Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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cavalier sports FEBRUARY 2021 7 BUILD YOUR WEALTH WITH A FULL FIDUCIARY Stuart F. Pierson, Jr. Owner & Founder, MS Tax Piedmont Capital Asset Management LLC VISIT MY BLOG: The Wealth Dimension 800-369-7210 Toll Free 434-987-3316 Charlottesville, VA s p i e r s o n @ p i e d m o n t c a p i t a l . n e t • M Y P I E D M O N T C A P I TA L . C O M Piedmont Capital Asset Management LLC A Registered Investment Advisor W hen presented the opportunity to discuss how well his football team was handling COVID-19 protocols during the season, head football coach Bronco Mendenhall frequently made sure to praise Kelli Pugh, Virginia's as- sociate athletics director for sports medicine. Pugh headed up the sports medicine pro- gram's internal response to the pandemic while working with team physicians from UVA Health and following University and ACC protocols. To say Pugh and her staff had extra duties added to an already full workload is quite an understatement. Pugh and her team worked tirelessly dur- ing the week to prepare and administer test- ing of the team, coaches and support staff, supported student-athletes and staff who tested positive, helped in isolating others when necessary, and assisted with contact tracing and medical clearances for individu- als to return to competition. Working 13-14 hour days during the week became routine. Then there were her usual game-day assignments followed by Sunday treatment sessions with players. In July, when the team reported back to Grounds, she was far from optimistic it would reach the end of its schedule. "I thought we would probably get to game three or four, which would put us at about two weeks after all the students came back to the university," said Pugh, who just finished her 19th season working with Virginia's football program. "At that point, the spread would be much higher, and we would see a lot of games canceled." Pugh points to the fact that players bought in from the start as the reason that UVA never had to cancel a game due to an outbreak within the Hoos' program. "The protocols, alone, don't do any good if the student-athletes don't follow them," she said. "And that's the reason we were successful." Pugh also credits Mendenhall for his ad- ministration of the program and for adapt- ing and being willing to change in order to provide the safest environment for his team. "Bronco was very adaptable," she said. "He tried to figure out how to apply our safety protocols to his practice routines. He was open to change. One of the best things I think we did was move our team meetings to the indoor practice facility. They set up screens and projectors that greatly reduced the risk of contact tracing. And he supported the sports medicine staff in any recommenda- tion we had, which makes a huge difference." — Jim Daves Pugh was honored with the responsibility of handling the team's Break the Rock ceremony in the locker room following the Cavaliers' season- opening victory against Duke. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA behind the scenes Associate Athletics Director For Sports Medicine Kelli Pugh