ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- When rivalries are mentioned, most people think of the Yankees and the Red Sox, the Cowboys and the Redskins or Notre Dame and USC.
Al Groh received his seventh verbal commitment for the 2006-07 season, as rising high school senior Chris Dalton chose to commit to the Cavaliers, according to the Roanoke Times. The 6'2", 162-pound wide receiver from Statesville, N.C.
It didn't take him very long. In less than three months on the job, new men's basketball coach Dave Leitao -- the man in charge of making Virginia hoops matter again -- has already begun to rekindle the imagination of a demoralized fan base, as well as create a national buzz around his program.
Early in the morning, when the typical college student is still fast asleep, sophomore Virginia golfer Leah Wigger can be found walking the greens of Birdwood Golf Course with her eyes closed.
Although Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden said he would be optioned to Class AA Harrisburg, former Virginia third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was sent to Class A Savannah instead. Zimmerman was the fourth pick overall in the June 7 Major League draft and decided to forgo his final year of eligibility and sign a 2.975 million dollar contract with Washington and begin his professional career. A news release on MLB.com said the club wanted to start Zimmerman slowly before moving him up to the higher levels of the organization. Zimmerman took the field for Savannah for the first time on Tuesday night when the Sand Gnats took on the Charleston River Dogs.
For the first time in its history this past year, the Virginia men's tennis team had entered a season as a serious threat to win the national championship, a force to reckon with among tennis's elite.
On Feb. 14, 2004, a point guard generously listed at 6-feet sunk a three-pointer, his only bucket of the afternoon, with 2.4 seconds left to lead Virginia to an 82-80 win over No.
Virginia wrestling coach Lenny Bernstein announced yesterday the names of 17 new recruits that make up this year's incoming freshman class.
After a grueling three-month season and four playoff games, most of the Virginia women's lacrosse team was looking forward to enjoying some well-deserved rest and relaxation. Amy Appelt, however, didn't have that luxury. As teammate Cary Chasney playfully teased the senior with evil laughter, Appelt explained her immediate plans following Virginia's loss to Northwestern in the NCAA championship game. "I will continue to work out the rest of the week and the weekend, take three days off and continue to play more lacrosse," Appelt said. Such is the life of a superstar lacrosse player.
For the Virginia women's rowing team, the oars did all the talking this past season. Virginia muscled its way to a second place team finish at the NCAA women's rowing championships on Lake Natoma in Rancho Cordova, Calif.
Over the course of the last week and a half, the University received verbal commitments from five high school football recruits stating their intention to attend the University.
Virginia baseball fans will not have to travel far to follow the professional career of Ryan Zimmerman.
ANNAPOLIS, Md., May 22 -- Losing to Duke twice during the 2005 season gave the Virginia women's lacrosse team ample motivation for their Final Four matchup against the Blue Devils.
PHILADELPHIA, May 28 -- With less than a minute left in regulation and the game tied at seven, the tension in Philadelphia was thicker than steam rising off a fresh cheesesteak.
It's hard to imagine anything that could have been both as exciting and painful as this year's Virginia baseball post season.
PHILADELPHIA, May 28 I'm a sports fan at heart. I swear. Before I ever touched a pen or harnessed the power of Microsoft Word I would sit balanced on my Dad's lap cheering on the Redskins teams of the mid to late 80s during Joe Gibbs' first reign.
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.
All year long, the Virginia women's lacrosse team has had to operate knowing there was a target on its back.
This weekend's ACC Men's Lacrosse Tournament will resonate with hopes for revenge. Whether it is Maryland hoping to avenge its 10-2 regular season loss to Virginia, Virginia looking for redemption after a 17-2 shellacking against Duke two weeks ago, or North Carolina looking to get its first conference win of the season, everyone is out for someone else's head. For Virginia, this weekend's tournament held at M & T Bank Stadium in Baltimore could mean the difference between a No.
In a month usually dominated by Major League Baseball and the NBA playoffs, there is one weekend in April when these two sports are pushed into the background in favor of America's new favorite pastime. It may be months before the beginning of the NFL season, but millions of sports fans were glued to ESPN last Saturday -- as they are on the third Saturday of every April -- to see where last season's NCAA football stars will begin their pro careers. Virginia fans got to see the selection of seven Cavaliers in this year's draft, the highest number in school history.
