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Looking back on Virginia sports in 2018-2019: Part II

This spring the Hoos took home their sixth NCAA title in men's lacrosse.
This spring the Hoos took home their sixth NCAA title in men's lacrosse. (USATSI)

Editor's Note: This is the second of our two-part series looking back on the 2018-2019 academic year and the success UVa had across its athletic department You can read the first part here.

When the boys of summer kicked off the spring season it was not with the level of success Wahoo fans have come to expect on the diamond. They dropped games against nationally-ranked competition to open the campaign but bounced back with four wins in five games against Big East squads. The Cavaliers managed few ACC series wins in compiling a 14-16 mark in the ACC and 32-24 overall record. The exceptions, though, were against the Hokies in Blacksburg and over eventual College World Series participant Louisville at Disharoon Park.

The softball team finished two and a half decades at its home venue The Park in storybook fashion: Allyson Frei pitched the first Cavalier no-hitter in a decade as part of an 8-0 win over Hampton. It wasn’t the only dramatic finish as, in her final season, fourth-year Lacy Smith was named as the ACC’s only all-American by *Softball America* after belting a program-record 15 home runs. The club showed additional signs of progress with an eight-game winning streak and 16 wins in a 23-game stretch midseason.

The women’s golf team started and finished the spring well, opening up by winning the Mary Fossum Invitational hosted by Michigan State. That bookended nicely with the team’s 11th appearance at the NCAA Championships, where they finished in 14th place in a rain-shortened format. The Cavalier men were only one step away from the NCAA Championships, finishing seventh at the Stanford Regional in former ACC champion Thomas Walsh’s UVa swan song.

Virginia’s juggarnaut men’s tennis team reached the NCAA quarterfinals for the 14th time in 15 years before falling to conference rival Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons handed the Hoos three of only five losses on the season in 29 matches. Third-year Carl Söderlung was also named ACC Player of the Year following a 20-5 ledger, completing the season ranked third in singles by the ITA.

The women’s tennis program faced a gauntlet of a schedule, finishing above .500 in the rugged ACC at 8-6 and 18-9 overall. Nearly half of the team’s losses were to teams ranked in the ITA’s top five. The team reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, while fourth-year Meghan Kelley reached the NCAA championships in both singles and doubles (teaming with Sofia Munera in the latter event).

The top-flight UVa women’s rowing program once again had high expectations and matched them. The season was brought to you by the number 10: The Hoos won their 10th straight ACC title, finished the season ranked 10th in the country, and finished 10th at the NCAA championships. The second varsity eight rowed to the best result at the NCAA championships, finishing sixth in the Grand Final.

As was the case indoors, the outdoor men’s track team was led by ACC Field MVP Jordan Scott in the triple jump. He followed up his NCAA indoor title with a runner up outdoor finish, as well as sweeping the ACC long and triple jump competitions. The Cavaliers finished 18th at the NCAA championship meet through a strong effort on the field and track by All-Americans Hilmar Jonsson (hammer throw), Ethan Dabbs (javelin), and Brenton Foster (10000m).

The strongest competitors nationally for the women’s program were also in the field events, as Bridget Guy and Kelly McKee earned all-American accolades at the NCAA championships. Guy finished fourth in the pole vault and McKee finished fifth in the triple jump. At the ACC meet, however, it was Anna Jefferson in the 400m and Andrenette Knight in the 400m hurdles with conference titles helping the Hoos to a third-place finish (more on the significance of that below).

The women’s lacrosse team won 13 of 20 matches in the spring, reaching the quarterfinals of its two biggest tournaments. The team closed the regular season with a win over Virginia Tech to sweep all four matches of its in-state foes (VT, William and Mary, James Madison and George Mason). The Hoos lost a nail-biter in the quarters of the ACC Tournament but bounced back to reach the quarters of the NCAA tournament.

Men’s lacrosse started off the season inauspiciously, dropping two of three matches. The team turned things around quickly and completely, however, losing only once more the rest of the way. After winning the ACC tournament, the Hoo laxers won NCAA quarterfinal and semifinal matches in miraculous, come-from-behind fashion in overtime (sound familiar?) before needing no extra time in the final. They thoroughly dominated defending champion Yale 13-9 for the program’s sixth national title.

Though NCAA baseball is still ongoing, the UVa men have already wrapped up their second Capital One Cup (awarded to the best overall program by gender) in five years. The Virginia women finished tied with conference rival Syracuse for 35th in the Capital One Cup standings, one of 10 ACC women’s programs in the top 50.

The Wahoos have managed another top 10 finish in the Sears Directors Cup (for combined athletic excellence) as well, currently ranking sixth and likely to finish seventh.

Finally, by besting Virginia Tech at the ACC women’s track and field championships, UVa clinched a third Commonwealth Clash crown in five years, eventually compiling a 12.5-9.5 margin over the Hokies after the baseball series win.

While some will only think of one Minneapolis Monday night on the hardwood in early April, or possibly a mild-December day in Charlotte on the gridiron, the entire year was certainly one to remember for Wahoo fans across the board. The 2014-2015 year brought more national championships with simultaneous NCAA titles in men’s soccer, men’s tennis and baseball. But given the success of its flagship programs combined with its Olympic sports, 2018-19 has to be viewed as the all-time high point in Virginia athletics – so far.


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