university’s announcement that he was going to pursue a professional career. “I told my father before the season that I’m pretty sure I’m going to leave after this year. I think I’m ready. Last year, I had the opportunity as well to leave. A lot of people were asking me what I was going to do, and in my heart I felt there were a lot of things I need to work on, like work on my jump shot, because I didn’t feel like it was consistent enough last year, and other aspects of my game. I came back this year, and improved a lot of the little things I needed to work on. The things I improved, that I needed to, I got a little better. That’s what I needed to solidify to be a player on the next level.”

Landesberg returned to New York for workouts last summer, including invitation-only games at the New York Athletic Club with professional basketball players. The performances helped convince Landesberg of his professional prospects.

"The NBA is a lot different from the college game,” Sylven said. ”College game is a lot more help defense. I learned that from playing with the pros. It's a little more tougher to score in the college level than on the NBA level. I feel like you have to be talented, you have to be able to make one-on-one moves and knock your shot down. I feel like it's more open. That's the kind of game I like to play. When I was playing at the New York Athletic Club, I was doing very well in that area. After I was doing well with the pros, they were going back to their teams and they were talking to their general managers about their people over there, telling them about me. That's where a lot of attention toward me started coming, from word-of-mouth with NBA players I played against. I felt like I was able to play at that level."

Sylven Landesbger articulated this to his father before the season. Steve Landesberg told his son that if he felt strongly about his decision, he should “follow his heart.”

"It's something that's been his lifelong dream to play in the NBA," Steve Landesberg said. "And when you're young, you want the world today. You don't want to wait till tomorrow. That's basically the theme going back to school all year. Unfortunately, it didn't end up so nicely. I wish it didn't end this year with all the negative talk. It wasn't very good for anyone. It wasn't good for Sylven. Wasn't good for Coach [Tony] Bennett, who's a very nice guy. We like Coach Bennett and Sylven likes Coach Bennett and Coach Bennett likes Sylven. ... Moving ahead, Sylven's goal was going to the NBA. And that's the plan now."

Steve pointed out that Bill Gates left college early and when you walk into Virginia's university bookstore, there are shirts on sale with Edgar Allan Poe and the word "dropout" below.

"You're not going to be the first one to have dropped out of Virginia," Steve Landesberg told his son. "If they want to vilify you, what can you do?"

Sylven Landesberg emphasized that he did not have a sour relationship with nor hard feelings for Bennett. Steve Landesberg said that Bennett and the season-ending suspension because of academics were not related to his son's decision to leave. Bennett has been in communication with the Landesberg family, and Sylven Landesberg said he is thankful that he got to play for Bennett and would only say positive things to others if they asked about his former coach.

"We want to make that clear: There is no hate between us and Tony," Steve said. "Sylven didn't go to classes....There's no secret about that. I wish Sylven had had a better relationship with Tony so could have been a little more honest and told him upfront and Tony could have straightened him out a little bit, but we had a very good relationship with Tony. And to this day, I'll say Tony presents himself exactly as he is. He's a decent, good guy. And people support us, they should also realize that we like Tony. They shouldn't take anything out on Tony."

Sylven Landesberg did not want to comment on his suspension, only confirming that he skipped class because he planned to leave school early.

Bennett had established rules for the team, Steve Landesberg said, and that Bennett "did what he felt he had to do." Steve Landesberg did want to comment on his son's punishment because that was Bennett's decision to make.

Both Steve Landesberg and his son have heard both negative comments and words of support from the team's fans.

Steve Landesberg also said that his son had the option of coming back. Steve Landesberg met with athletic department officials, and they conveyed the option of a return. Steve Landesberg also made sure his son understood he could return to Virginia.

"He already had made up his mind when he went back to school that…he wanted to try the professional career," Steve said. "That was the bottom line. Look, he's 19 years old. He's younger than a lot of guys who are freshmen in college. He's a sophomore. If he had known it would have ended this way, he would have gone to classes and done what he was supposed to have done. He's not a bad kid....He has a good heart. He didn't want to cause anyone any harm. He feels bad that he disappointed his teammates because he was suspended from the team. That hurt him."

Steve Landesberg said whatever city, team and organization ends up with his son "will be happy to have him there," and Sylven Landesberg has interest in returning to Virginia to work out during summers and be associated with the school. Bennett emphasized that Sylven Landesberg is always welcome back. Sylven considers his teammates “family” and has great affection for the Virginia fans.

"We left it like this: We have no hard feelings with Tony. Tony is a good guy, and people should know he's a good guy," Steve said. "Sometimes when you make decisions and they're controversial, you're not going to have 100 percent of the people behind you. An easy decision, you have everyone behind you. A controversial decision, you have people for you, and people against you. It's unfortunate some people took sides against Tony and took sides against us. They should look at the situation for what it was."

Sylven Landesberg has been training for the past few weeks with various professional trainers for about five hours per day from Mondays to Saturdays. He has not yet signed with an agent, although he said he receives calls “all the time” from agents and “it’s getting a little out of control.” Steve Landesberg said the fact that some of the NBA’s top agents are pursuing his son is validation of his draft prospects.

The feedback they have received about Sylven Landesberg's professional prospects is "very optimistic." Steve said they've spoken to people "in the know" who said he's "definitely a professional player" and could fall in the late first round or second round of the NBA draft. Sylven Landesberg also has a European passport -- his father is of Austrian descent -- so Europe is an option as a backup plan.

"He will be able to support himself," Steve said. "All ideas aren't 100 percent. But if the good in an idea outweighs the bad, it's a good idea."

By Zach Berman

Hamilton takes official visit to UVa
By Whitey Reid
Published: March 27, 2010

Virginia coach Tony Bennett hasn’t wasted any time in trying to use some of his newfound roster space.

The Daily Progress has learned that former Iowa State basketball big man Justin Hamilton is in Charlottesville taking an official visit.

Hamilton, who was on hand at Saturday’s Virginia-Johns Hopkins lacrosse game with the UVa coaching staff, averaged 6.4 points and 5. 4 rebounds for Iowa State this past season.

Hamilton, a Utah native, is listed at 6-foot-11, 255 pounds and would give Bennett the big body that it lost when John Brandenburg transferred to Colgate last summer.

Hamilton, reportedly, is also considering LSU and UCLA. He would have to sit out the 2010-11 season, per NCAA transfer rules.

Iowa State, which went 15-17 and 4-12 in the Big 12, is in disarray.
Leading scorer Craig Brackins recently announced he will bypass his senior season and make himself eligible for the 2010 NBA draft.

In addition, guard Dominique Buckley announced that he is transferring.

Hamilton started 32 games this past season, but said he wanted to play closer to home—a somewhat curious statement, given the schools he is considering.

“I appreciate everything the Cyclone Nation has done for me,” Hamilton told Cyclones.com. “The fan base, my teammates and the support of the community at ISU has been incredible, but I just feel I need to be at a school closer to home where my family will have a better opportunity to watch me play.

“I appreciate everything Coach [Greg] McDermott and the coaching staff has done for me. They have helped me improve as a player and person.”

Look 'Hoos in the 7-5-7
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/28/2010
By Jeff White

NORFOLK -- At Old Dominion University's S.B. Ballard Stadium, Demetrius "Pete" Allen stood on the sideline Saturday afternoon, looking as fit and trim as when he bedeviled would-be tacklers as a UVa football player in '90s.

What this graduate of Norfolk's Granby High saw on the field in front of him pleased him. So did the scene in the stands behind him.

"I think it shows they're really serious about having a presence down here in Hampton Roads," said Allen, a graduate of Norfolk's Granby High. "And as you can see, I think people are excited about it."

For years, UVa has asked players and fans from the state's Tidewater region -- popularly known these days as the "7-5-7" -- to travel to Charlottesville. On this cool, sunny spring day, the Cavaliers came to the 7-5-7.

"It was homecoming for us," said all-ACC cornerback Ras-I Dowling, who grew up in Chesapeake.

On ODU's Foreman Field, the Wahoos and their new head coach, Mike London, held a combination practice/scrimmage before about 2,100 appreciative fans.

"We're trying to raise the level of enthusiasm and support down here," said London, a graduate of Hampton's Bethel High.

During a break in the action, London took the microphone from his boss, Craig Littlepage. Virginia's athletics director had thanked the crowd for turning out, and London echoed those comments.

"I need you," London told the fans. "We need you. We appreciate your support, and we appreciate the high school coaches who came out this morning. We want to live in this area."

Earlier in the day, the staffs from ODU and UVa had put on a clinic that drew about 80 high school coaches.

The response from fans and coaches alike was "fantastic," said London. "The high school coaches that came to the clinic, I appreciate that. And when fans come out and they cheer you, and the players feel that kind of appreciation, then they play hard.

"We're trying to cultivate our fan base, get them back, get them behind us again and hopefully make the Virginia faithful proud of us."

During the '90s, many of UVa's best players, from Terry Kirby to Chris Slade to Aaron Brooks to Skeet Jones to Aaron Mundy, were from Tidewater. For the past decade, however, Virginia Tech has dominated recruiting in that region. Not coincidentally, perhaps, the Hokies have also dominated their series with the Cavaliers during that span.

"There's great football all over the Hampton Roads area," Allen said, "and I think we lost our presence down here. I'm just glad Coach London is making an effort to get down here."

So are the players on UVa's roster who grew up in the 7-5-7. Outside linebacker LaRoy Reynolds, a graduate of Norfolk's Maury High, said he had a cheering section of about 60 friends and relatives Saturday.

"A lot of people haven't seen us play, haven't really seen me play in awhile," said Reynolds, a rising sophomore. "It was a good experience coming down here in this atmosphere, just enjoying the moment. We're just having the time of our lives down here."

Reynolds' classmates include wideout Tim Smith and tailback Perry Jones, graduates of Chesapeake's Oscar Smith High.

"I was born and raised in the 7-5-7," Smith said. "It was a big for me. My whole family was out here, a lot of friends, a lot of people who watched me at Oscar Smith. It just felt like home to me."

Jones said: "It was a great experience, coming back and seeing a lot of people I know who used to follow me."

Virginia's spring game is April 10 at Scott Stadium. Some of the fans at ODU on Saturday may have expected a preview of that game, but for about 90 minutes, the 'Hoos split up and worked in groups on different parts of the field. Before the more crowd-pleasing portion of the afternoon took place -- the 11-on-11 work -- there were special-teams drills and position drills.

"I accomplished what I wanted to do on the field," London said. "I know people maybe thought it was going to be a 'scrimmage' scrimmage, but I had to get in practice situations that sometimes don't normally happen in a scrimmage.

"So I took care of that, and we got a lot of work in that way, and then the scrimmage kind of was the icing on the cake in terms of now putting them in positions with the officials back there, just 11 on 11 and all that. I'm pleased coming out of here knowing that there's some good things that happened, but like always you have to improve and get better at other things."

The team left Charlottesville on Friday afternoon. They traveled to Norfolk by bus and stayed in a local hotel Friday night.

"ODU was very hospitable for letting us use their facilities today, and I was very impressed," quarterback Marc Verica said. "This is a very nice stadium, very nice locker room. And then another thing about today was it gave our younger guys a chance to kind of get that feeling of an away game, to go on the road and stay in a hotel and prepare and play. So that simulation was a very valuable aspect of today."

Verica, who'll be a fifth-year senior, is from the Philadelphia area -- the 6-1-0, if you will -- but he understands why UVa's coaching staff is targeting Tidewater.

"I think 7-5-7 kind of transcends more than just an area code," Verica said. "It's almost become more of like a culture and a lifestyle that a lot of people like to represent from this area. And they seem to historically produce some pretty good talent, and I think it's wise for us to try and tap into this region more, because there's definitely a wealth of kids coming out of this region."

At the end of the scrimmage, the players gathered at midfield. Then they turned to face to the stands and raised their helmets. The fans returned the salute with cheers.

Tidewater isn't the only part of the state, of course, that produces gifted football players, and London said UVa may hold similar events in Richmond and Northern Virginia in years to come.

"We're doing to do it again," he said. "It's just a question of where and when."

Among the coaches on the sideline Saturday was Tommy Reamon of Virginia Beach's Landstown High. At Gloucester High, Reamon coached Aaron Taliaferro, who's now a linebacker at UVa.

Reamon, who coached the Vick brothers at Warwick High in Newport News, has followed UVa football for many years. He's a big fan of London, who replaced Al Groh after the 2009 season.

"It's evident that there's a new spirit up there," Reamon said.


 

757 visit may be sign progress is Cavs' new calling card
Bob Molinaro
Virginian-Pilot sports columnist
The Virginian-Pilot
© March 28, 2010
NORFOLK

As the Virginia football team went through its paces, Mike Evans held up a cardboard sign in the sun-drenched bleachers at Foreman Field.

In blue ink, the small, handmade flashcard read simply, "757."

A 1967 U.Va. graduate and season ticket holder, Evans has carried the sign to every Virginia football game he's attended in recent years.

"Because I'm proud of the athletic accomplishments of our area," he explained. "And I'm trying to encourage Virginia to keep its eye on the ball as it pertains to recruiting. And because I want to embarrass my wife."

His wife wasn't with him Saturday as U.Va.'s players practiced and scrimmaged for two hours in a part of the state the football program has largely neglected in recent years.

"This," said Evans, pointing to the field, "is a signal that we're back in the region."

It was a sign, too, of fledgling coach Mike London's willingness to embrace out-of-the-box thinking.

"I need you, we need you," London said, speaking into a microphone to a crowd estimated at 2,000.

Another sign of U.Va.'s interest in reconnecting with Hampton Roads was the presence of athletics director Craig Littlepage, who also addressed the fans.

Later, London said to a group of reporters, "When you get a recruit from any area, you not only get the player, you get the whole community."

Or in the case of Hampton Roads, what's left over after Virginia Tech gets the best prospects.

U.Va. would like to change that by creating more competition for Frank Beamer's Hokies.

But Old Dominion could benefit, too, from Saturday's scrimmage. While 50 of the area's top high school recruits were invited to attend, the Cavaliers' coaching staff was not allowed contact with any of them.

It's a quiet period for recruiting, you see. But because the event was taking place at ODU, NCAA rules permitted the Monarchs staff to interact with the prospects.

Saturday morning at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, London and ODU coach Bobby Wilder and their staffs presided over a high school coaching clinic. At least 100 coaches reportedly were there.

In the afternoon, as he watched U.Va. go through its drills, Wilder said, "If we can be third in the state in recruiting behind U.Va. and Tech, we'll be happy."

Wilder is no shrinking violet. But we knew that. And now more people will know London means business when it comes to cultivating the 757.

"We want to make this our backyard," he told the cheering crowd.

About the practice and scrimmage, there's not much to say. Practices are mostly boring to watch. And when U.Va. went to a 7-on-7 passing drill, the results were less than spectacular.

London will run a power-I, ground-oriented offense and switch from Al Groh's 3-4 defense to a 4-3. While this makes for conversation between now and the opening game, it really doesn't matter what the new administration does at first - the team will take its lumps.

Fifth-year senior Marc Verica is the starting quarterback, perhaps by default. London will sift through a group of returning prospects and arriving freshmen for a backup and possible successor.

But the Cavaliers won't be shy, predicted London. "We're going to take our shots downfield."

When they do, Tim Smith, the wide receiver from Chesapeake's Oscar Smith High, will be a favorite target.

Smith, London said, is "going to be dynamic. He's about as fast as anybody in the ACC, so why wouldn't we throw the ball downfield?"

Almost everywhere you look on the roster, there's room for advancement. A player who hopes to move up is second-year linebacker LaRoy Reynolds of Norfolk's Maury High, who appeared before a large party of family and friends.

"A good 60 people here, just for the support and love," he said.

Evans took advantage of the occasion to mix with the team following the scrimmage until each member from the 757 autographed his well-worn placard.

Interesting public relations events don't win games. Not directly, anyway.

But judging from Saturday's scene, it would be hard to convince Evans and other U.Va. fans that they haven't seen a sign of progress.

Cavaliers football team shows off for 3,000 in Norfolk
By Michael Phillips
Published: March 28, 2010
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NORFOLK -- The football was sporadic, but for the fans in attendance, it was enough.

About 3,000 people ventured to S.B. Ballard Stadium yesterday to watch Virginia conduct an on-the-road spring practice. The goal was to raise awareness of Mike London's program in the state and among high school recruits, and the coach proclaimed it a success.

"If you're going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk," he said. "Hopefully, a gesture like this, and many more to follow, will show people we're interested in taking care of our home state."

He added that it's something that will be done again in the future and he'd like to consider other state sites.

For the players, it was also a simulated game trip. They bused down Friday night and held meetings at the hotel, just as they would on a game weekend.

"Some of the guys were getting anxious right before we took the field," quarterback Marc Verica said. "It was like we were playing a real game instead of scrimmaging ourselves."

The session was a far cry from a real game, though. The first hour was devoted to skill work, including sessions divided by position.

After London and director of athletics Craig Littlepage addressed the crowd, the football began, though most of the work involved the coaching staff dictating a down and distance, and running a corresponding play.

"People maybe thought it was going to be a scrimmage scrimmage," London said. "But we had to get in some practice situations that don't necessarily happen in a scrimmage. So we were able to do that at the start."

The crowd also included several recruits, who were prohibited from talking to the Virginia coaches by NCAA rules, and about 100 high school coaches who attended a coaching clinic earlier in the day.

For the final session, the squad broke out into rosters that included first and second teams. London explained the process.

"Basically if you played a lot last year, you got drafted to be a 1," he said. "But all these guys know that you're one evaluation away from being a 2 or 3 or whatever. No one should feel comfortable, since all positions are up for grabs."

Here's how the activities broke down, by unit:

Special teams: The top punting team of Jimmy Howell and long snapper Danny Aiken consistently outpunted the second unit, which was punter Logan Spangler and long snapper/tight end Brendan Lane. Returning kicks were Chase Minnifield on the first unit and Tim Smith on the second.

In the placekicking portion, all three candidates for the job got a handful of kicks. Robert Randolph had the best consistency, but missed short on his longest attempt, 49 yards. Chris Hinkebein showed off his leg, converting from that distance, but fell victim to bad snapping on several other attempts. Drew Jarrett was wide on a 23-yard field goal try.

Offense: Marc Verica looks to be the team's quarterback going into the fall. In the two-minute drill, he threw what seemed to be a remarkable game-winning pass to receiver Matt Snyder.

"That was an unbelievable play by Matt," he said. "The play broke down, so I tried to buy some time with my feet, get some separation, and get it to the end zone."

The play was called back because of an ineligible receiver downfield, though.

Redshirt freshman Ross Metheny also got a chance at the drill, but went 3-and-out, including a sack. True freshman Michael Strauss got several reps during the situational practices, with London saying Metheny and Strauss would be graded on a curve. "We've got to find a backup that can run the offense," he said.

Defense: The defensive unit got the better of the offense in all three drills where score was kept, though the defenders were saved by the penalty on Verica's drive. The first drill involved third-down situations, and the group made about twice as many stops as the offense had conversions.

The move to a 4-3 defense is in place, and yesterday was a glimpse at what the coaches hope is a faster unit, more capable of making game-changing plays.

It met with the approval of the fans in attendance, nearly all of whom stayed to the final whistle.

Cavs come calling on the 757
Virginia will hold an intrasquad football scrimmage today at Old Dominion's Foreman Field in Norfolk.
By Doug Doughty | The Roanoke Times

Once a target of an Old Dominion University coaching search, new Virginia football coach Mike London apparently has remained on cordial terms with the Monarchs.

The Cavaliers travelled to Norfolk on Friday in anticipation of a 1:30 p.m. intrasquad scrimmage today at ODU's Foreman Field.

When Virginia is done, Old Dominion will hold a scrimmage. Earlier in the day, the staffs will conduct a joint clinic for coaches from the southeastern part of the state commonly known by its area code, 757.

London said the idea was proposed by Jon Oliver, UVa's executive associate director of athletics.

"First of all, I wanted to find out if it was OK with the NCAA," London said, "and it was. It was approved. Part of it is, in the future we'd like to do things like this throughout the state."

Oliver said he did not know of another case where one school had held an intrasquad scrimmage on the campus of another school.

Virginia belongs to the Football Bowl Subdivision, previously known as I-A. Old Dominion plays at the I-AA level. The Cavaliers play two I-AA opponents next year and theoretically could face Old Dominion in the future, but the teams seldom compete for the same players.

Besides, they won't be playing each other today.

It is not unprecedented for a school to hold a scrimmage outside of its campus. The University of Southern Mississippi recently held a scrimmage at Greyhound Stadium at Ocean Springs (Miss.) High School, located 70 miles from the Golden Eagles' campus in Hattiesburg.

Virginia assistant athletic director for media relations Jim Daves pointed out that James Madison has used the UVa football practice field this spring during renovations at its stadium.

"The NCAA allows you to practice anywhere in your state or within 100 miles of your site if you go out of state," Daves said.

The idea to scrimmage at ODU wasn't the result of any great brainstorm, Oliver conceded.

"It actually came out of our search for our basketball coach and the need to re-establish ourselves in this particular part of the state," Oliver said. "It was only later that we thought, 'Why not take one of our practices down there?'"

In two seasons as the head coach at Richmond, London did not face Old Dominion, which did not resume football until this past fall. But, he certainly was aware of the program and one of his first hires as UVa coach was Chip West, previously the Monarchs' assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator.

Also, ODU has chosen former UVa aide Wood Selig as its new athletic director. Selig most recently was the athletic director at Western Kentucky.

Some of the state's top college prospects are expected to be on hand today, although Oliver said coaches have been told to be cognizant of NCAA rules against illegal bumps. If there is a recruiting benefit to be gained, Oliver said, it will be with coaches who attend the clinic.

"We're trying to show that Virginia's a little different now; we're trying to be accessible and available," said London, who recently showed up in Roanoke with his entire coaching staff.

"I also think it's a win-win for ODU. It's an opportunity for ODU to show off their facilities and perhaps bring some area players to campus who otherwise would not have come there."

London said he originally had a practice, the seventh of an allotted 15, scheduled for Friday. Instead he put everybody on buses, made the 150-mile trip to Norfolk, and checked into a hotel.

As a result, London skipped practice No. 7 and will conduct the eighth practice as originally scheduled. The Cavaliers will hold their annual spring game on April 10, then maybe hold one more practice during which they will devote time to some of their early opponents.

If today's event is seen as a success, London and Oliver both talked about going to other venues around the state. Indeed, UVa once held its spring game off campus, when the Cavaliers played at University of Richmond Stadium when Scott Stadium was being renovated in 1995.

University of Richmond Stadium was neither located on the UR campus, nor was it owned by the school. The Spiders will play at a new on-campus football stadium next year, but UVa hasn't played its last game at University of Richmond Stadium.

That will be the site of an April 10 exhibition between the Cavaliers' NCAA championship men's soccer team and the semi-pro Richmond Kickers.

U.Va. takes spring football show to Norfolk, plans similar outings
By Norm Wood 247-4642
March 28, 2010

NORFOLK -

* About 3,000 fans watched Virginia's practice at Foreman Field
* The Cavaliers will do this again, in a different part of the state
* This is U.Va.'s first spring practice under MIke London


As he stood near an end zone Saturday in Foreman Field after his team's scrimmage, Virginia football coach Mike London shook hands and accepted praise from well-wishers and fans for a successful venture at Old Dominion.

Well, almost everybody had something nice to say. Hungry and obviously ready to hit the road, one of London's young sons voiced his opinion about the day's proceedings: "Why'd you want to come all the way down to ODU to do this?"

London, a Bethel High graduate, smiled and gave the young man a hug. There wasn't much that could dampen London's spirits after giving an estimated 3,000 fans and recruits an inside look at his team for 2 1/2 hours, just a few miles away from his old Hampton stomping grounds.

As important as the day could end up being for raising awareness of his program in the Hampton Roads area, there was a more immediate calling in mind for London after the scrimmage was over. A rare dinner at his parents' home in Hampton was waiting.

"In about 20 minutes, I'm about to go across the bridge over there and get some black-eyed peas and things like that, so that's real meaningful," London said.

"It means a lot (to do the scrimmage at ODU). When you come from an area where you know a lot of great coaches and a lot of great players, you want to represent yourself well, because you represent a community that your parents still live in."

U.Va., which is in the midst of its first spring practice under London after going 3-9 last season in former coach Al Groh's final season, showed a little bit of everything to the gathered crowd. After opening the afternoon proceedings with a normal practice session, U.Va. split up into sides for a short scrimmage that featured a lot of first-team offense against first-team defense.

"Coming out, guys were almost anxious," quarterback Marc Verica said. "It was like we were getting ready to play another team, but we were just scrimmaging ourselves. It was a good experience for some of those young guys that had never been on the road before, because it kind of simulated that a little bit.

"It was definitely a worthwhile experience for a number of reasons, primarily for some more exposure across the state and to start building some better relationships in this area and bring this to them."

When the scrimmage was over, London was already prepared to make plans for an encore performance elsewhere in the state. After the Cavaliers failed to have more than half of their signees hail from the state of Virginia in six of their last eight recruiting classes, London knows getting U.Va. to be a fixture in state recruiting won't be an overnight process.

"Oh, we're going to do it again," London said. "It's just where now, whether it's Richmond, Northern Virginia or somewhere. I think it just makes good sense for us. I don't know about anybody else. We just kind of want to show we want to advance it forward. We want to do things out of the box a little bit here, but we want to play football. We need people's support and try to raise the level of enthusiasm and excitement. If (scrimmages like Saturday's at ODU) adds to it, then I'm all for it."

London wasn't the only U.Va. coach enjoying a sort of homecoming through Saturday's unique scrimmage atmosphere. Chip West, a Kecoughtan High graduate who is now U.Va.'s cornerbacks coach, was the assistant head coach, recruiting coordinator and defensive-backs coach last season at ODU.

"It's kind of surreal, you know?" West said regarding the experience of helping direct U.Va.'s scrimmage at Foreman Field. "It's a surreal kind of feeling, but it was wonderful. We got great crowd support and great support from the area high school coaches."

U.Va. defensive end Will Hill, a Lafayette High graduate, said he felt as if Saturday's experience had many elements of a home-game-type feel because he had several family members in attendance. But he added that the team looked at it as an opportunity to get used to foreign territory. U.Va.'s players and coaches arrived in Norfolk on Friday night and stayed in a hotel at Waterside.

"We considered this our first road game," Hill said. "We handled it, and our whole protocol was like it was a road game. As far as preparation-wise is concerned, I think it's going to pay dividends in the future."

Morgan Moses is still working to finish up at Fork Union and get to U.Va.

While I was running around today at Foreman Field gathering bits of pertinent U.Va. spring practice info and recruiting scoop here and there, I ran smack into a brick wall. That brick wall was named Morgan Moses.

Moses, a 6-foot-7, 345-pound offensive tackle from Fork Union Military Academy, signed a letter of intent in February with U.Va. He also signed with U.Va. in 2009, but had to head to FUMA to work on getting academically qualified.

He's still working on making the grade, as is fellow U.Va. signee Cody Wallace, a 6-5, 265-pound offensive tackle who's also at FUMA. Moses confirmed he and Wallace are both on track to get qualified, and both hope to head to Charlottesville as early as June.

"We've got a little more work to do, but it looks like we're making it," Moses said. "It's been a lot of hard work. I've been believing in myself. Coming to Fork Union was probably the best thing ever for me. It's really helped me get squared away academically and I've gotten to play at a college tempo. It's good for us. It's been real good."

For those that regularly follow recruiting, Moses is no hidden gem. He's a big-time name who in '09 was considered by most recruiting analysts to be one of the nation's top five offensive tackle prospects coming out of Meadowbrook High in Richmond. With his academic struggles, his recruiting rep has taken a minor hit, but his abilities haven't diminished.

Getting Moses in the fold would be a gargantuan boost for U.Va.'s '10 recruiting class. Imagine Moses and promising sophomore Oday Aboushi as U.Va.'s bookends at the tackle spots in a few seasons. I'm sure coach Mike London has had those very thoughts. Now, it's all up to Moses to finish the drill at FUMA.

Posted by Norman Wood

U.Va. depth chart observations from today's scrimmage at ODU

There weren't too many surprises in terms of depth chart positioning when U.Va. split into groups for today's scrimmage at ODU. Here's what I saw when U.Va. played its first team offense vs. its first team defense:

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB - Marc Verica, TB - Torrey Mack/Perry Jones, FB - Terence Fells-Danzer, WR's - Kris Burd, Tim Smith, Dontrelle Inman (also Matt Snyder when U.Va. went to a four WR look), TE - Colter Phillips (expected starter Joe Torchia is out for the spring while recovering from shoulder surgery and we didn't see an awful lot of tight end play in the scrimmage), LT - Landon Bradley, LG - Austin Pasztor, C - Anthony Mihota, RG - B.J. Cabbell, RT - Oday Aboushi

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DE - Cam Johnson, DT's - Nick Jenkins and John-Kevin Dolce, DE - Zane Parr, LB's - Bill Schautz, Aaron Taliaferro and Jared Detrick, CB's - Ras-I Dowling and Chase Minnifield, S's - Rodney McLeod and Dom Joseph

With U.Va. nearly two weeks into spring practice, coach Mike London said he and his staff didn't take a real scientific approach when selecting first teamers for today's scrimmage. The staff is still in evaluation mode.

"It was basically if you played a lot last year, you got drafted (for the scrimmage) to be a (first-teamer), but all these guys know that you're an evaluation away from being a (second or third-teamer) or whatever," London said. "No one feels comfortable at a position, particularly coming out of this (scrimmage) when we re-evaluate what's going on. No one should feel comfortable because all positions are up for grabs."

Well, that's probably a little coach-speak there. It's safe to say nobody is going to threaten Dowling or McLeod at their respective spots...though McLeod did have one rough patch today.

Don't ask me to give you the precise scoring system used for the scrimmage. Rest assured it had nothing to do with how teams normally accumulate points in a football game. Anyway, as the first team offense vs. first team defense portion of the scrimmage came to a close, the defense held a 19-14 advantage.

On the final play, the offense was sitting at the defense's 23-yard line when Verica took the snap, drifted left and back in the pocket, eluded the rush and rolled back to his right before firing a pass into the end zone. Snyder shook free from McLeod in the middle of the end zone just long enough to get his hands on the ball. Snyder juggled the pass and made a spectacular catch for an apparent touchdown as he fell to the turf.

Keyword...apparent. The play was negated due to an ineligible receiver downfield penalty flag thrown (yes, there were real live officials out there) around the 15-yard line. Still...pretty impressive stuff from Snyder.

"That was an unbelievable play by Matt Snyder," Verica said. "The play kind of broke down. I just tried to buy some time with my feet a little bit, let somebody kind of get some separation in the end zone. I just threw it up and Matt made an amazing play - great catch."

Though U.Va.'s first team defense was saved by the flag, defensive coordinator Jim Reid still recognized his secondary and linebackers weren't able to keep track of the receivers for the duration of the play. Hey...it's the spring. Everything presents an opportunity to learn at this stage.

"There's some great teaching moments there," said Reid regarding Verica's pass. "If you notice where he threw the ball - of course, he broke contain. That's a great teaching moment. That's where you want to have those mistakes - out there on the field in practice and not in the game."

Oh...couldn't let this one slip past. Walking behind the end zone on my way from one side of the field to the other, I noticed a bunch of people gathered in a discreet ground level area, laughing, carrying on and having a grand time. Then, I saw the source of the good cheer - beer and cocktails were sold in the specific area behind the end zone. Thumbs up, ODU. Though I didn't sample a single drop, I'm sure a little imbibing would've made the scrimmage on a blustery afternoon all the more interesting.

Posted by Norman Wood
 

Clemson Evens Series With 8-5 Win Over Virginia
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/27/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Clemson evened the series with the Virginia baseball team with an 8-5 win Saturday afternoon in front of a sellout crowd of 3,540 at Davenport Field. The attendance figure is a stadium record.
Clemson (18-5, 7-1 ACC), ranked as high as No. 5 nationally this week, scored six runs in the final three innings to break open a 2-2 game. Virginia (19-4, 6-2) saw its seven-game win streak come to an end.

Whit Mayberry (Fr., Alexandria, Va.) took the loss in relief for UVa and dropped to 0-1 this year. He worked 1.1 innings and allowed three earned runs, one hit and two walks. Clemson starting pitcher Will Lamb (3-0) notched the win after seven solid innings. He allowed two runs (one earned), five hits and two walks while striking out a pair. David Haselden tossed the final 1.1 innings to earn his second save.

Virginia starting pitcher Robert Morey (Jr., Virginia Beach, Va.) fired six innings, allowing two earned runs, five hits and four walks while striking out seven.

Tyler Cannon (Sr., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) had a pair of hits to extend his hit streak to 15-game hit streak. Kenny Swab (Jr., Kernersville, N.C.) added a pair of hits, including a solo home run, while Jarrett Parker (Jr., Stafford, Va.) also recorded two hits.

Virginia scored the game's first run in the third inning. Stephen Bruno (Fr., Audubon, N.J.) led off the inning with a single to right field. He advanced two bases when Lamb made an errant pickoff throw to first base. Phil Gosselin (Jr., West Chester, Pa.) then lifted a sacrifice fly to left center to score the run.

The Tigers strung together four hits in the fifth inning to score a pair of runs and grab the lead. Chris Epps led off with a double to right and moved to third on Mike Freeman's bunt single. Jeff Schaus then singled up the middle to tie the game. Kyle Parker bunted into a fielder's choice at third base for the first out, but Wilson Boyd followed with a single to right to score Freeman, and both runners advanced on the throw to the plate. UVa avoided further damage on the following play, as Brad Miller flew out to right, and Dan Grovatt (Jr., Tabernacle, N.J.) cut down Parker at the plate to keep the deficit at 2-1.

Virginia knotted the score in the sixth inning. After the Cavaliers loaded the bases with none out, Steven Proscia (So., Suffern, N.Y.) grounded into a double play, with Gosselin scoring.

In the seventh, Clemson took advantage of a leadoff walk to take the lead again in the seventh. Epps drew a walk to start the inning and then stole second base one out later. He moved to third on a Schaus groundout and scored on a Mayberry balk.

Clemson added a pair of runs in the eighth. With one out, Miller was hit by a pitch. He stole second and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. John Hinson then walked, and Phil Pohl followed with a bloop single to center over the drawn-in infield to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead and move Hinson to third. Neal Davis (Sr., Baltimore, Md.) entered the game in relief, and Addison Johnson, on a squeeze play, popped up the bunt and it landed in no man's land behind the mound for a single, scoring Hinson to push the Clemson advantage to 5-2.

The Cavaliers battled back for two runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth. UVa loaded the bases with two out, and John Hicks (So., Sandy Hook, Va.) came through with a two-run single to left, scoring Cannon and Grovatt.

Clemson padded its lead with three runs in the ninth inning, taking advantage of two UVa errors. All three Clemson runs against Davis were unearned.

Swab hit a solo home run to left-center on the first pitch of the Cavaliers' half of the ninth inning. It was his second home run this season.



 

Virginia Shuts Down Clemson, 3-1, to Win Series
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/27/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Cody Winiarski (Jr., Franksville, Wis.) recorded his best start at Virginia, pitching six innings of one-run baseball as the top-ranked Cavalier baseball team downed Clemson, 3-1, Saturday night in the second game of a doubleheader at Davenport Field. With the win, Virginia (20-4, 7-2 ACC) earned a 2-1 series victory - the Cavaliers' third straight ACC series win this year.
Clemson, ranked as high as No. 5 nationally, dropped to 18-6 overall and 7-2 in the ACC. Virginia drew 3,012 fans for the second game of the doubleheader and brought in 6,552 specators for the doubleheader after a school-record 3,540 came out for the opener.

Winiarski (3-0) pitched six innings, allowing one earned run, six hits and four walks while striking out four. Tyler Wilson (Jr., Midlothian, Va.) pitched 1.2 scoreless innings before Kevin Arico (Jr., Flemington, N.J.) got the final four outs to notch his eighth save of the year and his 19th career save. With the save Arico moved into sole possession of second place on the all-time UVa saves ledger. The three combined to limit the Tigers to seven hits - all singles.

Scott Weismann (3-1) started for Clemson and took the loss after giving up three earned runs and six hits while striking out two in seven innings.

The two teams combined for just 13 hits in the pitchers' duel. Phil Gosselin (Jr., West Chester, Pa.) was the lone Cavalier to record two hits. Kenny Swab (Jr., Kernersville, N.C.) and Franco Valdes (Sr., Miami, Fla.) each hit solo home runs for the Cavaliers.

Virginia's Tyler Cannon (Sr., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) hit a second-inning single to stretch his career-best hitting streak to 16 games.

Clemson scored a run in the opening inning. Mike Freeman singled with one out and then moved up on a Winiarski wild pitch. He scored when Kyle Parker blooped a single to center.

Virginia scored a pair of runs in the third inning to take the lead. Valdes led off with a rocket down the left-field line which stayed just inside the foul pole for a home run. It marked Valdes' first homer of the season. Danny Hultzen (So., Bethesda, Md.) followed with a double to left field, and he advanced on a flyout to right field from Gosselin. Keith Werman (So., Vienna, Va.) then lifted a foul fly to left for a sacrifice fly to plate Hultzen.

In the fifth inning Swab hit his second home run of the doubleheader, a solo shot which cleared the bleachers in left-center field.

Virginia's pitching stifled the Clemson bats the rest of the way. After the third inning, the Tigers posted just three hits and failed to advance a runner past first base.

Virginia concludes its nine-game homestand this week with a two-game midweek series with Towson. The teams will play at 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.

Virginia splits doubleheader with Clemson
By Jay Jenkins
Published: March 27, 2010
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Brian O’Connor stressed the importance of the little things since his arrival.
It was those things that typically don’t show up in the box that led to the first home loss of the season in league play for top-ranked Virginia.
The Cavaliers dropped the opener of a doubleheader with 12th-ranked Clemson that lasted into the late-evening hours, falling 8-5, as the team
committed a pair of errors and seven walks.
Virginia promptly shifted gears in the second game, winning the series with a 3-1 victory over the Tigers as it played an error-free contest.
“What you saw in the opener was very uncharacteristic of our program,” said O’Connor, Virginia’s skipper since the 2004 campaign. “That will happen sometimes in baseball, but when you are facing one of the best teams in the country it becomes harder to overcome.”
Tied 3-3 in the opener, Clemson (18-6, 7-2 ACC) scored six runs over the contest’s final three innings against Virginia’s bullpen as the Tigers managed just four hits.
Virginia (20-4, 7-2) got some production in the late innings from its offense, scoring two runs in the eighth on a two-run single from John Hicks and another on a solo homer from Kenny Swab in the ninth.
It was not enough thanks to control issues on the mound and a pair of errors in the ninth by Virginia shortstop Tyler Cannon, who entered the game with just four defensive miscues on the season. Clemson took advantage, scoring three unearned runs in the ninth.
“That is not what you would expect from Tyler Cannon,” O’Connor said. “He has been tremendous defensively in our uniform for the past four years.”
Both starting pitchers were solid, combining to hurl 13 innings.
Clemson starter Will Lamb worked seven full innings, allowing five hits and two runs (one earned) while fanning a pair.
Robert Morey, the No. 2 starter for UVa, danced out of trouble during his outing, scattering five hits and four walks, allowing two earned runs.
“Both starters did an excellent job on the mound,” O’Connor said. “You had two of the best offensive teams in the ACC competing and Morey and Lamb made the big pitches when they needed to for their teams.”
The Tigers did manage two runs in the fifth, taking a 2-1 lead, after Chris Epps opened the frame with a double that was followed by a singles from Mike Freeman and Jeff Schaus, the last of which scored a run. The second run in the frame scored on a one-out single by Wilson Boyd.
Virginia tied the game in the sixth during a frame that should have provided even more. After loading the bases before recording an out, Cavalier sophomore Steven Proscia hit into a 6-4-3 double-play ball that plated Phil Gosselin.
The Cavaliers, who got solo homers in the nightcap from Franco Valdes and Swab, return to action at home on Tuesday against Towson at 5 p.m. The teams will also meet at Davenport Field on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
 

O’Connor: Cavs making the grade
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: March 27, 2010
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If Brian O’Connor had to grade his team after Virginia’s weekend series against Clemson, the Cavaliers’ skipper wouldn’t hesitate to hand out an ‘A.’
The Cavaliers improved to 20-4, with a 3-1 win over the visiting Tigers, in Saturday’s night game of the doubleheader, taking some of the sting away from an 8-5 loss in the afternoon.
While it would be a mistake to judge Virginia on a single series, the fact that the Cavs bounced back from an afternoon loss that they could have won against the Atlantic Division-leading Tigers, said something about this team’s resolve.
What O’Connor likes about this team is that it has versatility and a lot of players stepping up at the right time, such as Stephen Bruno playing the ride-to-the-rescue role in Friday night’s bottom of the ninth win over Clemson.
O’Connor also likes the fact that his team, ranked No. 1 in the majority of the college baseball polls for practically the whole season thus far, has blocked out the pressure that often accompanies the lofty position.
He figures, No. 1 or No. 10, the Cavaliers are going to get everybody’s best shot just because they’ve been winning at such a high rate over the past seven seasons, which includes seven postseason appearances, including that trip to Omaha last summer.
His two biggest concerns right now, well they are few.
He would like to see a couple more guys step up from the Wahoos’ bullpen because to win series in the baseball-rich ACC the rest of the way, they’re going to need some help. Ditto for postseason when you need all the arms you can get.
The other, just keeping the confidence of players who are slumping from time to time, such as third baseman Steven Proscia who went 0-for-4 in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, and is battling his way through a 3-for-30 funk in recent games.
“If those are our biggest question marks, that’s pretty good,” O’Connor said. “We’ve just got to keep playing. The big thing is that players go through highs and lows and what you like to see is that players who are struggling don’t lost their confidence. It’s a long season and it will come back to them.”
The Cavs, with proven players almost everywhere in the lineup, are also getting help from guys like Kenny Swab, who blasted his second home run of the day in the nightcap against the Tigers, and is making an impressive showing.
To have 20 wins at this point in the season against a relatively tough schedule is pretty darned impressive itself.
“At this point, I’d give us an A,” O’Connor said. “You can’t be 23-0. It’s too tough a schedule.”
One thing that has helped this particular team is the fan support. A single-game record crowd of 3,540 fans showed up for UVa’s 8-5 loss in Saturday’s first game.
“That’s been the great thing, is for our players to see the fan following,” O’Connor said. “When I come out of the dugout and I hear fans yelling at me, ‘O’Connor, it’s about time you switched pitchers,’ that doesn’t bother me. It’s exciting to me that our fans are into it that much and care that much.”
When you’re No. 1, it’s a matter of fine tuning what you have and finding a few players to step up to shore up the rest.
That’s O’Connor’s biggest challenge to date.



 

No. 1 Virginia Topples No. 12 Johns Hopkins for the Doyle Smith Cup
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/27/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Rhamel and Shamel Bratton, along with Matt White, each scored three goals as the No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers (9-0) laid claim to the Doyle Smith Cup for the fifth straight year, defeating the No. 12 Johns Hopkins Blue Jays (4-4) inside Klöckner Stadium on Saturday, 15-6.
Virginia and Johns Hopkins joined together to honor E. Doyle Smith, Jr., for his lifetime of contributions to the lacrosse programs at both schools and on the national level with the annual regular season winner laying claim to the cup. Smith served as team manager and statistician for Johns Hopkins under coach Bob Scott from 1963-68. Virginia has now won the cup all five years it has been contested.

"It's a great day here at Klöckner Stadium," said Virginia head coach Dom Starsia. "The crowd had a great atmosphere and it was two great lacrosse teams going at it. I thought we had a couple lulls in the first half defensively so we gave them a few opportunities in the first quarter to jump back into the game and into the early second quarter as well. In the late second quarter we started to get control of it again and I felt very good at halftime. We came out strong in the third quarter, and I felt like we have played well in the second half throughout the season, and especially today we did a really nice job in the third quarter."

Virginia opened the game with three-straight goals, and the first two were unassisted by the Bratton twins. Rhamel Bratton (Huntington Station, N.Y.) put UVa on the scoreboard early with his tally 59 seconds into the contest. Shamel Bratton (Huntington Station, N.Y.) followed with his unassisted score with 12:38 left in the opening quarter. Matt White (Ridgefield, Conn.) capped the run with a score off a George Huguely (Chevy Chase, Md.) pass with 9:31 left in the first quarter.

Johns Hopkins broke through just before the buzzer sounded on the first quarter when Michael Kimmel scored unassisted with 12 seconds left, cutting UVa's lead to 3-1.

Colin Briggs (Narragansett, R.I.) added an unassisted goal with 11:04 left in the second quarter, giving UVa back a three-goal advantage, 4-1. Johns Hopkins stormed back to even the score at four apiece, via three-straight scores.

The run started with back-to-back scores from Tom Palasek, the first assisted by Steven Boyle with 10:17 left in the first half. Palasek's second was unassisted with 9:38 left in the second quarter. The run was capped on John Ranagan's unassisted goal with 8:29 left before the intermission, tying the game at 4-4.

The Blue Jays didn't get any closer to taking the lead as the Cavaliers scored the next three goals going into the intermission and the first two coming out of the break to take a commanding 9-4 advantage.

Chris Bocklet (South Salem, N.Y.) scored on a Shamel Bratton pass to give UVa the lead for good, 5-4, with 7:35 left in the second quarter. Rhamel Bratton stepped into a Brian Carroll (Towson, Md.) helper with 3:21 left in the first half, while White's unassisted score with 1:03 left on the second quarter game clock gave Virginia the 7-4 lead at halftime.

Carroll scored the only man-up goal of the game when Johns Hopkins' Chris Lightner was tagged for slashing. The senior midfielder's first score of the game was via a Steele Stanwick (Baltimore, Md.) pass with 11:59 in the third quarter remaining. Rhamel Bratton stepped into another goal with 11:35 left in the third quarter after the Cavaliers won the faceoff, capping the run.

Kyle Wharton ended the Cavaliers scoring streak when he took a John Ranagan pass and deposited it into the goal with 6:03 left in the third quarter, cutting the Blue Jays' deficit to four goals, 9-5. Johns Hopkins did not get any closer.

Carroll scored his second goal of the game via a Shamel Bratton pass at 3:41, followed by a Huguely score on a Bocklet helper at 2:11. The third quarter came to a close with a raucous applause after Boyle's shot was saved by goalie Adam Ghitelman (Syosset, N.Y.) with 12 second left, prompting a Virginia clear that Shamel Bratton took the length of the field and fired home for the score with one second left, giving the Cavaliers the 12-5 lead.

Shamel Bratton scored on a Carroll assist at 13:02 in the fourth quarter, capping four-straight Virginia goals.

Lee Coppersmith sneaked a goal in for Johns Hopkins, capping the Blue Jays' scoring for the afternoon and cutting the deficit to 13-6.

White scored his third goal on a helper from Carroll with 3:58 left in the game and Nick O'Reilly (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) picked up a ground ball in front of the cage and fired home the game's final goal with 37 seconds left in the game.

The nation's No. 1 team in ground balls won the battle with Johns Hopkins (36-22), while also beating the Blue Jays in shots (43-32) and saves (11-9). Johns Hopkins won the faceoff battle (13-11) and turned the ball over more times (18-13).

Ken Clausen (Downingtown, Pa.) picked up a game-high six ground balls and caused two turnovers. Bray Malphrus (Chevy Chase, Md.) had three ground balls and caused a game-high four turnovers.

"From the beginning of the season there was no question that we were going to be young on the attack and our midfield was going to have to step up," said Starsia. "You have two juniors and a senior in that first group - you've got [John] Haldy and [George] Huguely in that second group, and [Colin} Briggs who has a lot of experience in the midfield, and we should be able to step up. It takes us a little time to get going, but our midfielders have continued to play well as our attackmen have continued to come on. Steele and Bocklet and Matt White and Connor English may have surpassed our expectations a little bit, but a lot of it has to do with the fact that we are dangerous and balanced in those positions."

Palasek led the way for Johns Hopkins with two goals on three shots and Boyle had a team-high four ground balls.

Virginia will hit the road on Saturday, April 3, when the Cavaliers open up ACC play at No. 4 Maryland. Game time is 8 p.m. and it will be broadcast in the Charlottesville area on WINA AM 1070 with John Freeman calling the action. The contest will be televised live on ESPNU.Johns Hopkins 1-3-1-1-6

Virginia 3-4-5-3-15
Att- 6366

Scoring (G-A) - JH: Tom Palasek 2-0, John Ranagan 1-1, Michael Kimmel 1-0, Kyle Wharton 1-0, Lee Coppersmith 1-0, Steven Boyle 0-1 V: Shamel Bratton 3-2, Rhamel Bratton 3-0, Matt White 3-0, Brian Carroll 2-3, Chris Bocklet 1-1, George Huguely 1-1, Colin Briggs 1-0, Nick O'Reilly 1-0, Steele Stanwick 0-1.

Goalie Summary - JH: Mike Gvozden 41:19 mins., 5 saves, 10 goals allowed; Pierce Bassett 18:41 mins., 4 saves, 5 goals allowed V: Adam Ghitelman 57:33 mins., 10 saves, 6 goals allowed, Rob Eimer 2:27 mins., 1 saves, 0 goals allowed.

Shots: JH-32, V-43

Ground Balls: JH-22, V-36
Clearing: JH-6x11, V-13x15
Faceoffs: JH-13, V-11
Penalties: JH-4-3:30, V-4-3:30
EMO: JH-0x4, V-1x4

No. 1 UVa dispatches Hopkins
By Whitey Reid
Published: March 27, 2010
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For so many years, Virginia lacrosse has been known as a high-scoring, fast-paced outfit that would rather out-gun an opponent than get into any kind of defensive battle.
That’s what has made UVa’s play this season so impressive.
While the Wahoos are still putting up the big offensive totals, they’re also putting the clamps down on opponents.
That was the case on Saturday afternoon at Klockner Stadium.
Top-ranked Virginia held No. 12 Johns Hopkins to just two second-half goals in a relatively easy 15-6 win in front of a crowd of 6,366.
“We need to be a balanced lacrosse team if we want to be the team that we expect to be at the end of the season,” said Virginia coach Dom Starsia, whose team plays at No. 4 Maryland next Saturday. “Quietly, we’re playing good defense, and in our best years we always have.”
This season, Virginia ranks fifth in the country in offense and sixth in defense.
Against the struggling Blue Jays (4-4), who have now lost three in a row, the Bratton brothers — twins Shamel and Rhamel — led the way, scoring three goals apiece. Freshman Matt White also had three goals for Virginia (9-0).
“We were very excited for this game,” said Virginia senior Max Pomper. “With Hopkins coming into town, we wanted to give everyone a good show.
“Hopkins is a real proud program and we’re really excited to get the victory.”
UVa jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead and took a 4-1 advantage before Hopkins ran off three straight goals to tie the game with 8:29 to play in the second quarter.
But that’s when UVa buckled down. Chris Bocklet, Rhamel Bratton and White scored to give the Cavs a 7-4 lead going into the break.
In the third quarter, Virginia took total control, outscoring Hopkins 5-1 in the stanza to go up 11-5. Shamel Bratton had the most dazzling play of the day, racing the length of the field to score a goal with just one second remaining.
“I’m pretty confident that I can get one from end to the other in less than 10 seconds,” said Bratton, who also had two assists on the day. “I just did that, nobody really got a stick on me and I got a shot off.”
Virginia manhandled Hopkins on groundballs, 36-22. When the Blue Jays tried to get back into the game in the second half, UVa goalie Adam Ghitelman came up big. The junior had 10 saves.
“I thought he stood up and made some big stops in the second half,” Starsia said. “I thought he played very well overall.”
After the game, Virginia captains Ken Clausen, Brian Carroll and Mikey Thompson accepted the annual Doyle Cup trophy at midfield.
Virginia has now won the last six meetings against Hopkins.
“It was definitely a big win,” Bratton said. “That’s a great program and they have great coaches. It’s a big win.”
Added Starsia: “It was a great day here at Klockner Stadium — great crowd, great atmosphere, two good lacrosse teams getting after it.”
 

Cavs cruise to 15-6 win over Jays
By Edward Lee | edward.lee@baltsun.com Baltimore Sun reporter
2:28 p.m. EST, March 27, 2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Southern hospitality extended to the No. 8 Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team usually ends at the gates of Klockner Stadium here, and Saturday was no different.

The Blue Jays overcame a slow start and tied the score midway through the second quarter, but the offense ran out of gas and answers as No. 1 Virginia settled in for a comfortable 15-6 victory before an announced attendance of 6,366.

The Cavaliers have won the last six meetings with Johns Hopkins and 10 of 13 games since Dave Pietramala became the Blue Jays' head coach before the 2001 season. Johns Hopkins has not left Charlottesville with a win since 1998 — a span of six consecutive visits.

The first quarter was symptomatic of the Blue Jays' struggles this season.

Johns Hopkins, which has dropped its last three games to fall to 4-4, lost the first two face-offs, wasted three possessions (including an extra-man opportunity) with turnovers, and failed to clear once. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers (9-0) took advantage by scoring three goals in a span of 5 minutes, 29 seconds.

Senior midfielder Michael Kimmel finally got the Blue Jays on the board with a goal with 11.9 seconds left in the first quarter.

"Offensively, I don't think we had that bad of a day," sophomore attackman Tom Palasek said. "It was, rather, that they had the ball a lot. I'm not exactly sure what the time of possession was, but I know they had the ball a lot. We did a lot of waiting around on offense."

After Virginia scored the first goal of the second period, Johns Hopkins scored three straight with the first two coming from Palasek in a 39-second span. Freshman midfielder John Ranagan (one goal and one assist) capped the run with a goal with 8:29 left in the quarter.

But after winning the ensuing face-off, senior face-off specialist Michael Powers missed a centering pass from Palasek, and the Cavaliers went on a 3-0 spurt of their own to take a 7-4 lead into halftime.

"We were able to get into a rhythm in the second quarter, but just when we seem to get over the hump, there's common theme for us right now," Pietramala said. "We get over the hump and then we just shoot ourselves in the foot. We don't check up or we don't slide or we throw a ball away or we don't cash in on a lay-up when we have an opportunity. Against a team like this — which is as good of a team we've faced — you can't do that."

Any hope the Blue Jays had of mounting a comeback was extinguished when Virginia scored back-to-back goals in a 24-second span and outscored Johns Hopkins, 5-1, in the third quarter.

Not only will the Blue Jays welcome No. 3 North Carolina to Homewood Field on Saturday, but they may also have to spend the upcoming week before Saturday's contest solving a dilemma at goalie. For the second time in three games, senior Michael Gvozden was pulled — this time, in favor of freshman Pierce Bassett — after Virginia assumed a 10-5 lead with 3:41 left in the third quarter.

Gvozden finished with five saves, while Bassett made four stops. Pietramala, who cited the need for a spark as the reason behind his decision, declined to say who will start against the Tar Heels.

Cavaliers midfielders Brian Carroll (Gilman) and Shamel Bratton led all scorers with five points each. Carroll posted two goals and three assists, while Bratton registered three goals and two assists.

Notes: Kimmel's goal was his first goal and point since he scored 36 seconds into the third quarter of Johns Hopkins' 14-6 loss to No. 6 Hofstra on March 13. That broke a drought of 104 minutes, 12.1 seconds. ? Junior attackman Kyle Wharton, who had scored a team-high 34 goals last season, scored for the first time since March 9 when the Blue Jays defeated UMBC, 16-10. It was his first goal in 176 minutes, 43 seconds. ? Since senior attackman Chris Boland was lost for the season with a torn right anterior cruciate ligament on March 9, Johns Hopkins has scored a total of 19 goals in three games. The offense has converted just one of its last eight extra-man situations. ENDIT


 

No. 5 Cavaliers Top No. 3 Duke, 8-7
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/27/2010

DURHAM, N.C. – The No. 5 Virginia women’s lacrosse team scored the first goal of the day, and despite three tie scores throughout the game, held off the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils Saturday afternoon at Koskinen Stadium, en route to an 8-7 victory. The outcome marked the sixth-straight year, and 12th time in the 15 year regular season series history, that the road team came away victorious.

Three Cavaliers notched two scores for Virginia - senior All-American Brittany Kalkstein, sophomore Julie Gardner and freshman Caroline McTiernan – while sophomore Charlie Finnigan recorded a goal and an assist. Senior Caity Whiteley rounded out the scoring with one goal.

For Duke (9-2), three Blue Devils recorded two scores – Sarah Bullard, Lindsay Gilbride and Kim Wenger.

Virginia’s defense was the first to be tested, but anchored by three saves by redshirt junior Lauren Benner, the Cavaliers’ offense was the first to score. Gardner converted a free position shot at 26:24 to give Virginia the 1-0 lead.

Twenty four seconds later, the Blue Devils broke through and knotted the score at one all.

The Cavaliers wouldn’t allowed Duke to take a lead though, as Finnigan scored on an 8-meter shot at 21:28 and Kalkstein followed that up with a goal at 17:25.

Duke rallied to answer with back-to-back scores, before McTiernan – making her first collegiate start – made the score 4-3 with 9:31 remaining in the half.

An unassisted goal by the Blue Devils at 7:24 tied the game for a third time, but goals from Gardner and a second from McTiernan gave the Cavaliers a two-goal cushion at halftime, 6-4.

Whiteley scored out of the break, giving Virginia its largest lead of the game, 7-4, before the Blue Devils sandwiched goals around a second score from Kalkstein, bringing the score to 8-6 with 8:03 to play.

Duke scored again with 3:37 to play and won the ensuing draw control, but junior Liz Downs forced a turnover with 1:45 remaining and the Cavaliers ran out the clock to preserve the 8-7 victory.

Kalkstein won three draw controls for Virginia, while senior All-American Kaitlin Duff and Benner each had three ground balls. Benner finished with seven saves on the day and sophomore Bailey Fogarty caused a career-high five turnovers.

Virginia (7-3) will be back in action on Wednesday, as the Cavaliers return home to host Old Dominion. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Klöckner Stadium.


 

Cavaliers Win Two at Virginia Tech
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/27/2010

BLACKSBURG, Va. - The Virginia softball team (17-13, 4-0 ACC) clinched the series win against Virginia Tech for the first time since 2005 with a doubleheader sweep over the Hokies Saturday in Blacksburg, Va. Behind freshman pitcher Melanie Mitchell, the Cavaliers took game one 5-0 and held on to win game two 4-3.

The Cavaliers and Hokies will conclude the series at 12 p.m. Sunday. The game was moved up an hour from 1 p.m. to avoid inclement weather.

Mitchell threw a complete game shutout in the first game, limiting Virginia Tech (13-19, 2-3 ACC) to just five hits while fanning 11 batters.

The Cavaliers compiled eight hits at the plate, led by a two-hit performance from freshman Alex Skinkis. A trio of Virginia hitters - Lauren McCaskey, Sarah Tacke and Abby Snyder - each had doubles in the winning effort.

After three scoreless innings, UVa put up all five of its runs in the top of the fourth. With one out, McCaskey doubled down the left field line and Koren walked. Tacke then doubled and advanced to third on the throw in as McCaskey and Koren each came in to score. Skinkis followed with a walk and stole second; Tacke then scored on Alison Pittman's RBI single to left. With two outs and runners on second and third, Snyder doubled to score Skinkis and Pittman and give UVa a 5-0 advantage.

Virginia went on to outhit the Hokies 11-6 in game two, behind another solid outing from Mitchell. Nicole Koren was three-for-four in the win while Skinkis had another multi-hit game and Pittman led the Cavaliers with two RBI.

Mitchell threw her second complete game of the day and finished with six strikeouts. Only two of VT's three runs were earned.

Once again the Cavaliers compiled all of their runs in one inning, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first. With one out, McCaskey doubled to right center. Koren then recorded an infield single, advancing McCaskey to third. After Koren stole second, Tacke singled up the middle to score McCaskey. With two outs, Skinkis then tallied an infield single to score Koren. Kendall recorded UVa's third infield single of the stanza and both Skinkis and Kendall came in to score on Pittman's triple to left center.

Virginia Tech chipped away at Virginia's lead, scoring a run in the second, fifth and seventh innings, but the Hokies left two runners on in the bottom of the seventh and were unable to bring in the tying run.

 

No. 3 Rowing Wins Three Heats on Day One of San Diego Crew Classic
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/27/2010

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The third-ranked Virginia rowing team won three of its heats on the first day of the San Diego Crew Classic on Saturday (March 27). Virginia's Varsity Eight advanced to the grand final of the Jessop-Whittier Cup, while the Second Varsity Eight and Third Varsity Eight will race in the grand final for the Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy on Sunday (March 28).

"It was a good start to racing in the heats this morning," Virginia head coach Kevin Sauer said. "We are looking forward to competing tomorrow in the finals."

Virginia's Varsity Eight of coxswain of Sidney Thorsten, Jennifer Cromwell, Summers Nelson, Desiree Burns, Katrin Reinert, Martha Kuzzy, Kristine O'Brien, Nora Phillips and Helen Tompkins, won its heat with a time of 6:39:00, beating out Washington State (6:44.00), UCLA (6:44.97) and Villanova (7:17.22).

The Varsity Eight will race on Sunday at 9:15 a.m. (Pacific Time).

UVa's Second Varsity Eight (coxswain Sarah Pichardo, Victoria Burke, Marie Long, Keziah Beall, Lauren Hutchins, Lauren Shook, Christine Roper, Claudia Blandford, Inge Janssen) won its heat with a time of 7:02.8. Second-place in that heat went to UCLA (7:07.23), followed by SMU (7:22.89), San Diego (7:23.81) and Oklahoma (7:26.55).

UVa's Third Varsity Eight (coxswain Cristine Candland, MacKenzie Leahy, Betsy Nilan, Cara Linnenkohl, Sarah Borchelt, Ruth Retzinger, Francesca Lauritano, Chelsea Simpson and Marelle Myers) won its heat with a time of 6:56.41. Second-place in that heat went to USC (6:56.72), followed by Sacramento State (7:15.94), UC Davis (7:30.47) and Kansas State (7:36.97).

The Cavaliers' Second Varsity Eight and Third Varsity Eight will compete in the grand final of the Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy on Sunday at 9:40 a.m. (Pacific Time).

San Diego Crew Classic
March 27, 2010
Jessop-Whittier Cup Heat A: 1. Virginia (6:39.00), 2. Washington State (6:44.00), 3. UCLA (6:44.97), 4. Villanova (7:17.22)
Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy Heat A: 1. Virginia 'B' (6:56.41), 2. USC (6:56.72), 3. Sacramento State (7:15.94), 4. UC Davis (7:30.47), 5. Kansas State (7:36.97)
Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy Heat B: 1. Virginia 'A' (7:02.8), 2. UCLA (7:07.23), 3. SMU (7:22.89), 4. San Diego (7:23.81), 5. Oklahoma (7:26.55)

 

Boys basketball: Nichols rolls to Fed title
By Keith McShea
NEWS SPORTS REPORTER
Updated: March 28, 2010, 12:21 am / 1 comment

GLENS FALLS — The perfect ending for the Nichols boys basketball team came in astounding fashion.

The Vikings got their state title, they got revenge and they even got a shutout in the fourth quarter. Nichols won the final period, 16-0, to turn an outstanding Class A Federation championship battle into a rout as it beat state power Jamesville-Dewitt, 65-43, Saturday night before an estimated 800 at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Senior Will Regan was named the tournament MVP with 21 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks and he also became the 15th member of Western New York's 2,000-point club. The 6-foot-8 University of Virginia recruit has 2,008 points, 15th on the all-time list.

"It's a great way to end a career — it's hard to put it into words to finish it off like that," said Regan. "I couldn't ask for anything more. To end it like this, and to be with a great group of guys and a great team, to be able to battle with them every day in practice for five months, and most of the guys for four years, it means a lot to win it with a group of friends that I'll always have."

Senior Ron Canestro, who was out with a broken finger in Nichols' 71-66 loss to J-D in Syracuse on Jan. 29, made his presence known in a huge way with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting, five assists and three steals. The 6-foot guard, a four-year varsity player with Regan, was joined on the all-tournament team by 6-2 sophomore Stan Wier (17 points, 3 of 5 three-pointers, six rebounds).

"I thought they were going to gear on Stan and Will, and hopefully I was going to get some opportunities to get open looks, and hopefully I would knock them down," said Canestro, who went 3 of 7 from three-point range while hitting all six two-pointers, including two slick drives he turned into three-point plays by drawing fouls on mammoth 6-9 sophomore Dajuan Coleman. "I kind of wanted to sneak up on them just because I didn't play them the first time."

The Catholic state champion Vikings (24-7) won just Western New York's second large-school Federation title as the overall state champion. The only other large school crown was also Western New York's most recent Fed title, won by Niagara Falls in Class AA in 2005. It is Nichols' fifth Federation win, which ties them with Long Island Lutheran for second on the all-time list (New York City power Rice has six). Nichols' previous four Fed titles came in Class C.

Nichols won it by hitting plenty of big shots and with plenty of defense in the fourth against the state public school champion from Section III (Syracuse area), which had been undefeated in its previous 25 games this season.

"Some guys made some huge shots and the defense — to shut those guys out, an undefeated team — it was just a battle, a war that they decided they were going to win," said coach Greg Plumb, who was a player on Nichols' last Federation title team in 1995. "It was that senior leadership I always talk about."

The Vikings had a 20-14 lead after one quarter and were up, 31-28, at halftime. Nichols led by as many as 14 in the third quarter but J-D cut the lead to 49-43 entering the fourth.

Senior 5-10 point guard Andrew MacKinnon (four assists) handled some intense J-D pressure in the fourth quarter, and a layup by 6-5 senior Conner Vandegriff (six rebounds, two assists) after the Vikings beat some pressure gave them their first double-digit lead in the fourth at 54-43 with 3:13 left. Nichols kept adding to its lead while J-D went 0 for 21 from the field in the fourth.

J-D won the Federation title in 2008 and lost in last year's final to Long Island Lutheran, the team Nichols beat in Friday's semifinals.

"I didn't think in 100 years we'd ever go a quarter without being able to score a basket," said J-D coach Bob McKenney. "They were playing their best basketball right now and they deserved to win this thing."

J-D all-tournament selection Coleman, who set a Federation record with 31 rebounds in the semifinals, had 12 points on 6-of-17 shooting — mostly battling with Regan in the post — and had 11 rebounds.