The Virginia men’s basketball team ended its season in heartbreaking fashion Sunday, which naturally elicited some pretty strong emotions from within. Of course, I can’t get upset with the ‘Hoos. However, I can get upset with the Tournament Selection Committee for seeding the No. 23 Spartans seventh in our region, senior guard Travis Trice for making ridiculous shots at the beginning of the game to put us down early and my annoying little cousin for rubbing the loss in my face.
But anger and sadness does no one any good, so let’s flip the script and talk about everything that’s gone right for Virginia athletics in recent months. It’s time to give credit where credit is due, to some exceptional teams this great university saw compete during the winter season. If you’re still feeling down about the Michigan State loss, this column is for you.
1. Women’s Swimming and Diving
While you guys and gals were focusing all your attention on college basketball this weekend, the women’s swim and dive team was off in Greensboro, North Carolina putting together its best performance ever at an NCAA Championship meet. After winning its eighth consecutive ACC title four weeks ago, the Cavaliers followed the performance up with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championship, beating out historically elite programs like Texas, Florida, and USC.
Sophomore distance swimmer Leah Smith earned national champion honors in the 1,650 and 500 freestyle events — the only Virginia swimmer ever to win two national championships in the same year. Backstroke specialist junior Courtney Bartholomew placed second in the country in the 100 and 200 back, breaking an ACC and program record in the latter. And sophomore Laura Simon finished second in the 200 breast and fourth in the 100 breast, breaking a program record in the 200.
The number of top five finishes at NCAAs was nothing short of amazing for this school. You may have read my previously published opinions on Virginia coach Augie Busch, but I don’t want that to distract from the incredible things these women accomplished this year.
2. Wrestling
The Virginia matmen could very well be the most unheralded squad at the University. They’ve finished in the top-three in the conference every year since 2007, though haven’t won the crown since 2010. Well, that was until this year, where they held off No. 25 Pitt and No. 10 Virginia Tech to capture the team ACC title. The Cavaliers went into the meet just 2-3 in ACC dual meets, and the win was hardly expected.
If you don’t know the name Nick Sulzer, you should learn it. The Virginia senior won his second straight ACC title in the 165-pound weight class, and finished fourth in the event at NCAAs. After top-10 finishes in the NCAA Championship meet in 2013 and 2014, Sulzer becomes just the second Virginia wrestler ever to earn All-American honors three times and will go down as one of the best in Virginia history.
Also of note is senior Joe Spisak, who finished third in the 141 pound weight class at ACCs. Along with Sulzer, Spisak is one of just eight wrestlers in Virginia history to qualify for the NCAA meet in all four years of their careers. In total, six wrestlers made it to the finals in their respective weight classes at ACCs — including sophomore George DiCamillo — who won at 133.
3. Men’s Basketball
Yes, this team had disappointing early exits from both the ACC and NCAA tournaments, but no one can deny the stellar season the Cavaliers put together. The team captured the ACC regular season title — which in my opinion is far more impressive than winning just three consecutive games in mid-March — and started the season with an astounding 19-0. Virginia became the first team ever to compile back-to-back seasons with 16 wins in the ACC — arguably the best conference in the land.
And then, of course, were the individual honors. Leading the pack was coach Tony Bennett, who was named head coach of the year nationally by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, as well as ACC coach of the year by the conference’s coaches and media. Junior guard Malcolm Brogdon earned first team All-ACC honors, as well as All-Defensive team honors, and juniors Justin Anderson and Anthony Gill made second and third team All-ACC, respectively. Additionally, senior forward Darion Atkins was named ACC defensive player of the year.
Of course we’d rather have seen this team take away some end-of-season hardware, but let’s not lose sight of how special and historically great the 2014-15 men’s basketball team truly was.
So don’t forget where Virginia athletics stands just because of one frustrating loss in the NCAA Tournament. Between women’s swimming and diving, wrestling, men’s basketball and all the other teams that competed on behalf of the University of Virginia this winter, it was still one of the most successful times in Cavalier history. Go ‘Hoos.
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