Thinking back to the wide world of sports 25 years ago, I realize it actually wasn't so wide. The market for professional and collegiate athletics has exploded in recent years, in much the same way Tamagotchi pets, pogs and pop/rock boy bands haven't.
"It hurts." That was the prevailing sentiment in the Virginia locker room after the team blew a 10-point lead with less than four minutes remaining and suffered a devastating 76-71 loss to Virginia Tech last Thursday night. As I looked around that room, I saw some of the most shell-shocked faces I'd ever seen.
[caption id="attachment_32741" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Sophomore guard Sammy Zeglinski fires a three-point shot over two leaping defenders in Chapel Hll Sunday night, as Virginia defeats North Carolina to move into a tie for second place in the ACC.
The Virginia wrestling team split a pair of matches in New Jersey this weekend, falling to Rutgers 25-12 Friday and crushing Princeton 42-0 Saturday. Against Rutgers, Virginia (14-5) fell behind early, dropping the first two matches to go down 6-0.
One of the best athletes the University has ever seen will wrap up her decorated career during the next several weeks.
She had 737 career wins, four ACC championships and an Olympic Gold Medal in 1988. She was inducted not only into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000, but also the Naismith Hall of Fame, which includes athletes and coaches from across the game of basketball, in 2002. Most who knew her agree, though, that Kay Yow's biggest accomplishment as a coach - and as a person - before her bout with cancer tragically ended Jan.
[caption id="attachment_32707" align="alignleft" width="224" caption="Sammy Zeglinski's shot at the end of regulation delighted the Wahoo faithful but couldn't keep Virginia Tech from winning easily in overtime.
[caption id="attachment_32705" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="2009 All-American senior John Azar was instrumental in the Cavaliers' impressive win against nationally-ranked North Carolina.
The first 37 minutes were nearly perfect. JPJ was as loud and raucous as I'd ever witnessed. I immersed myself in thought; let my emotions pour out into verse.
The Virginia wrestling squad will head to New Jersey this weekend as it prepares to face Rutgers and Princeton. The Cavaliers (13-4) have fallen a few spots in the rankings this week - to No.
After failing to extend its eight-game win streak last week, a Virginia team eager to regain momentum will face its fifth ACC opponent of the season tonight at John Paul Jones Arena, taking on in-state rival Virginia Tech. "I think that's the beauty of sports - you can't be too discouraged or too elated if it goes well," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said.
[caption id="attachment_32430" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="New head football coach Mike London hopes to build men of character on and off the field.
Jason Kidd attended the University of California, Berkeley for two years, which sits one spot ahead of the University of Virginia in the U.S.
[caption id="attachment_32662" align="alignleft" width="217" caption="Sophomore guard Whitny Edwards notched 10 points, including back-to-back three pointers late in the second half, to help Virginia top N.C.
[caption id="attachment_32627" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="After a lackluster 3-9 season, newly hired football coach Mike London hopes to follow in men's basketball coach Tony Bennett's footsteps and return Virginia to ACC prominence.
[caption id="attachment_32624" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="After a lackluster 3-9 season, newly hired football coach Mike London hopes to follow in men's basketball coach Tony Bennett's footsteps and return Virginia to ACC prominence.
[caption id="attachment_32621" align="alignleft" width="259" caption="Freshman guard China Crosby has started all 13 of the Cavaliers' games in which she has played this season, averaging 5.9 points each game, which is good for fifth on the team.
Last week, I introduced my "Best of the Decade" series of columns, in which I planned to rank my personal choices for the greatest Virginia athletic accomplishments of the past decade.
Not every varsity sport at Virginia is known for consistently fielding great teams. Though some squads are expected to perform well all the time, others often go overlooked until they have an outstanding season. The Virginia wrestling team has not always been among the best programs in the country, but this season has proved to be a departure from the past.
The Virginia women's tennis team entered Sunday unsure of how it would perform in its first dual match, especially against a more experienced Illinois squad, which boasted six upperclassmen.
