When informed of this news, several University community members were surprised.
A season of firsts ended fittingly — with a stressful, gritty win and a trophy in hand.
Porter began the year with a loss in the Round of 16 of the Navy Classic Nov. 2, but has not fallen since.
“We’re so grateful to have this opportunity,” Elliott said. “This program has been working hard over the last several years to get to the postseason and we’re so excited to be in Jacksonville.”
The men's and women's finales were separated by one measly goal in regulation and penalties. It was a night of déjà vu in Klöckner Stadium. A night of opportunity for Virginia turned into a night to forget.
“It was almost like a home game. People were constantly yelling ‘Go Hoos’ and chanting while walking down the street and waiting to get into the stadium,” second-year College student Landen Barth said.
The Cavaliers are set to go fish in the portal pond again to replace outgoing stars. But who should they target?
“People probably aren’t going to believe this, but I honestly didn’t know that was my 200th win,” Garland said. “I’m grateful more than anything."
“What hasn’t changed much is really just the core values or core purpose of what we’re here for,” Althoff said. “Our core function is really to support the student athletes and coaches in their process of winning championships.”
“At the end of the Maryland game we made it clear to our guys that we were not excited about the way that we finished that game,” Odom said. “And tonight certainly we were much better.”
With Virginia's early momentum — punctuated by their victory at Head of the Charles — Joe believes Virginia has built the foundation it needs, giving the team a crucial sense of belief as they continue their push forward toward collegiate rowing's highest stage, the NCAA Championships in May.
Wood was there, and he was ready. He’s always been ready.
“You’re not going to play perfectly,” Odom said. “This is not a game of perfect.”
Virginia controlled the game from start to finish, but a monster 41-point showing by junior guard Kymora Johnson ultimately turned a commanding win into a demolition derby.
Simmonds is the first Cavalier to be selected with a top three pick since 2010, and Simmonds and Pelá are the first pair of Virginia teammates to be selected by the same team since 2018.
“For me, [Virginia] was the best basketball environment I've been in in my life,” Salt said. “A lot of lessons I learned [were] at Virginia.”
With ACC play looming, three beat writers assess Virginia’s performance and prospects for the rest of the season.
The good news is that this young squad has the time and tenacity required to learn from this season’s mistakes.
“Really proud of our players,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “I thought that was a great team win.”
"Every step is worth it because there’s no feeling like reaching a lifetime goal," Smith said.
