With all the world's attention rightfully pointed toward yesterday's anniversary of Sept. 11, a lot of interesting tidbits from the sports world might have escaped your attention.
Just the other day, as my column deadline closed in, I realized that I would have the task, the chance, really, to articulate the meaning of sports on a day in which we as a country are called upon to reflect our values and mourn those lost in the terrorist attacks last year. From the basic standpoint, sports don't exactly go hand-in-hand with the situation.
To the casual fan, the glory in volleyball lies in the powerful spikes or the diving defensive digs.
Led by All-American candidate Travis Watson, the Virginia men's basketball team is ranked 19th in the preseason forecast from Slam Magazine. The 2002-03 roster contains seven lettermen: senior center Travis Watson, sophomore forward Elton Brown, sophomore guard Jermaine Harper, sophomore guard Keith Jenifer, redshirt junior Majestic Mapp and senior center/forward Jason Rogers. Transfer guard Todd Billet (Rutgers) and transfer center Nick Vander Laan (California-Berkeley) are also eligible after sitting out the 2001-02 season. Sophomore guard/forward Devin Smith from Coffeyville Community College and freshman Derrick Byars also will join the team. The Cavaliers finished 17-12 last season, highlighted by a victory over rival Duke at home.
Saturday was probably the first time that casual Virginia football fans took notice of Heath Miller.
As the anniversary of Sept. 11 approached, I asked myself the following question: Why do sports matter?
At his Monday press conference, Virginia coach Al Groh left no doubt as to the keys to Virginia's victory over South Carolina Saturday -- defense and pass protection. Against the Gamecocks, Virginia's defense proved both stingy and opportunistic.
Despite finishing third in the Fairfield Inn Jefferson Cup, the Virginia women's volleyball team remains optimistic about their chances as they travel to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech tonight at 7. The biggest loss of the tournament might have been that of sophomore setter Lily Phillips, who collided with a teammate in the fifth game against the College of Charleston. Phillips was named to the All-Tournament team earlier this season at the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational and was averaging 9.06 assists per game.
Field Hockey earns second consecutive shutout After a scoreless first half against Southwest Missouri State in which Virginia collected three consecutive short corners before the break, the Cavaliers roared back to capture the only goal of the game.
As the Virginia women's volleyball team reports for practice this afternoon, there will no doubt be tinges of disappointment over the host Cavaliers' third-place showing at the Jefferson Cup Tournament this weekend.
Virginia cross country opens ranked No. 16 nationally While still not into the regular season, the Virginia women's cross country team is ranked No.
The average Virginia football fan watched most of the first two games of this season with chagrin as the Cavaliers lost control of the football again and again.
With time ticking away and rabid Virginia football fans crowding the sidelines, South Carolina quarterback Corey Jenkins made one last desperate run for the end zone.
The Cavaliers' football schedule leaves them little time to breathe this season, swinging from one top-quality opponent to the next.
After handily defeating an overmatched St. Joseph's last Saturday, the No. 5 Virginia women's soccer team (1-0) travels across the country this weekend to hostile territory, facing powerhouse No.
ACC Commissioner John Swofford named former Cavalier softball players Elysa Calderone, Michelle Collins, Kristen Dennis, Jamie Hahn and Lisa Palmer to the ACC's 50th Anniversary Softball team yesterday. Each of the players achieved widespread success during their tenure at the University. A three-time All-American graduating in 2001, Dennis holds the ACC record with 90 career walks. In addition, Dennis set University records for career homeruns (16) and single season home runs (11). She also was named 1999 ACC Rookie of the Year. Hahn, who played for the University between 1993 and 1996, was a member of the 1994 All-Southeast Regional and 1996 All-ACC teams. She also kept up an impressive batting average of .414 in 1996, a single-season school record. Palmer, Virginia's 1988-89 Outstanding Female Athlete, achieved school records for wins (74), innings pitched (861.2) and complete games (102). A prominent star during her 1986-1989 career, she also holds single season records at the University for wins (27), complete games (33), ERA (0.70) and shutouts (14). Calderone, who played between 1993 and 1996, was a member of the 1996 All-ACC team and is second all-time at Virginia in hits (186), walks (69) and runs (135). Nicknamed "Weezy," her other achievements include a place on the ACC All-Tournament team and a .315 batting average. Collins, a two-time All-ACC standout, also was honored in recognition of her dominance on the team in the 1993 and 1994 seasons.
After slaying the Rhode Island Rams in their previous game, the Virginia men's soccer team today will take on a different herd of Rams, in the form of Virginia Commonwealth University. The Rams are the first of the Cavaliers' opponents in the Maryland/Fila Classic in College Park, Md.
The Virginia volleyball team is looking to build off two straight victories when it hosts the four-team Fairfield Inn Jefferson Cup Volleyball tournament tonight.
Corey Jenkins is the local boy made good. This year he has inherited the South Carolina starting quarterback position and has been added to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list, given to the best passer in college football each year. One of 12 siblings, Jenkins grew up in an athletic family -- his older brother, Dee, played baseball in the San Diego Padres organization -- and followed the local South Carolina Gamecocks.
How does anyone stay in the football prediction business? Over the past three seasons, according to ESPN.com's Tuesday Morning Quarterback, you are five times more likely to get the Super Bowl winner by drawing a team from a hat than listening to the likes of John Madden and other "experts." That doesn't even include the rest of predictions made every summer that go awry.
