Looking back on Virginia sports in 2018-2019: Part I
Without question the 2018-2019 academic year delivered one of the most impressive all-around efforts in the 131 years of University of Virginia athletics.
Some well-chronicled exploits played out in front the entire body of Cavalier faithful or in front of millions of viewers across the country (and world). Others were witnessed by more modest audiences or received less media attention.
To recap the broad spectrum of Virginia athletics, this two-part piece includes some information on each of UVa’s 27 varsity programs.
The year kicked off on August 17th, when the women’s soccer team defeated Colgate 2-1 at Klöckner Stadium. That lid-lifting win was the start of yet another successful season for UVa. The Hoos (16-5-1 overall, 7-3 ACC) advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, extending the longest active streak of reaching the final 16 in the tournament (14-straight years). That feat is in addition to the second-longest streak of tourney appearances (25) in the nation and the second-most NCAA appearances ever (31).
The men’s soccer program also completed a strong campaign, reaching the NCAA Third Round as the tournament’s No. 10 seed. The Cavaliers (10-4-3 overall, 3-2-2 ACC) were young but talented as evidenced by placing an ACC-record four on the All-Freshman team (Daryl Dike, Cabrel Happi Kamseu, Aboubacar Keita, and Daniel Steedman).
The cross-country campaign was punctuated with its most-seasoned and least-experienced competitors reaching the NCAA meet. Graduate student Brent Demarest earned all-American honors for the men while first-year Abbey Green also competed at NCAA meet for the women. The 2018 successes were not all individual for the Wahoos, as the men finished third and women sixth at the NCAA Southeast Regional meets.
Despite finishing under the break-even mark, the women’s field hockey squad (9-10, 2-4) reached the ACC semifinals and first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. In each case, they lost to very highly ranked opponents, dropping close contests to No. 1 UNC and No. 3 Princeton, respectively.
Completing the women’s side of the fall sports, the volleyball team continued to show improvement finishing 8-20 and 4-14 in the ACC, highlighted by the Hoos’ first win over North Carolina in a decade.
The program to play the longest among the fall sports was also its most visible sport. On October 27th, the Cavaliers reached bowl eligibility on the grid iron for the second straight year with a 31-21 win over UNC in the South’s Oldest Rivalry. The Hoos finished the fall sports season on December 29th with a resounding 28-0 Belk Bowl victory over SEC opponent South Carolina, putting a very big bow on the late Christmas present: An eight-win season for the first time since 2011.
Turning to the winter, the wrestling season was dominated by Mueller reports…as in recounts of the exploits of third-year Jack Mueller. Wrestling at 125 pounds, he became the first Virginia grappler to win an ACC title since 2016, after completing an undefeated regular season. In fact, Mueller remained undefeated all the way until the NCAA final, where he dropped a decision to defending national champ Spencer Lee of Iowa en route to a 21-1 record while tying a school best NCAA finish.
The Cavalier squash teams performed well in the Collegiate Squash Association (CSA) championships despite being elevated to varsity status just two years ago. Each program competed in the “B” divisions of the CSA championships following top 10 rankings at season’s end. Emma Jinks and Patrick McElroy also finished ranked in the final individual standings, earning 21st and 29th place honors, respectively.
Both Virginia swimming and diving teams continued a tradition of excellence in the water by winning six of eight dual matches, including a sweep by both teams of rivals Virginia Tech and North Carolina. The season concluded with the Wahoos notching sixth- and 10th-place finishes at the NCAAs for the women and men, respectively. The finish by the women was one spot from an all-time program best (earned in 2015 and 2016) while the men’s program was two spots from tying its all-time mark set in 2011.
Third-year Jordan Scott made history during the indoor track and field season, becoming the first Wahoo to win an NCAA title in a field event at the NCAA indoor championships. That title—the first ever in the triple jump for an ACC athlete—helped the Cavalier men finish tied for 20th as a team. The Wahoo women also sent a competitor to the indoor championships, with Bridget Guy earning all-American honors in the pole vault with a fifth-place finish.
The women’s basketball program looked to be one in transition under first-year head coach and women’s hoops legend Tina Thompson. They finished the season at 12-19 and 5-11 in the ACC. However, Thompson managed two wins that will warm the hearts of all who wear the orange and blue, as the Hoos got the best of in-state rival Virginia Tech 62-58 in January before snapping a 26-game losing streak to Duke in February.
There was one final bright spot in the winter that was by far the brightest of the season. After entering the national rankings for the first time nearly 50 years prior and elite company almost four decades ago, the wait was finally over for Cavalier men’s basketball fans. After winning the ACC regular season title for the fourth time in six years the Hoos took one more trophy home in April in one of the greatest redemption stories in sports history. Ask anybody on the planet about that ending if you were unfortunately in a coma the first week of April.
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