I have more papers, lab reports, presentations and problem sets to do in the next couple of weeks than I care to think about. After that, it’s time for final exams. All of this, unfortunately, means I don’t have much time to think about anything besides grades these days.
I don’t think I’m alone, either. In the spirit of the collective student body’s concern with grades right now, I’ve prepared a report card that grades the seasons of each of the University’s sport teams on their performances this year.
Like most professors, I’ve picked grades based mostly on results, though I’ve considered factors like improvement and difficulty of assigned work.
The postseason is like the final exam: it’s not the only thing that counts, but it’s undoubtedly the most important. It can ruin an otherwise good season or bring redemption to struggling squads.
Without further ado, I present my report card for each of Virginia’s sports teams.
Fall sports
Cross country:
The men repeated as ACC champs and made some noise nationally, too. The women showed definite signs of improvement under new coach Jason Vigilante.
Men: A
Women: B+
Field Hockey:
This year’s field hockey team is like that freshman in high school who took honors calculus and got a better grade than most of the seniors. The youthful squad is on the way up. National Rookie of the Year Paige Selenski might be Virginia’s most successful athlete of the past year.
Grade: A-
Football:
A few months removed, the 5-7 record with a third-string QB during a rebuilding year doesn’t seem quite so pathetic.
Grade: C-
Men’s soccer:
They performed consistently well all season long, even if the rest of the ACC totally ruined the bell-curve.
Grade: B+
Women’s soccer:
Led by one of the nation’s best players, senior Nikki Krzysik, the women further strengthened the team’s impressive GPA during the past several years.
Grade: A-
Volleyball:
Under first-year coach Lee Maes, things didn’t fall into place quite as the team had hoped they would.
Grade: C
Winter sports
Men’s basketball:
Only a few inspired games and the standout play of ACC Freshman of the Year Sylven Landesberg save the team from complete failure.
Grade: D
Women’s basketball:
The astronomical preseason expectations didn’t pan out perfectly, but the team still had a great year if a forgettable postseason.
Grade: B
Indoor track:
The fifth-place ACC finishes for both men and women are impressive and notable improvements from last year.
Men’s: B
Women’s: B+
Swimming and diving:
Men’s and women’s ACC Champions. Mark Bernardino named Coach of the Year for both Virginia squads. Junior Mei Christensen named ACC Swimmer of the Year and an All-American. What more could they have done?
Men’s: A+
Women’s: A+
Wrestling:
Virginia wrestling this season is like the kid who is out sick all year and seems to be struggling, but gets better just in time to ace the final.
Grade: A-
Spring sports (interim grades)
Here’s how our current teams have fared so far. Remember the postseason is the most important part of the year, though, so a lot of these grades could change.
Baseball:
Even if the baseball team has been brought back to earth in recent weeks, its torrid start during a supposed rebuilding year is nothing short of remarkable.
Grade: A
Men’s golf:
Golf is the kind of sport in which you can struggle one weekend, win the tournament the next and not have it be bizarre in the slightest. I’ll give the No. 42 Cavaliers the benefit of the doubt, but they better step it up during the ACC Championships this weekend.
Grade: B-
Women’s golf:
The No. 5 lady golfers have been one of the real success stories this year. I have a good feeling they’ll keep the strong play going through the postseason, too.
Grade: A
Men’s lacrosse:
Did they get too hot, too soon? Here’s to hoping the clutch wins didn’t run out during the regular season. The Cavaliers certainly have the talent to win a national championship if they keep everything together.
Grade: A
Women’s lacrosse:
The ladies have the talent, they have the experience, they have the coaching. So why aren’t they dominating? They’re struggling and unfortunately overrated at No. 10.
Grade: B-
Softball:
Even though its standing isn’t too strong, and the team has really cooled off in recent weeks, the softball team has improved a lot from last year. Keep your eye on them in the upcoming years.
Grade: C
Track and field:
Tomorrow, the ACC championships begin, and we’ll really get to see how well coach Jason Vigilante has pulled the team together. Based on impressive results so far, I think we have little to worry about.
Men: B+
Women: B+
Men’s tennis:
Even after losing one of the greatest players in the history of college tennis, Somdev Devvarman, the Cavaliers have maintained the nation’s top ranking and even won the indoor season national championship.
Grade: A+
Women’s tennis:
Coach Mark Guilbeau is about as hard-nosed an instructor as you’ll find, and his young and promising tennis team has performed admirably.
Grade: B
Rowing:
Year in and year out, the lady rowers are one of the best squads in the country. This year is no different, as they’ve kept up a place in the top-15 all year long. They have slumped a little bit, however, during the past couple weeks.
Grade: A-
As you can see, it’s been a pretty good year for Virginia athletics. The teams are a long way from getting a collective 4.0, but the University is one of the best overall athletic schools in nation.
If only I could get my report card to look as good as Virginia’s non-revenue sports do, then I’d be in business.
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