Tag: virginia cavaliers

Kate Douglass has historic meet as Virginia repeats as NCAA Swimming and Diving champs

Complete domination from the reigning champs.

The Virginia Cavaliers followed up their impressive 2021 NCAA Swimming and Diving championship with an utterly dominant showing this year to repeat. Virginia finished with 551.5 points, lightyears ahead of second place Texas (406 points). Junior Kate Douglass and sophomore Alex Walsh — both medal winners in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics — each went 3-for-3 in their individual events.

Walsh won the 200-yard individual medley, 400-yard individual medley and 200-yard fly events. Freshmen Emma Weyant and Gretchen Walsh (the younger sister of Alex) were among the bevy of Cavaliers that also collected podium finishes.

Virginia then won NCAA titles in four relay events — the 200-yard medley relay, 400-yard medley relay, 200-yard free relay and 400-yard free relay. They also set NCAA records in the 400-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay, and an American Record in the latter.

While all the Cavaliers impressed, it was Douglass who truly stole the show. Douglass not only touched first in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard breaststroke events, she set new American Records in each of them. It’s not unusual for a swimmer to excel in freestyle and butterfly events, but breaststroke is usually a specialized event. Think of it as if Tom Brady won the NFL MVP, Super Bowl MVP, and then also won the NBA three-point shooting title.

Douglass set the record in the 50-yard free in the preliminary swim with a 20.84, but nearly matched it in the finals with a 20.87.

Her 49.04 time in the 100-yard butterfly set the American Record for that event, and she closed out her individual events with a blistering 2:02.19 time that broke Lilly King’s record from 2018.

With Douglass, Weyant and the Walsh sisters all returning as Virginia’s core for next year, the Cavaliers could be looking a the three-peat. Saturday night’s team title is the University of Virginia’s 30th NCAA team championship.

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Virginia baseball’s Jake Gelof hits identical home run to his brother, exactly one year apart

Virginia baseball’s Jake Gelof hits a home run identical to his older brother…exactly one year later.

The college baseball season is underway, and it is already off to a thrilling start. Virginia, which is as high as No. 4 in the Baseball America rankings, has amassed an 8-0 record to start 2022. The Hoos are looking to build off of last season’s College World Series performance, and they’re doing it so far with strong pitching, good defense and hot hitting.

Virginia’s hottest hitter is second year infielder Jake Gelof, who has been dominating at the plate. Gelof is leading the NCAA in batting average (.636) and slugging percentage (1.682), is second in runs batted in (23), fifth in total bases (37) and sixth in home runs (5).

Gelof’s older brother, Zack, played for the Cavaliers before being drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the second round in 2021. Last week, Jake followed in his older brother’s footsteps, hitting a home run to the same spot against the same team on the same calendar day as big bro.

HistoryΒ does repeat itself.

Springing around the ACC: Virginia

Clemson will begin spring practice Wednesday, but the Tigers aren’t the only ones in the ACC taking the field over the next couple of months. With early preparations for the 2022 season on the horizon for teams throughout the conference, The Clemson …

Clemson will begin spring practice Wednesday, but the Tigers aren’t the only ones in the ACC taking the field over the next couple of months.

With early preparations for the 2022 season on the horizon for teams throughout the conference, The Clemson Insider is going around the league to take a look at where other teams stand going into the spring. Next up is Virginia.

Head coach: Tony Elliott (first year)

2021 record: 6-6, 4-4 ACC

Key personnel losses: RB Wayne Taulapapa, TE Jelani Woods, OL Victor Oluwatimi, OL Ryan Swoboda, OL Bobby Haskins, DL Mandy Alonso, LB Noah Taylor, DB Joey Blount, DB Nick Grant

Key returners/additions: QB Brennan Armstrong, WR Dontayvion Wicks, WR Keytaon Thompson, WR Billy Kemp, DL Kameron Butler, LB Nick Jackson, DB Anthony Johnson

Spring gleaning: Virginia enters a new era under former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, who will work on building a culture and getting the Cavaliers familiar with his system this spring. Elliott has an important piece to work with following the decision by Armstrong to return for a fifth season. Armstrong led the ACC in passing last season (404.5 yards per game) for an offense that scored the fourth-most points in the league (34.6).

Elliott will want at least some semblance of balance offensively, so that should also be a focus for Virginia this spring. The Cavaliers have their top three receivers back but finished last in the league in rushing last season. Virginia doesn’t have anybody on the roster that ran for more than 251 yards. But whether it’s rushing or passing, Virginia will need to find five new blockers after the Cavaliers lost every starter along the offensive line, perhaps the most pressing objective for Elliott and his staff this spring.Β 

Spring game: April 23 at Scott Stadium

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Virginia’s Tony Bennett honors Mike Krzyzewski in classy pregame moment

What a heartwarming moment.

Wednesday night’s trip to Charlottesville was Duke men’s basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final game in John Paul Jones Arena. With the stands packed with orange-clad fans, Virginia’s Tony Bennett took to the microphone at mid-court prior to the national anthem and lineups to thank Coach K for his contributions to the game, the conference and wish him well in retirement.

Bennett also presented him with a plaque to commemorate the occasion.

The long-time coach hasn’t gotten a warm welcome at every stop, notably receiving boos and some choice swear words in his final game at rival UNC.

This is the final season for Krzyzewski after over 40 years with the Blue Devils, and his No. 7 Duke squad is trying to send him out with his sixth NCAA title.

What a wonderfully classy moment!

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Virginia Cavaliers’ radio call of Reece Beekman’s game-winning three over Duke was too good

THE SILENCE IS DEAFENING!

Virginia went into Cameron Indoor Stadium as 10.5 underdogs (per Tipico Sportsbook) and a huge mountain to climb against No. 7 Duke. They left victorious after second-year guard Reece Beekman canned a corner three to give the Hoos a 69-66 lead with 0.7 seconds remaining.

Recent matchups between the two teams have been electric — the margin of difference is just 4.7 points in the previous 12 matchups — but Beekman’s game-winner shoots near the top of the list.

Despite facing mismatches in size and talent, the Cavaliers led for almost the entire game before Duke took a late lead with four minutes remaining. Virginia didn’t give up, forcing two turnovers in the final 32 seconds to give themselves one final shot at overtime or the win.

Here’s the call from John Freeman of Virginia Sports Radio Network:

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Why double-digit favorite Duke could be in for a close game against Virginia

Duke is a double-digit favorite over Virginia tonight at Cameron Indoor, but does recent history indicate it might be closer than that?

The ACC as a whole is not the college basketball stalwart it usually is, but Big Monday’s clash between the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils and the visiting Virginia Cavaliers is still must-see action. Duke (19-3, 9-2 ACC) sits atop the conference standings, while the 2019 champions are currently sixth in the ACC. Virginia (16-9, 8-5 ACC) got off to a slow start this season with several new faces, including leading scorer and Jayden Gardner, a transfer from ECU.

The Cavaliers will need Gardner (14.4 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game) and Indiana transfer Armaan Franklin (12.3 ppg) to put up points against a Duke defense that ranks 15th on KenPom. The Blue Devils have a collection of highly talented players that pose difficult matchups for any opponent, led by freshman sensation Paolo Banchero (17.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg).

Both teams are coming off of big wins on Saturday as Duke dominated rival UNC in Chapel Hill and Virginia shot lights out against a better-than-expected Miami squad. Will matchups negate the defensive prowess of potential ACC Defensive Player of the Year Reece Beekman? Will the talent of Jeremy Roach, Wendell Moore, and Trevor Keels be too much to manage?

Tipico Sportsbook has Duke as double-digit favorites before game time.

Spread: Duke (-10.5)

Moneyline: Duke (-700), Virginia (+470)

Over/Under: 128.5

Although the Blue Devils are understandably heavily favored in this matchup, recent history has shown that the Duke-Virginia games have been pretty close. How close? The average margin of victory is under five points:

This is definitely a Virginia squad that isn’t quite at the same level that we’ve come to expect from Tony Bennett teams, but if history is any indicator, it might end up being closer than expected.

The game is at 7pm on ESPN.

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Virginia men’s lacrosse is not shying away from the chance to three-peat as National Champions

On the cusp of a dynasty in Charlottesville, UVA lacrosse has all the tools it needs for a third straight NCAA title.

It’s difficult to repeat as a champion in any sport. It’s even harder to three-peat, but that’s what Lars Tiffany and the Virginia men’s lacrosse team is setting out to do this season. The Cavaliers won the whole shebang in 2019, and — after an unexpected break in 2020 because of the pandemic — lifted the trophy again on Memorial Day in 2021.

Depending on who you ask, the three-peat has been successfully executed in men’s college lacrosse two or three times. Johns Hopkins (1978-80) accomplished the feat first. If you ask Syracuse fans, they’ll tell you the Orange did it 1998-90, but the NCAA vacated the 1990 win and would like it if we pretended it never happened. Princeton was the last team to win three straight NCAA tournaments, taking home the titles from 1996-98.

So can the Cavaliers follow in the footsteps of these legendary programs? Virginia enters the 2022 season atop the national polls and return a significant core from the team that won it all in 2021. Tiffany, now in his sixth season in Charlottesville, is cautiously optimistic and approaching the season more openly than he did after the 2019 title.

Heading into the 2020 season, Tiffany was emphatic that his team put the past behind them and not dwell on repeating or defending the title. Now, after the unexpected COVID disruptions and some conversations with well-known sport psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella, he’s changed his tune a little.

“We’re having a lot more fun with our recent history as opposed to, ‘don’t talk about it, deny it,'” Tiffany told media on Wednesday afternoon. “Instead, if we want to make reference to last year and what we did last year, let’s enjoy that and embrace it.”

Everyone will be gunning for the Hoos, so here’s why they have what it takes to join the elite three-peat company as their season kicks off Saturday against Air Force (1pm, ACC Network Extra).

NCAA Lacrosse: 8 must-see games of the 2022 season

The men’s and women’s lax seasons look to be full of amazing action in 2022.

The men’s NCAA lacrosse season gets underway in earnest this weekend with No. 3 Duke hosting Robert Morris on February 4 at 5 p.m. ET in a game that will be broadcast by the ACC Network. Mercer picked up the first win of the 2022 season with a victory over Bellarmine on January 29. Thirteen games wait for us on Saturday, including the season-opener for two-time reigning champion Virginia.

The Cavaliers won the title in 2019 — the first for head coach Lars Tiffany — and repeated in 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 season. Virginia enters 2022 as the No. 1 team in the nation with returning stars Connor Shellenberger, Matt Moore, Petey LaSalla, and Cade Saustad.

Squads like Maryland, Duke, North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Georgetown will be looking to unseat the Cavaliers, and that means fans are in for an incredible ride this season.

On the women’s side, game action doesn’t start until February 11. Boston College finally won the program’s first National Championship last season season after making the title game in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Superstar Charlotte North returns after winning the Tewaaraton Award last season and setting a new NCAA record with 102 goals.

Boston College is one of six ACC teams ranked heading into the season, unsurprisingly opening at No. 1. North Carolina and Syracuse take the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively, so it looks like potentially another ACC-dominated season. Big Ten squads Northwestern (No. 4) and Maryland (No. 9) look to change that.

Let’s take a look at some of the must-see games for this 2022 season!

Good news for Elliott and UVA

Former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott and the Virginia football program received some good news this week heading into his first season as the Cavaliers’ head coach in 2022. UVA quarterback Brennan Armstrong announced this week that he …

Former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott and the Virginia football program received some good news this week heading into his first season as the Cavaliers’ head coach in 2022.

UVA quarterback Brennan Armstrong announced this week that he will be returning for his final season of eligibility.

β€œAfter a long talk with my family, I’m excited to announce I will be coming back to the University of Virginia and playing one more year,” Armstrong said in a video posted on social media Thursday night.

As a junior this past season, Armstrong passed for 4,449 yards, accounted for 4,700 yards of total offense and threw for 31 touchdowns — all single-season UVA records.

For his career (2018-21), Armstrong ranks second all-time at UVA with 6,824 passing yards, third in career total offense (7,720 yards) and third in career passing touchdowns (51).

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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Uncharacteristic defense spells end of Clemson’s win streak

Clemson’s men’s basketball team has had a longstanding calling card under head coach Brad Brownell. While the Tigers’ offense has a tendency to come and go, Clemson can usually count on its defense to keep them in games and pull out wins more often …

Clemson’s men’s basketball team has had a longstanding calling card under head coach Brad Brownell.

While the Tigers’ offense has a tendency to come and go, Clemson can usually count on its defense to keep them in games and pull out wins more often than not. But with the Tigers looking to match their longest winning streak of the season Tuesday, they broke down on that end of the floor.

It was an uncharacteristic defensive showing for Clemson (9-5, 1-2 ACC), which faltered down the stretch in a 10-point loss to a Virginia team that’s also known more for defense than offense under its veteran coach, Tony Bennett. Yet the Cavaliers, who came in ranked 315th among Division I teams in scoring, poured in 75 points – 12 more than their season average – and shot a blistering 54.3% from the field to end Clemson’s four-game winning streak.

Granted, it was the Tigers’ first game since beating the same Virginia team on the road on Dec. 22 because of coronavirus-related issues in other programs, but Brownell said that wasn’t the reason his team didn’t perform as well this time around.

β€œOur defense wasn’t as good as it was up there (in Charlottesville), and they capitalized on it,” Brownell said. β€œI thought our guys were fine. I didn’t think we were rusty or anything like that from the layoff.”

It was just the sixth time this season a team has scored 70 points against Clemson, which came in yielding less than 65 points per game. The Tigers, who also rank fourth in the ACC in field-goal percentage defense (40.6%), held Virginia to just 50 points and 36% shooting during a 17-point win in the teams’ first matchup, but Clemson had few answers Tuesday for the inside-out combination of Jayden Gardner and Amaan Franklin, who combined for 36 of the Cavaliers’ points.

Gardner did most of the damage. Virginia’s senior forward poured in 23 points on 7 of 11 shooting, all of those buckets coming inside the 3-point line. The Cavaliers outscored Clemson 34-22 in the paint after scoring just 12 points from there in the first meeting.

β€œThey were in the paint way more than we wanted them to be,” Brownell said. β€œWe had a little bit of slippage in a couple of game-plan things that we kept talking about but didn’t do a good enough job with. And I just think Gardner was very good (Tuesday). We doubled him a couple of times, and we didn’t double him some. We tried to mix it up, and I thought he made some good decisions and was very efficient. That was a huge factor.”

Virginia made some effective adjustments to slow down Clemson, which scored nine fewer points than its season average. Senior forward Hunter Tyson said the Cavaliers doubled the post more and often trapped ball screens, forcing the Tigers’ offense to operate farther away from the 3-point line and ultimately the basket.

Still, Clemson shot 46% from the floor and had four players reach double figures led by Tyson’s 15 points. Tyson said it wasn’t the Cavaliers’ defensive adjustments that won them the game, which was tied at 57 with 6 minutes, 51 seconds left. Virginia outscored the Tigers 18-8 the rest of the way, making four of its last eight shots.

β€œI think it just comes down to us on the defensive end,” Tyson said. β€œWe just couldn’t get stops when we needed to. Credit to their guys. They hit some really big shots.”

Brownell also credited the Cavaliers for some of their shot-making, adding he wasn’t disappointed in how his team played. But Clemson will look to bounce back with a stronger defensive effort Saturday when the Tigers travel to North Carolina State (8-7, 1-3).Β 

β€œThey just played better down the stretch than we did,” Brownell said. β€œIt was a good basketball game.”

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