College football notebook: Spiders knew UVa's intentions early
By Doug Doughty | The Roanoke Times

New UVa football coach Mike London had strong ties to Richmond, but the school knew it would likely lose him to the Cavs.

University of Richmond fans might have been curious as to how Virginia could request permission to speak to football coach Mike London and then hire him all in the span of one afternoon Sunday.

Spiders' athletic director Jim Miller says there's a little more to the story.

Miller, now in the process of hiring a successor to London, said he had been in contact with UVa athletic director Craig Littlepage prior to the official request.

"Craig notified me before the weekend that there was a possibility of them talking to Mike," Miller said Wednesday. "More than a week in advance, he said he wanted to give me a heads-up."

Littlepage's original call to Miller occurred close to the time that UVa's former coach, Al Groh, was informed Nov. 29 that he would not be retained.

"During [UVa's hiring] process, I would never comment on anything and did not in order to protect everybody's confidentiality," Miller said. "Now that it's over, I don't think it's fair for either Mike or Craig or the University of Virginia to make it sound like we had no notice until Sunday.

"It was not a one-day turnaround for us, not that they told me a week in advance, 'Mike's the guy.' Craig just told me they wanted to move fast."

Miller said it does not bother him that talks may have been taking place with London's agent, Dennis Cordell.

The request for permission followed Richmond's 34-31 loss to Appalachian State on Saturday night in the Division I-AA playoffs.

"There was never any thought that, 'Gee, his attention was distracted,'" Miller said.

"I'm sure that Craig and Virginia handled it properly. We knew well in advance that Virginia would be talking to him after the season.

"They could have elected not to do that. They could have elected to do it before the season was over."

Miller knew when he hired London, the Cavaliers' defensive coordinator in 2006-07, that there was a chance Virginia might come calling.

"Moving from [a I-AA} head job to a BCS-type head job is rare," Miller said. "It doesn't happen very much. I don't know what Craig and his guys were thinking, but from the outside looking in, it appears to be a perfect-storm situation.

"If Coach Groh had left a year earlier or stayed a year longer, or we hadn't won a national championship or if Mike hadn't known all those people, who knows what would have happened?"

White: London Likely to Have Company from UR
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 12/09/2009
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- He's been bombarded with calls and texts from coaches hoping to be part of his new staff, and Mike London still has several decisions to make.
He appears to have settled, though, on which University of Richmond assistants will join him at UVa.
The details are still being finalized, but London is likely to hire UR assistants Mike Faragalli, Vincent Brown and Jeff Hanson.
Also, Steve Atkinson, the Spiders' director of football operations, is likely to take an administrative position on London's staff.
It's too early to say what the specific responsibilities of the UR four would be at UVa.
London, who had two stints as an assistant under Al Groh, was introduced as the Cavaliers' head coach Monday. He spent the past two seasons as UR's coach.
Under London, the Spiders went 24-5 and won a national title.
Faragalli was London's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach each of those two seasons. Under Faragalli's tutelage, Eric Ward blossomed into one of the top quarterbacks in the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision.
A former head coach in the Canadian Football League, Faragalli has been offensive coordinator at Lafayette, at Bowling Green and with three CFL teams. Faragalli, a Rhode Island graduate, also has coached at his alma mater, at Wisconsin and at William and Mary.
Brown is more familiar to fans who follow UVa football closely. The former NFL linebacker was a graduate assistant at Virginia in 2007.
The Wahoos won nine games that season, after which London, their defensive coordinator, left to become head coach at UR, his alma mater.
Brown followed him to Richmond. Brown, a native of Atlanta, coached the Spiders' linebackers in 2008 and '09. In 2006, he was an inside linebackers coach for the Dallas Cowboys.
Hanson, a 1972 graduate of UR, has had three stints as an assistant at his alma mater. The second ran from 1989 to 2006, and Hanson's colleagues in '89 included a first-year assistant named Mike London.
After the 2006 season, Hanson left Richmond to join Jim Reid at Virginia Military Institute. Hanson coached the Keydets' defensive line and served as the program's chief of staff in 2007.
After London took over at UR, Hanson returned in February 2008 to become the team's assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator. He also coached the Spiders' defensive line.
Most of Hanson's professional experience has been at UR, but he has also coached at Marshall, Lamar, Southwest Texas State and West Texas State.

Virginia hire has strong Tidewater ties
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Shurburtt By JC Shurburtt
Scouts Inc.
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Recruiting is the foundation of any successful college football program. A recent coaching change could mean Virginia's foundation is about to get a lot stronger.

The Cavaliers hired Richmond head coach and former UVA assistant Mike London as their head football coach earlier this week. London, a former Richmond police officer, is an outstanding recruiter. He will aim to make the Hoos relevant in the in-state recruiting battles.

Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy head coach John Shuman has one of the country's top post-graduate programs and has a working relationship with both of the state's major programs. He hailed the hire of London, who sent his son Brandon to play at FUMA.

"It's a historical moment for the University of Virginia to bring in Mike as their head coach," Shuman said. "The first African-American coach in this state so we are happy and think he is going to be able to cultivate some great recruiting grounds not only at the prep school level, but at the state level."

Shuman believes that there currently is a lot of enthusiasm about the hire throughout the state.

"I think the energy is flying high right now and I think the honeymoon will last a long time," he said.

It's no secret that in-state rival Virginia Tech has built the foundation of its championship-caliber program through recruiting the Tidewater area successfully. That's a key for the Cavaliers as well. Other than being slightly more selective in terms of a prospect's academic record, there really is little reason that the Hokies should corner the market on the in-state talent from that region. To get to Blacksburg, Va., from the Tidewater region, you have to drive up I-64 through Richmond and Charlottesville and then swing down I-81.

The Tidewater area is also a big reason the state of Virginia ranks seventh in NFL players produced according to usafootball.com. Michael Vick, DeAngelo Hall, Dre Bly, Terry Kirby, Tyrod Taylor, Plaxico Burress, Ronald Curry, Percy Harvin, E.J. Manuel and many, many others have come out of the region.

London is a native of the region. The direct ties there can only help the Cavaliers become a bigger factor.

Michael Strauss
Scouts Inc.Mike London quickly secured a commitment from Miami signal-caller Michael Strauss.

It's not as if Virginia has been abysmal in recent years, either. Although mediocrity set in toward the end of the Al Groh era, the Cavaliers are only two years removed from a Gator Bowl berth and having defensive lineman Chris Long (a London pupil) selected second overall in the NFL draft. This is a program that since the late 1980s has produced players such as Tiki and Ronde Barber, Brooks, Thomas Jones, Matt Schaub and Long, among others. So, there is a lot to build on

Funny enough, London's first major recruiting move came 941 miles away in another talent hotbed, South Florida. Quarterback Michael Strauss (Miami/Gulliver Prep) became London's first commitment as Cavaliers head coach earlier this week. Gulliver Prep head coach Earl Sims played at Virginia while London was an assistant there.

"He is definitely going to be a player's coach," Strauss said. "[Sims] told me he was a good coach. Everybody wants to have a good relationship with the head coach and that is very important."

Strauss also said he is going to try to help recruit other area prospects to Virginia with him. One interesting note was that Strauss planned to work Tennessee linebacker commit Ralph Williams (Miami/Southridge) to possibly look at the Cavaliers. Williams played at Gulliver Prep last year.

When contacted about his potential interest, Williams said that while he is still committed to the Vols, he is interested in looking at some other schools.

"I just feel like I made a mistake by committing too early," he said. "So I want to let the schools know I am interested in anything."

Williams said that he plans to contact Virginia soon and also has been hearing from South Florida.

Strauss also said he plans to work Class of 2011 ESPNU 150 Watch List receiver Tacoi Sumler, his high school teammate.

Waves are starting to be made already on the recruiting trail and it's at the very least a good start. With that quick start, the solid foundation that was in place in Charlottesville and London's local and national connections, this hire has outstanding potential.

 

London takes aim at recruiting
Winning recruiting battle in Tidewater region represents crucial goal
By Zach Berman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 10, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The voice on the other end of Virginia Athletic Director Craig Littlepage's phone was that of Mike Smith, head football coach at Hampton High and executive director of the Virginia High School Coaches Association. Smith called Littlepage last week to endorse Mike London, then head coach at Richmond, for Virginia's top job.

The Cavaliers officially hired London on Monday, injecting optimism into a program that endured three losing seasons in the past four years and has struggled against rival Virginia Tech on the field and on the recruiting trail. Of all the hope emanating from London's hire, his reputation as a recruiter has caused the most excitement.

"I know we've got to do a better job in recruiting the in-state players," London said in his first answer of Monday's introductory news conference. "But we'll do that, because I think I want the high school coaches to know that if Virginia hasn't been there, we'll be there."

When Al Groh was hired before the 2001 season, he spoke of promoting national interest at his introductory news conference. London pledged a more in-state focus. He has recruited every corner of the state during his time as an assistant coach at Virginia, Richmond and William & Mary, and his two years as head coach of the Spiders.

The state's three most talent-rich areas are Northern Virginia, Richmond and the Tidewater region -- three areas in which the Hokies have trumped the Cavaliers in recent seasons, even though every prospect from those locales must drive past Charlottesville to reach Blacksburg.

The Cavaliers must make the biggest improvement in the Tidewater region, an area London knows well, considering he grew up in Hampton and graduated from Bethel High.

"I am a product of -- and I'll use it as the kids say -- 7-5-7," London said, referring to Tidewater's area code.

That message resonated with many London supporters, including two of the best players in Virginia history -- quarterback Aaron Brooks and linebacker Chris Slade, who grew up in the Tidewater region and attended Monday's news conference on short notice.
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"I'm a little biased because I'm a Tidewater guy, so I think that's an area where we really need to get some of the top players," Slade said. "You know, the Tyrod Taylors of the world that skip right on past Charlottesville and head to Blacksburg. We need to get those types of players here. The relationship that Coach London already has with a lot of those coaches on the Peninsula, like the Mike Smiths of the world, I think it's really going to help a lot."

London tried to recruit Taylor to play quarterback at Virginia, and although Taylor signed with Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers were able to sign West Springfield's Peter Lalich that same year to run their pro-style offense.

Taylor said there is an advantage when London comes to recruit the Tidewater region because he is a native who can relate with players.

"He's going to do his best to get those guys in," Taylor said. "Seems like everyone from our area, Virginia Tech and Virginia is always fighting to get those guys. He's going to do a good job, but we have a lot of good recruiters here, too."

Smith emphasized that the Hokies' recruiters have good reputations for a reason. But there are enough players for both schools, Smith said, and Virginia likely will become a more appealing option with London on board.

London insisted that the doors are open. If there is a player coaches want evaluated, Virginia will evaluate him. The Cavaliers will have a presence with high school coaches and youth teams in the communities, because kids aspire to be like the players they watch growing up. London said he wants those players in Charlottesville -- not Blacksburg -- even if he did not mention the rival by name.

"When you say 'Come to my game' or 'Come to my venue,' if you haven't been to theirs, if you haven't been in their communities, then why would they come to yours?" London said. "So there's a lot of work to do. But we'll be hard at work in making sure we get that corrected."

London’s U.Va. staff will speak with a Richmond accent
By Michael Phillips
Published: December 10, 2009
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New University of Virginia football coach Mike London will bring three assistant coaches with him from Richmond.

Mike Faragalli, Vincent Brown and Jeff Hanson will join the former Spiders coach in Charlottesville.

Faragalli was the offensive coordinator of the Spiders, and will likely serve as quarterbacks coach at Virginia, though no official positions were announced yesterday.

Brown, the Spiders' linebackers coach, was a graduate assistant at U.Va. in 2007, and Hanson was London's recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach. He has coached at various places since graduating from Richmond in 1972.

Published reports yesterday linked Jim Reid, the linebackers coach for the Miami Dolphins and a former head coach at Richmond and VMI, to the Cavaliers' defensive coordinator job. Reid declined an interview request, saying through a team representative that he was busy preparing for Sunday's game with Jacksonville.

Spiders' director of football operations Steve Atkinson is also likely to make the jump.

London has already been working the recruiting trail, landing his first commitment - a big one, because it shores up a weak position. Quarterback Michael Strauss, a senior at Gulliver Preparatory in Miami, will join the Cavaliers next year.

Strauss threw for 3,113 yards and 32 touchdowns last year with just 12 interceptions. He received three stars from the Rivals recruiting service and two from Scout. He initially committed to Tulane but changed his mind and will be coming to Charlottesville. He also received an offer from Alabama.

London had a friend in the recruiting process. Gulliver head coach Earl Sims was a senior defensive end at U.Va. while London was an assistant coach in 2001.

The quarterback position is unsettled for the Cavs. Senior Marc Verica will be in the mix in addition to sophomore Riko Smalls and freshman Ross Metheny.

Directors' Cup Update
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 12/09/2009
Dec. 9, 2009
10:28 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The first Directors' Cup standings of the 2009-10 academic year are out, and UVa is in first place.

The Wahoos' lead will be short-lived, because these standings reflect the results of only three sports: men's cross country, women's cross country and field hockey.

Still, Virginia figures to head into the winter ranked among the top five schools.

The Directors' Cup competition reflects schools' performances in NCAA championships. UVa finished 15th in both men's and women's cross country, earning 45 points in each sport. The 'Hoos advanced to the NCAA semifinals in field hockey and so picked up 83 points in that sport, for an early-fall total of 173.

Princeton is second in the initial 2009-10 standings with 158 points.

Virginia won't get anything for football or volleyball, but it advanced to the round of 16 in women's soccer, and that was worth 64 points.

In men's soccer, the 'Hoos have reached the College Cup. If they lose in the semifinals Friday in Cary, N.C., they'll walk off with 83 Directors' Cup points. If they win Friday and then lose Sunday, they'll get 90.

An NCAA championship is worth 100 points in the Directors' Cup race.

All of which means UVa will emerge from the fall with at least 320 points. In the final fall standings for 2008-09, that would have been good for third place.

Virginia was 11th coming out of the fall in 2008-09. It finished the academic year in eighth place.

The next Directors' Cup standings will be released Dec. 17.

-- Jeff White

 

No. 2 Virginia and No. 3 Wake Forest Clash Friday in College Cup on ESPN2
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 12/09/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The UVa men's soccer team faces Wake Forest in the 2009 NCAA College Cup Friday at 5 p.m. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN2, with J.P. Dellacamera and Kyle Martino calling the action. Live statistics are available at VirginiaSports.com.

Virginia (17-3-3) extended its unbeaten streak to 14 games and shut out its 11th-straight opponent with the 3-0 win over Maryland in the quarterfinals. Neil Barlow (Herndon, Va.), Will Bates (Chester, Va.) and Jordan Evans (Chester, Va.) were the goal scorers for UVa.

Bates leads the team with 12 goals and had a hat trick against Bucknell in the first round. He was a member of the ACC All-Tournament team, the All-ACC second team and the ACC All-Freshmen team.

Goalkeeper Diego Restrepo (West Palm Beach, Fla.) extended his school record for scoreless minutes in goal, as the junior has not allowed a goal in 1,107 minutes and 34 seconds. The previous record was held by Tony Meola (891:25 in 1988). The NCAA record was set by Michigan State goalkeeper Avery Steinlage from Oct. 15, 2008 to Sept. 21, 2009 and is 1,318 minutes and 26 seconds. Restrepo is also the UVa record-holder for shutouts in a season with 15 in 2009.

Virginia is making its 29th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, dating back to 1981. That streak is the longest-active in the nation.

UVa holds a 50-25-4 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, and has won five NCAA Championships (1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994).

Virginia's last appearance in the NCAA College Cup was in 2006 in St. Louis, Mo. The Cavaliers dropped a 4-0 contest to UCLA in the national semifinal.

No. 2 seed Virginia and No. 1 seed Akron have not allowed a goal in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Third-seeded Wake Forest has allowed three goals, while fifth-seeded North Carolina has allowed just one.

The Demon Deacons (17-3-3) earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament and are making their fourth-straight appearance in the College Cup. Wake Forest won the 2007 NCAA Championship.

Wake Forest is the No. 3 overall seed at this year's tournament and defeated UNC-Wilmington in the second round (2-1), Duke in the third round (4-2) and UCLA in the quarterfinals (2-0).

Zack Schilawski leads the team with 14 goals and seven assists, followed by Austin da Luz with six goals and 15 assists.

Goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald has allowed 15 goals in 23 games for a goals-against average of 0.66.

The teams have met twice this year, once during the regular season and once in the 2009 ACC Tournament.

On Sept. 18, 2009 at Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., the Cavaliers came away with a 1-0 victory on a goal by Mike Volk.

At the ACC Tournament in the semifinal round, fifth-seeded Virginia advanced past the top-seeded Demon Deacons, 5-4 on penalty kicks, after the teams played to a double overtime scoreless draw.

Virginia leads the all-time series with WFU, 32-6-6, and has won two of the last three meetings.

The teams met once in the NCAA Tournament, a second-round match-up in 2003 in which UVa prevailed, 2-0.

The winner of Friday's match will advance to the 2009 NCAA Championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m., televised by ESPN2. The winner will face the winner of Akron vs. North Carolina.

'Hoos Face Juggling Act at College Cup
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 12/09/2009
Dec. 9, 2009
8:12 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In a perfect world, his players would have nothing but soccer on their minds during their stay in North Carolina.

UVa coach George Gelnovatch knows that's not possible.

His team left Wednesday afternoon for the College Cup. Final exams at UVa start Thursday.

Virginia plays ACC rival Wake Forest in the first NCAA semifinal Friday at 5 p.m. in Cary, N.C.

"It's a really tricky time, I gotta tell you," Gelnovatch said Wednesday. "Our final four in college soccer is a week later than it usually is, so it's made it really tough for us.

"It's been something we've had to deal with for three days now. There are guys that will be taking proctored exams [Thursday]."

The team is staying in Raleigh.

"During their little bit of time when we're not watching film and we're not preparing and we're not practicing, they've got to be studying," Gelnovatch said. "It's tough."

The Wahoos are due at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, and they'll remain there until about noon.

"And then there will be a handful of guys that have to be there [for media obligations] until probably 2, along with me," Gelnovatch said. "It's a structured, busy day, and then a couple guys have to factor in taking exams."

The NCAA championship game is Sunday afternoon. If the 'Hoos win Friday night, Gelnovatch said, some of his players might have to take exams in Raleigh on Saturday.

"It's not ideal," he said, "but that's life."

As for the team's schedule Friday, Gelnovatch said, "We don't plan to go out to the field and do any kind of walk-through or anything like that. We'll get up, eat and then we'll probably take a walk, just to get the guys out of the hotel after breakfast. We'll have a training meal at 1 [p.m.], and we'll meet right after that and get ready to head over around 3 o'clock."

-- Jeff White
 

An unlikely hero
By Whitey Reid
Published: December 10, 2009
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A little over a year ago, Ari Dimas — all 5-foot-5 and 134 pounds of him — was a fixture on the women’s soccer team.
Yeah, you read that correctly — the women’s squad.
Dimas helped out coach Steve Swanson by playing on the scout team. His job was to scrimmage against UVa’s players and, to a certain extent, emulate their opponents.
“Just an amazing kid, an amazing guy,” said Swanson recently. “He’s one of those kids — he’s just a bundle of energy.”
A bundle that is now, believe it or not, making an impact on the men’s team. Virginia coach George Gelnovatch’s squad has taken full advantage of the diminutive Dimas on its run to the College Cup that starts Friday in Cary, N.C. Dimas, a redshirt freshman, has played a whole lot bigger than his size.
Two weeks ago, Dimas, scored the game-winning goal against Portland in the team’s third-round victory. Not a bad time for his first career goal.
Dimas took a cross from Shawn Barry and one-timed a shot into the net. A Portland defender tried to sweep it off the goal line but was a fraction of a second late.
“It was probably the biggest goal that I’ve ever scored, and the fact that it was my first UVa goal made it even more special,” Dimas said. “It wasn’t the prettiest goal — it wasn’t quite how I saw myself scoring my first UVa goal — but it was a big goal for us in that game and put us through to the next round. It was huge. It felt good.”
A year ago, if you had told Gelnovatch that he’d be playing in this season’s College Cup with Dimas as one of his starting midfielders, he might have looked at you a little funny.
“Imagining him in the starting lineup at that point would have probably been a stretch,” said Gelnovatch, whose team plays Wake Forest in the NCAA semifinals at 5 p.m. “To be honest, I wasn’t thinking much about Ari at this time last year.
“Obviously, he’s got some ability and he’s got some talent. But his mentality, character and work ethic allows those talents to keep getting better, to adapt, to overcome and be at his best — whether he’s 5-foot-5, not a recruited guy or whatever in order to rise to the top.”
Dimas’ path to Charlottesville has been a circuitous one. Dimas, whose father is Greek and mother is American, was born in Naples, Italy. While his mother was in the Navy, Dimas lived in a number of countries until just before high school when the family settled in Chesapeake.
Due to his size, Dimas was hardly recruited coming out of Indian River High School — and has played with a chip on his shoulder ever since.
“Because I wasn’t recruited, I promised myself that I would earn a spot,” said Dimas, his school’s valedictorian. “I don’t want to say exact revenge because that’s kind of harsh, but I just wanted to show to everybody who never really gave me a chance, ‘Hey, here I am.’
“That’s why I’m so grateful to the UVa staff and the program for giving me that chance.”
It certainly hasn’t come easy. Last season, Dimas trained with the women, then went through a vigorous tryout in the spring with the men.
Practicing and training with the women’s team was all part of Dimas’ master plan — to eventually make the men’s team.
“It was good for adapting to the varsity athletics regimen,” he said. “I would train with the women’s team a couple times a week. I got to know the women’s coaches, and in turn got to know the men’s coaches more. It just helped acquaint me with the system.”
From the moment Dimas joined the men’s team, his work ethic stood out, according to Virginia senior Ross LeBauex.
“In the spring, the kid worked his butt off,” LaBauex said. “You never heard a complaint out of him. He was always doing what he was supposed to. Slowly, as the spring wore on, you could see the progression of his ability.”
After making the team, Dimas played sparingly. But following a few key injuries and some less-than-stellar play from more decorated players in front of him, Dimas got his chance and took full advantage
Dimas, though, admits that being only 5-foot-5 has been difficult at times.
“It’s a challenge,” said Dimas, who claims he’s closer to 5-foot-6. “The college game is definitely more physical than high school and club soccer, and the brand of playing that I was used to.
“Obviously I can try, but I probably won’t win many balls in the air. But I pride myself in being a hard worker. I think the more I put myself in situations where I can be a nuisance or get a little touch on a 50-50 ball, whatever it is, the more I can be successful and make my size a non-factor.”
On several occasions within the last few weeks, Dimas said he’s had to pinch himself.
“It’s definitely surreal,” he said, when asked about going from a non-recruited walk-on to a starter. “It’s good to fall back on the reality that I’m just another member of this team that is working hard.
“We’re all one unit going forward into this national championship situation.”


 

Michael Colley Honored with Doyle Smith Award by USILA
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 12/09/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA- The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) will bestow its annual Doyle Smith Sports Information/Media Award on former Virginia assistant media relations director Michael Colley on Friday at the USILA Convention at the Marriot Baltimore Waterfront Hotel.

Colley served in the UVa media relations department for 18 years, where one of his main responsibilities was publicity of Cavalier men's lacrosse, before suddenly passing away in July at the age of 46.

The USILA's sports information/media award is named for Virginia sports information administrator Doyle Smith, who worked with UVa's men's lacrosse program prior to Colley and served as the information director of the USILA from 1973-95. The USILA named the award in honor of Smith's outstanding service to the sport. The recipient of the award is selected based on the individual's contributions to the promotion and coverage of the sport.

Colley epitomized the award's model, as he was a primary contributor to the first-ever NCAA Men's Lacrosse Statistics Manual released in 2009. He served as the chief statistician at several NCAA Championship events and he also worked on the statistics crew at the Division I, II and III Men's Lacrosse Championships. Colley coordinated game-day press operations at all home games as well as other sport-related media activities.

Colley was a native of Charlottesville and graduated from UVa's McIntire School of Commerce in 1985. He was a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America and the Virginia Chapter of that group.

"Everyone associated with Virginia Lacrosse is moved by the USILA selecting Mike for this award," said Virginia head men's lacrosse coach Dom Starsia. "It is so fitting that this award carries Doyle's name. Mike and Doyle worked so closely together for such a long time and they both did so much to improve the administration of our sport. Mike was such a loyal, tireless, unselfish person and his contribution to our program cannot easily be overstated. He may have labored behind the scenes, but to all of us involved, he was an invaluable resource. This recognition by the USILA for Michael Colley's work is richly deserved and greatly appreciated."

Mrs. Bert Colley, Michael's mother, will be on hand in Baltimore to accept the honor in his memory.