After four years (or five in some rare exceptions) at Virginia, graduates of the Class of 2005 now certainly see a very different athletic department than when they arrived on Grounds in August of 2001.
There have been several major changes in the department including the ascension of several teams to national power status, as well as a new coach in the program's second-most high profile position. That's right, Dave Leitao is now the head basketball coach at what has temporarily become a football school -- at least until the Cavaliers on the hardwood start succeeding like those on the baseball diamond, the gridiron, the lacrosse field and the tennis courts.
On the diamond, the baseball team's resurgence has been well documented. After struggling through the early years of the Class of 2005's time at Virginia, the baseball team exploded on the sports scene with what many called the best season in Virginia baseball history in 2004.
New coach Brian O'Connor, a rising star in the collegiate coaching ranks, sparked a talented Cavalier squad to a 44-17 record that ended with Virginia's first ever appearance as a NCAA regional tournament host site. The Cavaliers made their mark utilizing a 'small-ball' oriented approach, as well as leaning on fantastic starting pitching led by Joe Koshansky, Andrew Dobies and Matt Avery.
That season led to Koshansky, Dobies and hard-hitting shortstop Mark Reynolds' (who entered Virginia with the class of 2005) entry into the professional ranks when all were drafted highly in the Major League Baseball Draft.
On the gridiron, the 2005 graduates witnessed the emergence of the football program from a solid college program to a team full of NFL talent, as shown in the record-setting number of Cavaliers selected in the recent NFL draft. Those players included tight end Heath Miller, the most prolific tight end in school history, who went 30th overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
As a team, the Cavaliers have reached three-straight bowl games including two straight wins in the Continental Tire Bowl in 2003 and 2004. While many pundits suggest the Virginia program has not met expectations, rebuilding a program and changing its entire focus is a long process. Al Groh does not have his program quite where he wants it yet, but he certainly has it pointed in the right direction. Another strong recruiting class is headed to Charlottesville this fall to join a team that already boasts first team all-ACC players Ahmad Brooks and D'Brickashaw Ferguson as well as seniors Marques Hagans and Wali Lundy at quarterback and tailback respectively.
Over at Klockner Stadium, the class of 2005 got to watch two National Championship lacrosse teams over the last four years. The women's team won the national title last year over Princeton 10-4. One of the most talented athletes in Virginia history, Amy Appelt, led the Cavaliers to the title with an ACC record 90 goals on the season. The graduating Appelt is one of the five most prolific scorers in women's lacrosse history. Appelt and the rest of a strong senior class, including midfielder Courtney Young and defensive stopper Molly Urlock, leave the younger Virginia players with big shoes to fill.
The men's lacrosse team went to two Final Fours in four years and won one of them in a thrilling 9-6 battle against lacrosse powerhouse Johns Hopkins in 2003. Tillman Johnson won the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award in what had to be one of the muddiest National Championship games in the history of sports. Class of 2005 members John Christmas and Joe Yevoli played an instrumental role on the National Championship squad, anchoring a potent first line of attackmen. Yevoli tied then-senior Chris Rotelli for the team scoring title and Christmas led the team in goals with 39 as both were named second team All-Americans.
While those teams have all seen great success over the last four years, perhaps the most impressive progression has come from near Memorial Gym at the Snyder Tennis Center.
The men's tennis team won the program's first-ever ACC title last year before falling in the NCAA round of 16 to Ohio State. This year, instead letting down after a year filled with success, the Cavaliers blazed through the ACC regular season without losing a single dual match, and then won the ACC tournament title as well.
Many of the major contributors are not ready to leave Virginia just yet, as No. 1-6 in the Virginia lineup all have at least one more year of eligibility left.
Coach Brian Boland will also get the benefit of a newly-expanded indoor tennis facility at the Boar's Head Sports Complex to continue his already impressive recruiting classes. Boland seems poised to continue to build what has become one of the premier tennis programs in the nation.
The Class of 2005 leaves Virginia after one of the most interesting periods of growth in the Virginia program's history. It also leaves with the promise of an even brighter future as John Paul Jones Arena rises across the street from University Hall and many other programs continue to ascend in national prominence. While it is impossible to list all the accomplishments of four full years and 23 teams in this space, the Virginia athletic department surely owes a debt of gratitude to both the athletes and the fans that make up the highly decorated Class of 2005.
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