The premier event of the outdoor track and field season has arrived. This is a meet that hosts high school phenoms, professional athletes and everyone in between.
After snapping Radford's 13-game win streak in a midweek doubleheader, the Virginia softball team travels to Boston College for another two-game matchup this weekend, hoping to improve its chances at a regional bid. The Cavaliers (29-18, 9-5 ACC) seem to be riding high on momentum and poise, having won six of their last seven games. "Everyone's feeling pretty confident," sophomore centerfielder Giannina Cipolloni said.
The No. 2 Cavaliers head to College Park to square off against a reeling Maryland squad, which enters the series after a midweek loss to Towson and a weekend sweep against N.C.
[caption id="attachment_34636" align="alignleft" width="147" caption="Junior guard Jeff Jones thrived during Sylven Landesberg's absence, scoring an average of 15 points per game during his final three games as a Cavalier.
[caption id="attachment_34634" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Freshman infielder Reed Gragnani set career highs with three hits and three RBIs yesterday night against George Mason in his first game back from injury.
I spent this past weekend in Chicago, visiting a friend at Northwestern University and going to see my beloved Cubs at Wrigley Field.
[caption id="attachment_34631" align="alignleft" width="209" caption="Senior third baseman Abby Snyder hit her first home run on the season in the front end of a doubleheader against Radford yesterday evening.
The No. 4 Virginia women's lacrosse team begins its quest for the program's third ACC Tournament title in four seasons this afternoon, when the squad will face in-state rival Virginia Tech at Ludwig Field in College Park, Md. The third-seeded Cavaliers (12-3, 4-1), who share the regular season conference crown with North Carolina and Maryland, enter the tournament having won 10 of their last 11 matchups - including a current six-game win streak.
The Virginia women's tennis team travels to Cary, N.C. this weekend to compete in the ACC Championship, in which the sixth-seeded Cavaliers will begin tournament play against 11th-seeded Boston College. Although the Cavaliers (13-8, 6-5 ACC) posted a decisive 7-0 victory against the Eagles earlier this season, they know that Boston College (6-15, 1-10 ACC) has improved since the start of conference play. "I think we can handle them, but it won't be easy," coach Mark Guilbeau said.
[caption id="attachment_34598" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Sophomore Sintayehu Taye earned his first ACC title win this weekend, finishing first in the 1500m, barely edging Virginia Tech's Michael Hammond and his Cavalier teammate, senior Alex Bowman.
[caption id="attachment_34596" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Freshman second baseman Alex Skinkis is fifth on the team batting .252 with 31 hits on the season.
The Virginia athletic department has stepped up to the plate, but now it needs to belt a home run. I applaud the athletic department for adding 679 additional seats prior to the Georgia Tech series April 9-11 to give Davenport Field a total capacity of 4,219 seats.
Our baseball team has almost everything - a top-five national ranking, a solid core of young players and players who have proven themselves in conference play.
[caption id="attachment_34547" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Virginia's Varsity Eight was 6-0 heading into Saturday's race against Princeton and Yale but placed second behind the Tigers for its first loss on the season.
As much as the world needs yet another sportswriter's opinion on the 'BS' of the Bowl Championship Series or the sanctity of the 65-team NCAA Tournament, I think I'll take this opportunity to head for the greener pastures of playoff systems for professional sports.
[caption id="attachment_34544" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Senior Jennifer Stevens won both of her singles matches against Georgia Tech and Clemson but lost her final doubles match of the regular season.
[caption id="attachment_34542" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Senior Nicole Koren ranks second on the team in batting average and boasts a 5-3 record on the mound with a 3.41 ERA.
[caption id="attachment_34540" align="alignleft" width="187" caption="Junior center fielder Jarrett Parker went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and his third home run on the season Sunday.
[caption id="attachment_34499" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Junior pitcher Kevin Arico allowed three runs in the ninth inning of Sunday's game.
The Virginia track and field teams competed in the ACC Outdoor Championships this weekend in Clemson, S.C.
