Swimming and Diving:
The women’s swim and dive team made quite the splash this weekend in Athens, continuing their dynasty and winning their fourth consecutive National Title. Gretchen Walsh continues to be the face of UVA athletics, putting up a record-setting performance in the NCAA 100 Fly with a time of 47.42. This marks Walsh’s fifth individual career NCAA Championship, additionally earning the honor of CSAA Division 1 Swimmer of the Year. Her older sister, Alex Walsh, also won the 400 IM, achieving her seventh NCAA individual title—for a total of twelve among the Walsh sisters.
Other notable performances from the Hoos included Jasmine Notitini, who won her first individual title in the 100 breaststroke event. Coach Todd DeSorbo and the Cavaliers finished with 527.5 points, obliterating second-place Texas by almost 100 points. DeSorbo, himself, has earned the honor of Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year. Taking the breath away from swimmers and fans alike, these performances ensured yet another successful Swim and Dive season as the year came to a close.
Baseball:
The Virginia Men’s Baseball team remains in full swing, completing a full series sweep of the Pittsburgh Panthers last Sunday. An all-around effort, the third game saw hits from every member of the starting lineup and a combination of four different UVA pitchers—holding the Panthers at under 5 hits. In the wake of this series, the Cavaliers have moved up five spots in the NCAA rankings, making them the number nine team in the country. All eyes glare toward Richmond as the Cavs look to win their sixth straight game in the coming days.
Softball:
The Virginia Softball team brought home a courageous wine last Tuesday against their in-state competition, the Liberty Flames. Two freshmen, Bella Cabral and Macee Eaton, struck their own fire early on with two RBI’s. Thanks to efforts by sophomore pitcher Eden Bigham, producing 5 scoreless innings, the Hoos held on until the end, winning 3-1.
Lacrosse:
Virginia only had one goal in mind when entering last Saturday’s match against Drexel University. Well, actually, they had fourteen. They effortlessly dismantled Drexel 14-4, coasting through the game with an incredible four-goal performance from graduate attack Payton Cormier. This pure annihilation of the Dragons puts the Cavaliers at not fourth, not third, but the second highest ranked lacrosse team in the country. Drawing to draw some Crimson blood, the The Hoos plan to continue their dominance against Harvard on the 30th.
The women’s lacrosse team also hosted Syracuse this Saturday, tragically losing to the Orange in a hard-fought game of 14-15. Scoring went back and forth throughout with Ashlyn McGovern and Rachel Clark each having three goals a piece. Despite the loss, love and memory hung in the air as the day commemorated the 2010 death of fourth-year Yeardley Love in 2010, with dedication by the One Love Foundation.
Tennis:
The 4th ranked Cavaliers Men’s Tennis team served up a 4-1 win against the Florida State last Sunday, conquering singles court three, four, and six as well as taking the doubles point. Måns Dahlberg secured the victory with a 6-2 win in his third set, marking Virginia’s 48th straight win in ACC conference matches.
The women’s team enjoyed a similar outcome. Led by victors, Annabelle Xu and Elaine Chervinsky, these ladies took matches left and right. The Women’s team ranks at number 5, proving the continued strength of the program and promising rest of the season.
Basketball:
For the first-ever Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament, the Hoos matched up against Villanova on the court—falling to the Wildcats and unfortunately closing the chapter on what was their 2023-2024 season. Villanova started out on a hot streak, the Cavaliers facing an uphill battle throughout the game, ultimately unable to catch up before the final buzzer sounded. The scoreboard read 55-73.
Despite finishing the season at .500, Virginia set their single-season record for three-pointers this year at 218. Looking forward to next season, there are many bright spots in this squad, including the freshman guard, Kymora Johnson.
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