Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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cavalier sports JUNE 2019 11 To me, Hall is far and away the best returning cornerback in college football. He probably would've been picked in round one of this past draft. He has the size, length, click-and-close quickness and ball skills to instantly be a No. 1 corner in the NFL." — CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso after projecting fourth-year All-American cornerback Bryce Hall to go eighth overall in his first 2020 mock NFL Draft RYAN CONRAD • LACROSSE In front of 4,489 at Klöckner Stadium May 4, UVA men's lacrosse returned to the top of the ACC, winning the conference tournament with a 10-4 victory over Notre Dame. It marked the program's 18th league title in the sport, but its first since 2010. The fourth-year midfielder was named the ACC Tournament MVP after he notched a hat trick in the semifinal win over UNC and then added a pair of goals in the championship contest. Conrad stayed hot in the NCAA Tournament, notching five goals in a first-round win over Rob- ert Morris to set a career high in his final game at Klöckner. He went on to score seven more goals while helping the Cavaliers capture the national championship. ANNA REDDING • GOLF The fourth-year from Concord, N.C., edged out teammate Beth Lillie to finish as the Cavs' top golfer with a 72.85 stroke aver- age to Lillie's 73.26. Both were named All-ACC for the second straight season. Redding was the team's top finisher in seven tournaments this season and picked up her first win at Michigan State's Mary Fossum Invitational in the fall. She tied Lillie for fifth at the ACC Champi- onships and then led the way at both the NCAA Au- burn Regional (eighth) and NCAA Championships (29th), helping the Cavs place 14th at the latter. JUAN THORNHILL • FOOTBALL After playing in the Senior Bowl and standing out at the NFL Combine, Thornhill saw his NFL stock rise. He was selected 63rd overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the NFL Draft to become the highest-picked UVA product since 2011, when cornerback Ras-I Dowling was chosen 33rd by the New England Patriots. Cornerback Tim Harris was drafted 198th in the sixth round by the San Francisco 49ers to give the program a pair of draftees for the second straight year, a first since 2014-15. 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? … Virginia football signed a pair of graduate transfer wide receivers in April: Dejon Brissett of Richmond and Terrell Chatman of Arizona State. Both will enroll in June and have one year of eligibility left. Brissett received a medical hardship in 2018 after suffering a season- ending injury three games into the campaign. The 6-2, 195-pounder was a first-team All-CAA pick in 2017 after hauling in 63 passes for 896 yards and seven scores. He has also returned 41 kickoffs for 941 yards (23.0 yards per runback) and a score in his career. The 6-4, 195-pound Chatman was in the same ASU recruiting class as UVA starting quarterback Bryce Perkins — who he also roomed with in Tempe — but appeared in just 13 games for the Sun Devils, posting three catches for 28 yards and a score. Coming out of high school, the four-star recruit was listed as the nation's No. 254 overall prospect by ESPN. 700 Career wins for baseball head coach BRIAN O'CONNOR, after the Cavs prevailed with a 5-3, series-clinching win over Virginia Tech May 17. He's the ninth coach in ACC baseball annals to reach the landmark and ranked fourth at the time among active Division I coaches with a .710 winning percentage. Overall pick was where fourth-year All-American Maggie Jackson was selected in the 2019 Women's Pro- fessional Lacrosse League Draft. 7 th 117 Points the men's track and field team scored at the ACC Champion- ships, allowing it to finish in second place for the third time in the last five years. The Cavs won six individual conference titles, its most ever during the outdoor season. 25th Was where AthlonSports.com predicted UVA to finish in the final football rankings of the 2019 season. It is the first time since 2005 the outlet projected the Cavaliers to finish a campaign in the top 25. "The regular-season finale in Charlottesville vs. Virginia Tech … may decide the Coastal Division champion," the website noted. NCAA Championships appearances for the UVA women's golf program in its 16-year history. The Cavaliers placed fourth at the Auburn Regional May 8 to advance, and then tied for 14th nationally. 2 Times that UVA men's tennis has swept the ACC's annual awards — third-year Carl Söderlund was named the Player of the Year, while Brandon Na- kashima earned Rookie of the Year hon- ors and second-year mentor Andres Pe- droso was tabbed the Coach of the Year in 2019, joining the Cavs' 2012 sweep. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA 11