Young Cavaliers hope time is now
Underclassman-rich team isn't touted, but that's fine with coach
Friday, May 23, 2008 - 12:06 AM

MEN'S LACROSSE
NCAA semifinals
Tomorrow:Virginia vs. Syracuse, noon, ESPN2; Duke vs. Johns Hopkins, 2:30 p.m., ESPN2
Where:at Foxborough, Mass.

By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- A year away? That might be an apt description of a University of Virginia men's lacrosse team stocked with talented underclassmen.

"I think we always thought 2009 would be better," U.Va. coach Dom Starsia acknowledged this week.

That may prove to be the case, but this holiday weekend still could be memorable for the Cavaliers.

Second-seeded Virginia (14-3) meets third-seeded Syracuse (14-2) tomorrow in the NCAA semifinals at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The winner will face top-seeded Duke or No. 5 seed Johns Hopkins for the NCAA title Monday, also at the home of the New England Patriots.

After struggling to beat Maryland-Baltimore County in the first round and Maryland in the quarterfinals, U.Va. is not being touted as the probable NCAA champion. That's fine with the Cavaliers.

"You can win these things when you don't expect it," Starsia said.

He speaks from experience. In 1999, underclassmen dominated the Wahoos' lineup. "Not that we didn't think we could win in'99, but we clearly thought we had the goods in 2000," Starsia recalled.

Yet the 1999 team was the one that came away with an NCAA title. A year later, Princeton upset Virginia in the semifinals. So Starsia, who has guided U.Va. to three NCAA championships, is sincere when he tells his players the future is now.

"You keep preaching the present," Starsia said. "Who knows if we'll get back here?"

In an era in which many teams favor methodical, low-risk offenses -- see Hopkins, Princeton and Maryland, for starters -- Virginia and Syracuse have played at a breakneck pace for years, and their matchups tend to be high-scoring, highly entertaining affairs. In their 1997 clash, they combined for 43 goals. When they met during the 2006 regular season, they combined for 35.

"I think everybody knows this has been a little bit of a freight train of a game, and I know our players greatly look forward to it," Starsia said.

When they met March 1 at the Face-Off Classic in Baltimore, U.Va. defeated Syracuse 14-13 in overtime. The victory was the Wahoos' fifth straight over the Orange, but both teams have evolved since then. Former Collegiate School star Bud Petit, for instance, watched the regular-season game from the sideline. The graduate student from Midlothian is now the Cavaliers' starting goalie and "sort of an emotional linchpin for this team," Starsia said. "There's nothing like the urgency that a fifth-year kid has in this situation."

Last fall, U.Va.'s football team set an NCAA record by winning five games by two points or fewer. Starsia's team has won seven games by two goals or fewer, four of them in sudden-death overtime.

"As I told the players," he said, "if the enduring characteristic of this team is we make plays in the clutch, there are a lot of worse things you can say about an athletic team."

Changes in the air for rematch
SU and Virginia are decidedly different than the teams that met two months ago.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
By Dave Rahme
Staff writer

The Syracuse and Virginia men's lacrosse teams last met on March 1 in Baltimore in the Faceoff Classic. The Cavaliers won 14-13 in overtime, their fifth consecutive victory over the Orange.

Since that time Syracuse has gone 12-1, Virginia 10-3. The teams will meet again at noon Saturday in Foxboro, Mass., in the Division I semifinals. The winner will advance to Monday's 1 p.m. national-title game.

UVA coach Dom Starsia said Monday that each team has changed substantially, yet similarly, since that first earlier exciting meeting at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens. Here are three key areas:

Key offensive asset.UVA senior All-America attackman Ben Rubeor, a 2007 Tewaaraton Trophy finalist, had not played in the Cavs' first three games due to a knee injury sustained on the first day of preseason camp. He returned for the SU game and scored three points (one goal, two assists) but was clearly rusty. That is no longer the case. Despite the three-game absence, Rubeor is Virginia's leading goal-scorer (38) and is again a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist.

"Very few defenders have stopped him for 60 minutes," SU coach John Desko said. "He's very explosive. You've got to keep an eye on him at all times. You've got to be ready to help out at all times."

Starsia said SU has also enjoyed the emergence of a critical offensive player since that first meeting - midfielder Dan Hardy. The 6-foot-4 junior from Tully had an assist in the loss to UVA but was in the throes of a slump that lingered for several games. Now, Hardy (22-13) is displaying the dominance many envisioned earlier in the season. He has eight points in two playoff games.

"Hardy is playing a much stronger role for Syracuse than he did earlier in the year," Starsia said. "He just got off to a little slower start and is much more of a force than he was earlier."

Goal.The first matchup featured the top two goalie recruits in the nation - UVA's Adam Ghitelman and SU's John Galloway. Each made 11 first-half saves and then bent under the weight of two powerful offenses in the second half.

Since that game Starsia has removed Ghitelman (10.18 goals-against average, .497 save percentage) from the starting lineup and replaced him with fifth-year senior Bud Petit (9.01, .548).

"Going with Bud, I think, is having someone who is more of an emotional lynchpin for this team," Starsia said. "Having him in that key role kind of allows him to have more of a leadership role with the team. We've come together a bit more defensively. There's nothing like the urgency a fifth-year kid has in this situation."

Desko, meanwhile, has stuck with Galloway (7.46, .549), and the rookie has rewarded him with increasingly confident and productive play. His clearing and field generalship were never an issue; his ability to stop 90 mph shots is catching up.

"I see a guy who just seems to have more poise and confidence," Starsia said.

Defense.The Cavs were rotating four players at close defense the first time the teams met. An injury to Tim Shaw ended the arrangement, leaving sophomore Ryan Nizolek (6-2, 212) with the job.

"It was inadvertent, but it helped settle us down a little bit." Starsia said. "I feel we are as healthy as we have been in a long time on offense and are now settled in a little bit defensively. I still feel our best game is out there. But we're getting awfully close to the end here."

SU's defense, meanwhile, was only in its third game under new coordinator Lelan Rogers the first time the teams met. The Orange allowed 14 goals that day to the Cavs and 13 two weeks later to Johns Hopkins in an overtime victory but have held 10 of its last 11 foes to single-digit totals. The team's 7.31 goals-against average is the major reason it is 14-2 this season a year after finishing 5-8.

"I see a team that looks more comfortable, defensively especially," Starsia said, "than I think they were earlier in the year."

It has been nearly three months since the teams met on that winter afternoon in Baltimore. It will be two different teams in three major aspects that meet again Saturday in Foxboro.



 

Making Opponents See Double
By PETE THAMEL
Published: May 22, 2008

The Final Four on Saturday in Foxborough, Mass., will showcase a Duke team that is considered one of the best ever, a revitalized Syracuse club that did not qualify for the postseason last year and a Johns Hopkins team that overcame a five-game losing streak.
But the players who could generate the most buzz at Gillette Stadium are two Virginia midfielders.
Rhamel and Shamel Bratton, identical twins from Huntington, N.Y., were perhaps the most hyped lacrosse recruits ever. The Brattons are a rarity, African-Americans playing in a mostly white sport who combine diverse skills, sublime athleticism and spontaneous creativity.
“I’m sure that people who have never seen them play have expectations for them,” Johns Hopkins Coach Dave Pietramala said.
The Brattons will step on the biggest stage of their careers Saturday when the No. 2 Cavaliers play No. 3 Syracuse. The rivalry is considered one of the most riveting in the sport because of the wide-open play, which should fit the Brattons’ style.
This season, they have had blips of brilliance and stretches of inconsistency. Shamel, a left-hander who plays in the first midfield, has scored 13 goals and had 4 assists. Rhamel, a right-hander who plays in the second midfield, has 9 goals and 6 assists. Shamel is the Cavaliers’ seventh-leading scorer, Rhamel the eighth.
“On the field, everyone expected them to come in and be the LeBron James of lacrosse in their freshman year, which is unrealistic,” said Vernon Manuel, the twins’ older half brother, who serves as a father figure. “What I’m proud of is that they listen to their coaches and all they care about is winning. They have learned to become role players.”
Their best game came against Johns Hopkins, in which Shamel scored three goals and assisted on the winner in overtime, and Rhamel had two goals.
In a quarterfinal match against Maryland, Rhamel scored a key third-quarter goal and forced a turnover in the comeback overtime win. Shamel Bratton struggled at times in that game, seeming tentative with the ball in scoring position.
“The biggest difference has been just because I’m a freshman and we have so many great scorers, I’m used to getting a lot more shots,” Shamel Bratton said. “You have to focus on sticking the shots that you get. In high school, I took way more than that and I didn’t worry too much when I did miss a shot.”
Rhamel Bratton added about the jump to the college game: “It’s just much faster and guys are stronger and opportunities don’t come as much. You definitely have to capitalize on the opportunities that you have.”
Coach Dom Starsia has clearly enjoyed the energy and verve the twins have brought to the program. They are “bouncing off the walls” in the locker room every day, he said. Starsia recalled with a laugh when the twins heard him hollering at game-day decibels at the first scrimmage of the season. Starsia felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Rhamel holding a cup of water. “Here,” Rhamel said. “You need this.”
Just like on the field, there have been bumps adjusting to college life. The brothers live in the same dorm room, and Rhamel jokes that he has had to deal with Shamel’s being messy.
The Brattons have experienced the normal hiccups that come with the demands of being a freshman athlete. Starsia recalled Shamel going to his office in tears saying, “I want to do better in school.”
He said Rhamel got in a spot of trouble in class for acting up, something indicative of the twins’ outgoing personalities.
Both have completed 30 hours of courses and have improved their grades.
Starsia has marveled how they have handled the attention. They are often as recognized on campus as a football or basketball recruit would be. They have twice been on the cover of Inside Lacrosse magazine.
“All of the attention on them bothers them least of anyone else in the universe,” Starsia said. “It rolls off their back like nothing that you’ve ever seen. Everyone else, including me, worries about it a lot more than they do.”
One of their fans is New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick. He talked to them after the Face-Off Classic in Baltimore and after the quarterfinals in Annapolis, Md. Manuel said Belichick told the twins that they had crossed paths with his son, Stephen Belichick, a freshman defenseman at Rutgers, during their youth sports days. Belichick lived on Long Island when he was the Jets’ defensive coordinator.
“It’s just a little overwhelming,” Rhamel Bratton said. “We’ve been watching the Final Four since grade school. It’s weird playing in one. I’m really happy and excited to get on the field and perform on the greatest stage in lacrosse.”
notes
In the other semifinal, No. 1 Duke will face No. 4 Johns Hopkins in a rematch of last year’s final, which Johns Hopkins won, 12-11.

 

'Anybody But Duke'
Extra year of eligibility leads to widespread scorn of Blue Devils
By Edward Lee | Sun reporter
May 23, 2008
 

The pressure on the Duke men's lacrosse team keeps growing.

The Blue Devils are the top seed in the NCAA tournament and face No. 5 seed and defending national champion Johns Hopkins in the final four tomorrow in Foxborough, Mass. In addition, Duke was No. 1 most of the season and lost just one game, more than two months ago.

Finally, there's the NCAA's controversial decision last May to grant an extra year of eligibility to 33 team members after much of their 2006 season was canceled in the wake of rape allegations against three players - charges that were eventually dismissed.

Maybe that's why Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said the pressure is not on his Blue Jays (10-5) but is instead on the Blue Devils (18-1).

"We are the underdogs," he said. "Duke's the team that's supposed to win this thing by media and outside opinion."

Since the NCAA's decision, Duke - seeking the school's first national title - has been transformed from hunter to hunted.

Although just five of the 13 seniors from last season's squad elected to return for a fifth year, Internet forums and message boards have been littered with posters bemoaning a potential national championship for the Durham, N.C., school. The five who returned are among the top lacrosse players in the country.

In a thread titled "Down with Duke" in a forum hosted by Inside Lacrosse, one reader wrote: "Is anyone else out there puking at the thought of a Duke championship? ... [W]hat about every other current NCAA senior this year who has to watch the Devils highlight film each week? Don't they deserve a fair shot at the title?"

Another reader was more concise, writing, "ABD - Anybody But Duke."

If the Blue Devils are upset about the vitriol, they're not validating it.

"There's anti-Duke sentiment for everything, especially for basketball and the university itself," said senior attackman Matt Danowski, who broke the NCAA career points record in his fifth season. "We're not really too worried about that. Obviously, people don't agree with the fact that we have a fifth year, but people don't seem to speak about [former Duke midfielder] Peter Lamade at Virginia and his fifth year and other fifth-year guys who play elsewhere. I'm sure we're not the only fifth-year guys in the country."

The Blue Devils figure to be the favorite against Johns Hopkins tomorrow and either No. 2 seed Virginia (14-3) or No. 3 seed Syracuse (14-2) in the championship game Monday at 1 p.m.

But if Duke was to win two more games, some have suggested applying an asterisk next to the team's name to note the NCAA's decision. ESPN analyst Quint Kessenich scoffed at that notion.

"Putting an asterisk next to their name is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life," said Kessenich, a two-time first-team All-America goalkeeper for Johns Hopkins.

Defenseman Tony McDevitt, who - like goalie Dan Loftus, defenseman Nick O'Hara and midfielder Michael Ward - returned for a fifth year, said he and his teammates have not given much consideration to that possibility.

"We sort of just take that mantra of moving on and not really worrying about what other people say," McDevitt said. "The only comment I would have on it is I would ask the critics or the people who are saying things like that to think back to two years ago when we weren't able to go to Philadelphia [for the NCAA championship] and we all thought we had a pretty good team that year."

Coach John Danowski made a similar plea, arguing that the players can never regain that lost season.

"Whatever side of the fence you stand on, for what they went through, I don't think anybody would want to go through that to get an extra year of being able to play lacrosse," he said. "Does it make it complete? No, but perhaps some of these kids come to closure about a very painful and difficult time of their lives."
 

Some news and notes before Championship Weekend
Posted by Donna Ditota May 22, 2008 5:07PM

When Virginia eliminated Maryland from the Division I national title chase last weekend, the Cavaliers unveiled a zone defense that helped stymie the Terrapins down the stretch.

Virginia coach Dom Starsia said he employed the zone -- which he rarely used during the regular season -- to compensate for Maryland's dangerous midfield dodgers. I asked him whether he would break out the zone against Syracuse, too.

"It worries me ... playing against a team like Syracuse or Duke. Frankly, teams that good inside and outside and have great range shooting the ball. We played a little zone, put a little zone in at the end of the Syracuse game in regulation back in March and (Steven) Brooks just stepped out from about 15 and just rocketed one in the corner. That's a real zone buster right there.
So I don't know that we would be as likely to use it as we did this past Saturday, but we certainly would. It's a good way to try to change the tempo of things a little bit and if we just need to kind of slow Syracuse down some, I don't think we'd be afraid to pull it out and I think we do have confidence in it."

Starsia also talked about his decision to use Garett Ince at the face-off X when Virginia's primary face-off man, Brian McDermott, went down with an injury. McDermott faced off against the Orange in the teams' initial meeting. Ince has been the Cavs' man since.

"We just had no choice when (McDermott) got hurt. We just couldn't even go back to that option. (Brian) and (Garett) were just the two best guys we have. (Garett), he's a big strong kid. He's not built like a freshman and, so we knew physically he could take the pounding. But I was concerned about that, certainly and I think he really has responded.

"Kids learn how to work hard. For some kids when they sort of see their first light in terms of playing, it kind of triggers their quality, their performance in practice and things like that. I think for (Garett), that also happened, so when he saw that he was going to get his chance, he also sort of got to work and so I think he seen the results of getting after a little bit harder every day"

Speaking of Virginia, you can read a story about goalie Bud Petit on this link to Inside Lacrosse.
.....

Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala talked about the runaway train that is Duke's offense. The Blue Devils, the nation's highest scoring team, own the enviable attack line of Matt Danowski, Zack Greer and Max Quinzani. Last season, Hopkins successfully derailed that unit (relatively speaking) in the national championship game.

Earlier this week, Pietramala allowed that during his head coaching tenure, "I don't think we've faced a more dynamic attack than this one right here. They're putting up ridiculous numbers."

At that point, Pietramala and his staff were still formulating a plan to discourage the Duke offense.

"It's hard to give them a steady diet of anything," Pietramala said. "You have to be very, very careful. You can't let them play transition, you can't give them extra-mans, you can't give them transition off face-offs. They play faster than any team I've ever coached against."

 

Devvarman Sets NCAA Singles Tournament Wins Record
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/22/2008

TULSA, Okla. – Somdev Devvarman (Chennai, India) set a new record for NCAA Singles Championship wins with his 14th career tournament victory on Thursday as he topped Clancy Shields of Boise State 6-4, 7-5 in a second match at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. Devvarman also advanced in doubles with Treat Huey (Alexandria, Va.), defeating Dan Buikema and Mathieu Thibaudeau of Alabama 7-6 (3), 6-3.

Since the NCAA Singles Championship adopted the current 64-player format after separating from the team tournament in 1977, Devvarman has won more matches in the event than any other player. With his win over Shields, he broke a tie with the previous record holder, 2001 and 2002 NCAA Champion Matias Boeker of Georgia.

Devvarman’s second round match against Shields remained on serve until late in the first set. Both players held serve easily in the first eight games before Devvarman broke Shields at love to take a 5-4 lead. He held at love in the ensuing game to take the first set 6-4. The second set remained on serve to 5-5, although Devvarman fought off a break point against him at 1-2 and at 2-3. Devvarman took a 15-40 lead on Shields at 5-5 and converted on the second break point opportunity to take a 6-5 lead. He served out the match in following game to close out the 6-4, 7-5 win.

The victory was Devvarman’s 40th singles win of the season, marking just the third time a Cavalier player has reached that mark. Brian Vahaly had 40 wins in 2001 as he reached the NCAA Final and Devvarman had a school record 44 wins last year as he won the NCAA Singles Championship.

Devvarman will play Erling Tveit of Mississippi in the round of 16 on Friday. Tveit topped No. 9-16 seed Bruno Rosa of Rice 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 on Thursday.

In doubles, the top-ranked Cavalier duo went up a break midway through the first set. However, Devvarman was broken while serving for the set at 5-4 as the Crimson Tide team drew even, 5-5. The set went to a tiebreaker, which Devvarman and Huey won 7-3 to take the first set. In the second set, Devvarman and Huey had to fight off four early break points against, but held serve each time to take a 3-2 lead. The Cavalier team broke serve to take a 4-2 lead and held that advantage to win the second set 6-3.

The victory was Huey’s 41st doubles win of the season, tying the school record he set last year.

Devvarman and Huey will play Austin Krajicek and Conor Pollack of Texas A&M in the Round of 16 on Friday. The Aggie team defeated Omar Altmann and Andre Begemann of Pepperdine 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the first round.
 

UVa star sets new record
By Ed Burton
Published: May 23, 2008

TULSA, Okla. — Virginia’s remaining tennis hopes advanced in singles and doubles at the NCAA Individual Championships on Thursday. No. 1 Somdev Devvarman defeated Clancey Shields of Boise State 6-4, 7-5 to advance to the round of 16. Devvarman’s 14th career NCAA Championship victory set a new record.

In doubles play, the top-seeded team of Devvarman and Treat Huey also advanced to the round of 16 by defeating the Alabama duo of Daniel Buikema and Mathieu Thibaudeau 7-6 (3), 6-3.

Devvarman’s match was not without its tense moments. In the first set, Devvarman and Shields won their first four service games to reach 4-4. Devvarman won the next eight points, breaking Shields’ serve at love and winning his own serve at love to take the first set 6-4.

Shields had his chances in the second set. Serving at 1-2, Devvarman fought a break point to even the set. Devvarman found himself down 30-40 while serving at 2-3 and saved the break point with a forehand that angled out of Shields’ reach to bring the game back to deuce. Devvarman held serve and the players traded service game victories to reach 5-5.

Down 15-40 on his serve, Shields fought off one break point but Devvarman took the second break point to lead 6-5. Devvarman then held his serve to decide the match.

Devvarman and Huey got an early break in game five of the doubles match when they rattled off four straight points from a 40-15 deficit. Devvarman was serving for the first set at 5-4 and was broken at love by a combination of good returns by Alabama and errant volleys by the Virginia duo before the Cavs won the tiebreaker 7-3.

The victory over Alabama gave the UVa pair sweet revenge for a loss two years ago against Buikema and Thibaudeau in a regular-season team match.

Devvarman faces Erling Tviet of Mississippi today. In doubles, Devvarman and Huey will take on Texas A&M’s Austin Krajicek and Conor Pollack.

 

In football, the ACC will never be the SEC
By Matt Hayes - SportingNews
May 22, 12:06 pm EDT

Look, I don’t want to go off just because it’s easier to react and attack than reflect and respect. That said, I can hold these thoughts no longer: The ACC blew it when it expanded to 12 teams.

As we head into the fourth season of the 12-team ACC, it’s obvious things just aren’t working out—at least on the field. This, everyone, is what happens when money dictates change.

“There were numerous reasons for expansion,” says ACC commissioner John Swofford.

At the top of the list: greed and envy. There’s a reason those are two of the seven deadly sins.

In the three seasons since the ACC grew to 12, it has yet to win a BCS bowl game—in fact, the conference has lost its last eight BCS games—and hasn’t sniffed the national title chase. No big-boy conference has a worse record in the elite bowl games.

By comparison, the SEC has won three national titles in the past five seasons and has the best record of all conferences in BCS bowls since the format was adopted in 1998. Why do I bring up the SEC? Because the SEC is part of the reason the ACC is in this mess.

The ACC has always had a little brother complex when it comes to the SEC. Frankly, it’s a ridiculous notion—but one that is strong both at the administrative level of the league and within the fan base.

The SEC became a behemoth by expanding to 12 teams in 1992 and adding a championship game. Then came the exclusive network television contract with CBS. No other league gets guaranteed network national television games every week—it’s unheard of.

So why wouldn’t the ACC follow that plan? The problem: It’s a basketball league, and it wasn’t ready.

Other than at Florida State and Clemson, football wasn’t—and still isn’t—a priority in the ACC. Moreover, league administrators oversold the value of adding Miami and Virginia Tech to boost the football quotient and compounded the problem by placing the league championship game in the heart of the SEC in Jacksonville, Fla.

Instead of placing the game in Charlotte—in the heart of Tobacco Road—and leaving it there for a distinct identity, the game will be played in yet another SEC hot spot (Tampa) for the next two years before finally arriving in Charlotte in 2010. By then, it will be too late.

Last week, the ACC held its annual spring meetings and boasted about producing more NFL firstround draft picks (25) over the past three years than any conference.

“The draft tells you where the talent is,” says North Carolina coach Butch Davis.

And that statement tells you where the ACC is.

The conference that changed because of greed is embracing the league of gluttony to pump up its image.

Matt Hayes is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com.
 

Linebacker, student sentenced to 4 days in jail
By Tasha Kates
Published: May 22, 2008

J’Courtney Rydell Williams, 19, said his family always told him to stay out of trouble. Williams said he managed to do so in high school, but college was a different story.

The former University of Virginia red-shirt linebacker pleaded guilty Thursday to credit-card fraud, and fellow UVa student Lester Guy Spellman III pleaded guilty to petty larceny. Both were expected to report that day to the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail to serve four-day sentences on the misdemeanor convictions.

Police had accused the men of using a stolen student ID on March 10 to buy about $20 worth of items out of campus vending machines.

“At first I really didn’t see any harm in a student ID,” Williams said. “… That $20 affected the rest of my future.”

Police said the investigation began after a UVa first-year student reported his wallet missing from the Aquatics & Fitness Center. The student, Andrew Cassidy, previously testified that he left his belongings on a bench in the center so he could play basketball, and returned two hours later to find his wallet missing. When Cassidy checked the account of his Cavs card, a student ID that can be used as a debit card, he discovered someone had used it.

According to a search warrant affidavit, Williams’ ID was used to get into a vending area one minute before transactions were recorded on Cassidy’s card. Court documents showed Spellman’s involvement came up during a conversation between police and Williams.

Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Denise Lunsford said she handled the cases as she would with any other first-time offenders.

“They were treated the same way as anyone else,” Lunsford said.

Lunsford said the men received 30 days of jail time on the misdemeanor charges, but 26 days were suspended pending good behavior for the next two years. The men also were ordered to pay $42.40 in restitution, which Lunsford said would cover the cost of the charges and the cards.

UVa football coach Al Groh dismissed Williams from the program in early April, two days after his arrest. Williams said he made a “critical mistake.”

“I just feel like I let down my parents,” Williams said Thursday. “Everyone was looking forward to seeing me play.”

Williams said he will start classes at Hampton University in June, and will play on the school’s football team this year.

A call to Spellman’s attorney was not immediately returned.

Ex-Cavalier hopes to get his groove back at K-State
Friday, May 23, 2008 - 12:06 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

To call Manhattan, Kan., the Charlottesville of the Midwest would be a stretch. The football program at Kansas State, however, is strengthening its ties to the University of Virginia.

K-State coach Ron Prince, of course, is a former U.Va. assistant. The Wildcats' 2007 roster included linebacker Olu Hall, who sat out the season after transferring from U.Va. And now former Hermitage High star Jeffrey Fitzgerald, who started at defensive end for Virginia in 2006 and '07, will be reunited with Hall and Prince.

Hermitage coach Patrick Kane confirmed last week that Fitzgerald was bound for K-State. In his first interview since withdrawing from U.Va. in February, Fitzgerald spoke Wednesday to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He's still living in Charlottesville, recovering from operations on both of his knees and one of his shoulders, all of which bothered him last season.

Had playing this fall for a Division I-AA school been an option, Fitzgerald said, he might have postponed one or more of those operations. But he would not have been academically eligible to play for any NCAA school in 2008, so he decided to stay in Division I-A. He'll sit out the coming season while taking classes at K-State, then play as a fifth-year senior in 2009.

"That was kind of an option in the back of my head the whole time, with me having a previous relationship with Coach Prince," said Fitzgerald, who visited Kansas State this spring.

Fitzgerald and Hall entered U.Va. in 2005, which turned out to be Prince's last season on Al Groh's staff there.

"Ron knows Jeffrey, and Jeffrey knows Ron," Groh said yesterday. "Obviously, Ron is excited about adding a playmaker like that."

U.Va. would not say what led to Fitzgerald's departure. But sources said it was related to an academic issue. Fitzgerald declined to discuss his reasons for leaving -- "I'd rather keep that personal" -- and said he's "just trying to focus on the future, trying to get in the best shape I can to contribute at Kansas State."

At first, Fitzgerald said, it "was a little bit tough, but with the support from my family and close friends, everything has worked out. . . . I got nothing but love for U.Va. athletics. I still keep in contact with the coaches and players. I wish them the best."

In his two seasons with the Cavaliers -- he redshirted in 2005 -- Fitzgerald made 12 sacks, intercepted four passes and scored two touchdowns. Now, he said, "I just have to prove I can go out there and stand on my own, without Chris Long on the other side."

Like Virginia, Kansas State runs the 3-4 as its base defense. And Prince's coaching philosophy is similar to that of Groh's.

"It reduces the degree of change that's involved with this transition, probably to the smallest possible element," Groh said. "Jeffrey's a great favorite of ours. He's a terrific kid, and you can't help but do anything but root for his success."



 

Cavaliers in 15th Place Entering Final Round at NCAAs
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/22/2008

Albuquerque, NM – The Virginia women’s golf team moved up to 15th place during the third round of the NCAA Championships at the University of New Mexico Championship Course. The Cavaliers were one of 16 teams in the 24-team field that managed to complete the third round before darkness ended play.

Thursday’s play started at 7 a.m. in 40-degree temperatures when half the field, including Virginia, had to return to the course to complete their second round which was suspended Wednesday due to high winds. Virginia dropped to 17th on the leaderboard after shooting 29-over 317 in the challenging conditions.

The third round got underway with a 1 p.m. shotgun start, but was delayed at one point for a hour due to hail.

Lene Krog and Joy Kim had UVa’s best third-round scores, shooting 2-under 74. Jennie Arseneault shot 76, Whitney Neuhauser 77 and Calle Nielson carded a 78. After 54 holes of play, Arseneault and Krog lead the Cavaliers at 10-over 226. Kim stands at 232, Nielson at 233 and Neuhauser is at 239.

The Cavaliers enter Friday’s final round of the 72-hole event at 50-over 914. Auburn, Oklahoma State and Alabama are tied for 12th, one shot ahead of UVa. The 11th-place team, Purdue, is nine shots in front of the Cavaliers in the standings. UCLA and USC are tied for first at 16-over, but neither team managed to finish the third round.

Live scoring links are at VirginiaSports.com and Golfstat.com.

 

Defensive gems lift Cavaliers to late-night victory
By Jay Jenkins
Published: May 23, 2008

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Long after the clock had struck midnight, Virginia closer Michael Schwimer hurled the 354th pitch of the game and immediately held his breath as the marathon contest with top-ranked North Carolina hung in the balance.

Ahead by two runs and with the bases loaded, Schwimer spun 180 degrees to watch as second baseman David Adams soared through the air to snag a bouncing ball with eyes for the outfield grass.

A similar heart-pounding moment ensued for Schwimer one pitch later in the Cavaliers’ opening game at the ACC baseball tournament late Wednesday night.

Once again, a position player came to Schwimer’s rescue — centerfielder John Barr mercifully ended the 11-inning affair, an 8-7 win for Virginia, with an awkward, yet effective, sliding catch.

“Every single person on the team picked me up,” said Schwimer. “It was completely clutch Cavalier baseball.

“All year long, our pitching staff has been picking our offense and defense up and now, and I give them all the credit in the world, they picked me and the pitching staff up.”

Without question, it was a role reversal for Virginia (39-17), which entered the tournament with the ACC’s 8th-best batting average. Yet the offense manufactured two runs in the ninth, another in the 10th and two more in the 11th.

The fact that UVa, the tournament’s sixth seed, was facing the Tar Heels (45-11) as the road team only added to the dramatic flair.

“We kind of defied the odds a little bit,” said Virginia coach Brian O’Connor. “Any time you are playing in a game that is tied or in a one-run game, it makes a huge difference. That is part of the reason that we lost four games between Florida State and Miami by one run.

“There is a major advantage to being the home team, and you’ve got to be that much better as the visiting team.”

Eventually, the Cavaliers were “better,” but it took countless timely hits, one critical intentional walk that went against baseball strategy and the two defensive gems.

O’Connor’s decision to intentionally walk Dustin Ackley in the 11th, which loaded the bases with one out, followed a lead-off walk, a single and a sacrifice bunt.

Ackley, who sports the ACC’s third-best batting average (.396), tied the game off Schwimer in the ninth with a triple on a slider the pitcher called a “terrible, terrible pitch.”

“I wish we would have walked Dustin Ackley two innings before that,” O’Connor said. “I should have, and I learned my lesson. Fortunately, we had a chance to do it again later in the ballgame.

“There was no question the second time that it was what we were going to do.”

Most baseball coaches would never have put the winning run on base, especially one with Ackley’s speed.

“That is the general rule,” O’Connor said, “but when you are playing a great team like North Carolina, you have to take some chances to win.”

Schwimer then fanned Ryan Graepel on four pitches, setting the stage for Adams’ leather-flashing play on the infield hit up the middle by Tim Fedroff.

Off the bat, Adams thought Fedroff’s chopper was headed to another player.

“I thought [Greg] Miclat was going to get to it,” Adams said. “I was moving to get behind him and saw it and just dove for it.”

The Tar Heels’ seventh run scored with ease, but did little to remove the luster from the play’s importance.

“From my angle I wasn’t sure, but when I saw him lay out, I was praying that he would get a glove on the ball,” O’Connor said. “Fortunately, he did.”

North Carolina coach Mike Fox added: “It was kind of ironic that the game ended on that. It’s a game of inches. [Adams] grabs a ball up the middle and I had to stop Seth [Williams] at third and that guy caught it by inches. Whoever coined that phrase, it was true tonight, because it was literally that they won by inches and we lost by inches.”

Barr admitted that poor recognition of the blooper hit off the bat that ended the game added to his made-for-TV catch.

“I should have caught it on the run,” he chuckled. “I kind of got a bad read, and then I am an awful diver, so I made it look a lot more interesting than it actually was.

“It was just a little flare, and it was just one of those things where I had to make sure it wouldn’t drop in.”

Barr, one of six Cavaliers who made their ACC tournament debut in the game, said winning a contest with so much meaning was easily the greatest moment in his young career.

“It was just back and forth with both teams competing and right now it is the best game that I have ever played in,” said Barr, who scored three runs. “It was an extra-innings win, we kept fighting back and forth … it was just an awesome group win.”

There was reason to think the Cavaliers were playing with an enormous amount of pressure on their shoulders after losing seven of their final nine league games.

Schwimer said that was not the case.

“We don’t ever listen to message boards,” he said. “We were not here trying to win just one game. We came here to win three and to win the championship.

“We are 1-0 and getting there was crazy.”

Virginia returns to action tonight at 5 p.m. against Florida State (47-9), the pool’s highest-seeded team.

With a win, the Cavaliers could secure a berth in Sunday’s championship game tonight, but that would also require a win by UNC over Wake Forest in the nightcap.

If the Cavaliers lose, they will be eliminated from playing in the title game regardless of the outcome in Saturday’s finale against Wake Forest due to the pool’s tiebreakers.

“I told them at practice [Wednesday] to take one game at a time,” O’Connor said. “It is the oldest cliche in the book, but we have a game against Florida State and if we win it, we are in the driver’s seat.

“The players know it.”

Extra bases

Virginia junior Jacob Thompson (5-4, 4.46 ERA) will start tonight. FSU will counter with senior Ryan Strauss (8-0, 4.10). ... The Cavaliers will be the home team in their final two games. … Adams snapped out of a 0-for-26 slump by finishing Wednesday’s game with back-to-back singles. By driving in a run against UNC, Adams moved into a tie for ninth place with Kent Savedge (1984-1987) in program history with 139 RBI. Adams needs just one RBI to join former Cavalier Ryan Zimmerman in eighth place. … Virginia reliever Matt Packer’s 1.09 ERA currently leads all pitchers in the ACC that have worked at least 35 innings.