Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1105369
cavalier sports APRIL 2019 11 I think the reality has set in that the work that's put in and the plan that's being provided does pay dividends and is producing a high yield in a pretty short amount of time. The confidence and the certainty of what our training and what our players look like as they train, they expect results and want more than what they currently have." — Head football coach Bronco Mendenhall on spring practice, which began March 25. We couldn't be prouder of JACK MUELLER. He really represented our university and our wrestling program, specifically, very well. I'm not just talking about his wrestling. I'm referring to the way he handled his words and his actions. He was a class act in every situation. … I believe God refines us through fire, and through this fire Jack will grow and be better for it." — UVA head coach Steve Garland, after the third-year placed second at the NCAA Championships. Mueller entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed, but upset the No. 1 seed 8-2 to become the fourth Cavalier to reach the national finals, where he fell 5-0 to the defend- ing champion. Mueller finished 21-1 this year, while the Cavs placed 23rd nationally. 43 Straight games where third-year lacrosse attack Michael Kraus of No. 4 UVA has tallied a point, after notching five goals and one as- sist in an 11-10 win over No. 18 North Carolina April 6. At the time, his point streak was the nation's fourth longest. One game earlier, he tallied his 100th career goal, making him the 16th Cavalier to reach the landmark and the third fastest (42 games). DOX AITKEN • LACROSSE The third-year from Villanova, Pa., continues to make his mark in the record books. With a pair of goals in a 14-13 loss to High Point Feb. 18, he reached 100 career points in just his 36th game — the quick- est to that milestone for a UVA midfielder. Then, in a 15-14 overtime victory at Syracuse March 2, his three goals gave him 80 for his career and made him the quickest UVA midfielder to that mark (38 contests). Through April 12, Aitken's 93 career goals were two away from claiming No. 1 on UVA's all-time list for midfielders, while his 118 career points were fourth most by a Cavalier midfielder. BRYCE HALL • FOOTBALL The All-American defensive back that led the country in passes broken up was an- nounced as the latest recipient of the prestigious T. Rodney Crowley Jr. Memorial Scholarship. The honor is awarded to an accomplished UVA student who demonstrates leadership, sportsmanship, char- acter and integrity, and it provides the equiva- lent of full in-state tuition for the athlete's un- dergraduate fourth year. In addition to his work on the gridiron, Hall has made UVA's Athletics Academic Honor Roll over several semesters and is heavily involved in Charlottesville-area schools, where he teaches basic reading and writing skills. The Harrisburg, Pa., native also volunteers with the Boys and Girls Club, the youth group at his local church and visits the elderly in assisted living facilities. PAIGE MADDEN • SWIMMING The second-year from Mobile, Ala., finished second at the NCAA Championships in the 500-yard freestyle March 21. She dropped more than five seconds from her entry time and finished with the second-best clocking in program history in the finals (4:32.98) for her first individual All- America honor. The standout performance came one day after she helped the 800-yard freestyle relay team place ninth nationally to earn honorable men- tion All-America status, and one day before she placed 10th in the 200-yard backstroke for an- other All-America honorable mention. HOO'S HOT Recognizing the "Who's Hoo" in UVA athletics — Cavalier student-athletes, past, present and future who are making news around the world of sports. Did You Know? … With UVA's 80-75 overtime victory over Purdue March 30, Tony Bennett and Dick Bennett joined John Thompson and John Thompson III as the only father/son combos to lead teams to the NCAA Final Four. Dick Bennett guided Wisconsin to the 2000 Final Four, while also clinching the trip to the national semifinals against Purdue (64-60). The elder Thompson took Georgetown to three Final Fours (1982, '84 and '85), while his son took the Hoyas to one (2007). quotable