COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- It took a couple of months, but the Virginia men's cross country team finally found its stride.
The Virginia men's cross country team is running out of chances to make good on its lofty preseason expectations.
After 20 minutes of wading through a muddy and slippery course, the Virginia women's cross country team finally found its footing. The squad knew little about itself heading into Saturday's Lou Onesty Invitational.
Few sports are permitted this kind of honesty. In other sports, "every game counts" and "you can't overlook anybody." But things work a little differently in the world of cross country. Maybe it's because the sport has little fanfare.
What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, the Virginia men's cross country team hadn't been to nationals in 20 years, and the possibility of an invite to the season's championship meet was no more than a dream in the minds of the team's runners. Virginia was a pretty good team in a pretty good conference, nothing more.
How would you describe Virginia's performance at last weekend's ACC outdoor championships in Chapel Hill -- a moral victory, a domination of the competition, a humbling middle-of-the-pack finish? In the end, it proves to be a matter of perspective. For Will Christian, McGavock Dunbar, Kellen Blassingame, David Sullivan and Inge Jorgensen, the weekend was an unquestioned success. Christian finished first in the 5,000-meter run and second in the 10,000-meter, setting two personal records along the way.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- It's just been that kind of year for the Virginia women's basketball team. The Cavaliers (13-15, 6-10 ACC) held a 34-31 advantage at the half but lost that lead in the first two minutes of the second half and never quite recovered, falling 70-64 to No.
With 17 seconds to play, Anna Prillaman hit a three-pointer to tie Virginia with Florida State at 71.
N.C. State is hot. Virginia is not. On Wednesday night, when Virginia fell to Maryland at home, the Wolfpack came back from a 16 point halftime deficit to beat No.
Nolan Richardson's Arkansas teams in the mid-90s had a certain style of play. Forty Minutes of Hell, it was called, and it basically consisted of harassing the opponent from tip to buzzer, on both offense and defense.
