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AUGUST 2019 17 Every Virginia student-athlete leaves Grounds with the school making a big im- pact on them and their life going forward. That is true of Mike and Nicole (Mc- Master) Krafchick, but the couple who were standouts in their respective sports of wrestling and field hockey each left behind quite a legacy in Charlottesville. Mike graduated as the program's career and dual wins leader and still ranks third on UVA's all-time list with 116 victories. He earned All-America honors by placing fifth nationally in 1994 at 134 pounds, won the 142-pound ACC championship in 1995 and was the first Cavalier to qual- ify for the NCAA Championship all four years — a feat only 10 have ever accomplished. The three-time Academic All-American and four-time All-ACC pick was also one of seven Wahoos named to the league's 50th anniversary wrestling team in 2002. Nicole was an ACC All-Tour- nament and second-team All-Region choice in her final campaign, when she posted 17 assists, which was the program's second-best total ever at the time and is still tied for the sixth-best single-season mark in school history. She also stands 10th among UVA's all- time leaders in the category. However, for all the individual honors, both still point to team success as the ultimate goal and their lasting memory of suiting up in the orange and blue. Both pushed their squads to unprecedented heights in their last year of eligibility. In 1995, Mike helped UVA place sec- ond in the ultra-competitive ACC, at the time the school's highest league finish since winning it all in 1977. From 1979- 94, the Cavs never placed higher than fourth at the conference tournament — but starting in '95, they had a 10-year stretch with just one ACC placement worse than third. "You always want to leave something better than when you showed up, and that was something I was always proud about," Mike said. Nicole debuted in 1993 with a team that went 10-8 under first-year coach Missi Sanders. By her final campaign, the Cavs posted their first winning re- cord in ACC play in seven years, were ranked No. 1 nationally for the first time ever and reached the NCAA quarterfinals, which it had not done since 1984. "There was nothing like it," Nicole said of UVA's success that became common by the end of her career and carried on into the future. "It was truly amazing and a dream come true. "To see how far we came in four years was really magical. We took a lot of pride in it because it took a lot of work, a lot of time and a lot of commitment — not only from the players, but the coaches also; and the university and athletic de- partment supported us so much." Even after their respective athletic ca- reers ended, the Krafchicks continued to achieve at a high level. Mike coached in Charlottesville for a year after graduation before head- ing back home for medical school. He earned an MBA from Saint Joseph's and received his degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2000. He's been practicing family medi- cine in Glen Mills, Pa. — which abuts his hometown of West Chester — ever since, and also serves as the Chief Medi- cal Officer at Brandywine Counseling & Community Services, where he focuses on substance abuse disorder treatment. Though he never accomplished his goal of being a national champion — and was just two wins away from being an All-American at three different weight classes — he still takes great satisfaction in completing what he recalls an advi- sor telling him would be near impossible early in his UVA career: wrestling at a high level and putting himself in position to go to medical school. "I took that as a chal- lenge," he recalled. "I wanted to do both and never wanted to have to pick between the two. I thought at Virginia I could reach my goals academi- cally and athletically." There's no question- ing that he reached his academic goals, and he's now arguably even more successful in the professional field he always dreamed of going into than he ever was on the wrestling mat. "His work ethic is something that I've never witnessed before in my life," Ni- cole marveled. "Now that he's a physi- cian, his work ethic, passion, dedication and belief in serving something bigger than himself is really special. "I first got to witness that at UVA, and what an incredible role model he was for athletes at Virginia, students at Vir- ginia, me personally — and now in his career, I see that same thing. He's abso- lutely beloved by this community. It's a true testament to the amount of work and time he puts into it." Meanwhile, Nicole practiced many years as a physical therapist, before turning her focus to their three kids and volunteering within the community. Like her husband, she can trace the roots of the tools that continue to help her to this day back to Charlottesville. "Special things happen when you're a student-athlete," Nicole said. "You learn a lot about yourself when you're part of a team, but also many other life skills that serve you well. "The opportunities Virginia allowed me to have made me a better person. When I worked in PT, it made me very successful in that career. As a mom, as a friend, as a person, I can't say enough about my time there and how it pre- pared me for life." — Ryan Tice CONTINUED SUCCESS: MIKE (1991-95) AND NICOLE (1993-96) KRAFCHICK The Krafchicks can trace the roots of their tools that continue to help them to this day back to Charlottesville and their time at UVA. PHOTO COURTESY KRAFCHICK FAMILY Mike (right) graduated as the Virginia's career and dual wins leader and still ranks third on the school's all-time list with 116 victories. Nicole (left) was an ACC All- Tournament and second-team All-Region choice in her final year at Virginia. PHOTOS COURTESY UVA