Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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cavalier sports FEBRUARY 2021 11 KATE DOUGLASS — SWIMMING The second-year swimmer from Pelham, N.Y., was added to the U.S. National Team Jan. 5. She was named to the squad in the 100-meter butterfly after posting a time of 57.43 in the event at the Toyota U.S. Open to place third at the meet behind U.S. National Team members Claire Curzan (56.61) and Torri Huske (57.36). Douglass' time ranked as the sixth fastest in the world for the 2020-21 season. As of Feb. 1, she led the NCAA in four events with the top time in the 50-yard freestyle (21.42), 100-yard freestyle (46.86), 100-yard butterfly (49.73) and 200-yard individual medley (1:50.92). NICK JACKSON — FOOTBALL The second-year linebacker from Atlanta fin- ished the 2020 campaign with 105 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He led the ACC in tackles for much of the season, before fin- ishing second in the league (just three stops behind NC State's Payton Wilson) and sixth in the country. Jackson, who was named a third-team All-ACC selection, was the only player in the nation with 95-plus tackles, and at least 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two passes defended. CHRIS NEWELL — BASEBALL The second-year outfielder from Newtown Square, Pa., was named to the D1Baseball Preseason All-America first team. He was the only true sophomore hitter on the first team. Newell, who was also tabbed as a preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, led the Cava- liers in batting with a .407 average (24 for 59) and 20 RBI in 18 games played last year before the pandemic cut the season short. He ranked in the ACC's top five in five different catego- ries — RBI (tied for second), on-base percentage (.545, second), slugging percentage (.729, third), runs (21, tied for third), total bases (43, tied for fourth) and stolen bases (eight, tied for fifth). MICHELLE CUSIMANO VACHRIS — FIELD HOCKEY/LACROSSE The former Virginia field hockey and lacrosse standout was selected as a 2021 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award recipient Jan. 6. She was one of seven former college student-athletes recognized for their collegiate and profes- sional achievements, as well as their civic con- tributions, 25 years after their careers ended. Vachris, who excelled as a goalie for both programs from 1993-96, currently serves as vice president and associate general counsel for labor and employment relations at ViacomCBS. She has been a member of the CBS law depart- ment's diversity and summer internship committees. She has done pro bono work for several nonprofits and spoke on an ESPNW Campus Conversation panel, providing career advice to Virginia undergraduates. 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. this month in uva history Feb. 6, 2002 — Second-year UVA football head coach Al Groh and the Cavaliers surprised many by inking a 26-man recruiting class that was ranked No. 12 in the nation by Rivals.com. The Wahoos landed three five-star recruits and seven four-star talents. Among the highly rated signees were four Parade All- Americans — linebackers AHMAD BROOKS and Kai Parham, running back Michael Johnson and defensive end Kwakou Robinson. "Virginia stands out as the most pleasant surprise of the year," Allen Wallace of SuperPrep Magazine told the Associ- ated Press. Brooks — Rivals.com's No. 1 outside linebacker and No. 27 overall player nationally, and USA Today's National Defen- sive Player of the Year — and Parham committed to Virginia two days earlier, giving UVA what Wallace called "the best recruiting day you could ever expect to have." We have the pleasure of coaching a very resilient group of young women who have fought through injuries, a strict COVID-19 protocol and all the mental battles that come with it. So the decision to end our season mid- stream comes with great difficulty. "As difficult as it is to end our season in this manner, it is a necessary one. The health and safety of our student- athletes will always be the number one priority. We will continue to focus on their overall well-being and prepare to resume competition in the fall." — Virginia women's basketball coach TINA THOMPSON on the program canceling the reminder of its season Jan. 14 (the Hoos were 0-5 overall and 0-2 in the ACC at the time of the decision) "Virginia is back? Yeah, we're thinking Virginia is back. Last Saturday, against a Clemson team previously ranked No. 1 in defensive efficiency, and with the best overall per-trip numbers in the ACC, the Cavaliers unrolled one of the best performances of the season (at least by any team not named Baylor or Gonzaga). The 85-50 win did a few things. It bounced Clemson from 19th to 35th in adjusted efficiency; it firmly reclaimed Virginia's status as the ACC's best defense, almost as if the whole program had taken offense; and it reestablished the Hoos as the ACC favorites, not to mention a team with viable Final Four aspirations." — The Athletic's Eamonn Brennan on UVA's men's basketball team PHOTO COURTESY UVA