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14 CAVALIER CORNER ment for the first time since 2015, the 38th postseason appearance for the program; and men's tennis advancing to the second round of the NCAA Championships. TOP WOMEN'S TEAMS The rowing squad has been as consis- tently excellent as any UVA program, and this year proved to be no different. The Wahoos won their ninth straight ACC cham- pionship and 18th in 19 years, and did so in dominating fashion. UVA swept all five races at the league regatta and has now won 73 of the 80 cham- pionship races over its incredible 19-year stretch. "Really amazing. We had a tough week with final exams the last week and a half," head coach Kevin Sauer told VirginiaSports. com. "I was a little bit worried about how much juice they would have, especially on this second race of the day. But they really stepped up in a big way and held on, raced well and did a nice job. I'm proud of them. "Nothing is easy. Our team really em- braces hard work, and we upped the work from last year, and took that mantle on, embraced it and did a really good job." The Cavaliers then entered the NCAA Championships May 26 at Sarasota, Fla., ranked No. 7 nationally and pulled off a fifth-pace finish to record UVA's best post- season showing this year. It was the pro- gram's 19th top-six showing at the national regatta in 22 years. "I credit this team and its resiliency," Sauer said. "We really came through in the finals. We thought we might have a shot at placing fourth or fifth if we won both petites and medaled in the second varsity eight, and that's exactly what we did." The women's swimming and diving squad was under new leadership this year, with Todd DeSorbo taking the reins of the program in August 2017. The transition was seamless for the Cavaliers, who posted a 10-0 overall record and a 5-0 mark in the ACC during dual competition. The Cavaliers then went on to win their 10th ACC championship in 11 years and their 15th in program history. The Wahoos also improved upon last year's 12th-place effort at the NCAA Cham- pionships. UVA had 11 different swimmers earn All-America honors en route to finish- ing ninth at the national meet. Field hockey put together another out- standing season, going 15-5 overall and 5-1 in the ACC to secure the program's sixth overall and fourth outright ACC regular- season championship. The Cavaliers were ranked as a high as No. 3 nationally and spent the entire season in the top 10, and were picked as a host site for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012. Unfortunately, the Hoos suffered a 3-2 double overtime defeat at the hands of Princeton in their NCAA opener. Other notable accomplishments included the women's golf team placing 22nd at the NCAA Championships, and the women's hoops squad winning 19 games, making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010 and notching its first NCAA victory since 2009. In its 20th consecutive postseason ap- pearance, the nation's third longest active streak, the women's soccer team reached the Sweet 16. Additionally, women's lacrosse (23rd straight NCAA bid) and women's tennis each advanced to the second round of their respective NCAA Championships. TOP COACHES After guiding the men's basketball team to a historic campaign, Tony Bennett not only earned ACC Coach of the Year acco- lades, but was also tabbed as the consensus NCAA Division I Coach of the Year. Along the way, Bennett led Virginia to a school-record 31 wins, the program's first No. 1 national rankings since the Ralph Sampson era in the early 1980s, its eighth ACC regular-season championship and its third ACC Tournament title. Over the past five seasons, Bennett has coached the Wahoos to a league-best 73 ACC victories — 10 more than Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and Roy Williams of North Caro- lina. In nine seasons at Virginia, he boasts a 219-86 record (.718 winning percentage). He has also orchestrated a school-best seven straight 20-win seasons and five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. On the women's side, field hockey head coach Michele Madison earned ACC Coach of the Year honors for the first time in her 12 years in Charlottesville. She is the second coach in program history to receive that honor, joining Missy Sanders (1997). Madison led the Cavaliers to the ACC regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the ACC Championship. UVA entered the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 4 nationally, and was one of four schools to host the first two rounds of the tournament. She has now guided UVA to the NCAA Tournament 10 times in the past 12 years. Also notable was rowing head coach Kevin Sauer being named the ACC Coach of the Year for the 12th time in his 23 years at UVA. His 18 ACC titles are the most ever in a single sport for any Virginia coach. Former UVA swimming and diving mentor Mark Bernardino produced 16 in women's swimming and 11 in men's swimming. TOP ROOKIES Men's basketball redshirt first-year De'Andre Hunter and field hockey first-year Pien Dicke were honored as UVA's Rookies of the Year at the Hoos Choice Awards May 2. Hunter was a key player on the Cavaliers' ACC championship squad. He earned a spot on the league's All-Freshman team and was named the conference's Sixth Man of the Year. He averaged 9.2 points and 3.5 re- bounds per game over 33 contests, reached double figures in points in 16 games and was Virginia's leading scorer six times. He also improved as the season went on. He finished the year as a 38.2-percent shooter from three-point range, but he knocked down Michele Madison was tabbed as the ACC Coach of the Year for the first time after leading her field hockey squad to the league's regular-season championship and a top-10 ranking. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA YEAR IN REVIEW