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UNSUNG HEROES Fittingly, the athletics sports medicine and athletic training staffs were honored with the Bus Male Memorial Service and Sportsmanship awards, respectfully, for their dedication, service and spirit during one of the most challenging athletics seasons in school history due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In late May, the athletics department announced its intentions to return to full capacity for the 2021-22 athletics seasons and normal operations. The past year was anything but normal with the squash program seeing limited competition and the women's basketball team ending its season after just a hand- ful of games. Routine COVID testing, social distancing and wearing masks were the norm. Team meetings were replaced by online Zoom sessions. The training tables were closed and grab-and-go meals took their place. Despite all of those hurdles, the Hoos rose up to fashion together an athletic sea- son like none before. "This has been an amazing year for a lot of reasons and the performances of our teams and our Directors' Cup finish shows how well our coaches and student-ath- letes met those challenges," Virginia director of athletics Carla Williams said. "I am so proud of how our entire department performed considering the circumstances. Winning two national championships and seeing several individuals crowned na- tional champions was fantastic. "For our student-athletes and coaches to manage the hurdles and protocols put before them on a daily basis to be able to compete, that was the real victory." — Jim Daves 22 CAVALIER CORNER The UVA women's swimming and diving team's NCAA title was not only the school's first in the sport, it was the first for an ACC squad as well. PHOTO BY MIKE COMER/NCAA PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS • The athletics department achieved its highest Graduation Success Rate (95 percent). • Paige Madden (women's swimming), Sophia Kershner (rowing), Alexa Spaanstra (women's soccer), Carl Söderlund (men's tennis) and Michaela Meyer (women's track and field) earned ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. • Rachel Robinson (field hockey) and Madden received Weaver-James-Corrigan postgraduate scholarships from the ACC. • Madden was also a recipient of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. • Terrell Jana (football) was named the Wells Fargo Humanitarian Award recipi- ent. Jana is a member of UVA's Grounds- keepers, which won UVA's 2020 Marcus L. Martin Endorsed Award that recognizes groups or individuals who work to facilitate long-term, institutional change in inclusion, diversity, equity or access. • Jana also earned an ISO Graduation Award, which honors undergraduate lead- ership and excellence from UVA's Interna- tional Students & Scholars program. • Spencer Bozsik (men's tennis) earned the T. Rodney Crowley Jr. Memorial Scholarship. • Ethan Weatherspoon (wrestling) was an ACC recipient of the Go Teach Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway. • Alexa Spaanstra (women's soccer) was named a Scholar All-America selection by the United Soccer Coaches. • Wrestlers Jay Aiello, Michael Battista, Louie Hayes, Patrick McCormick and Jus- tin McCoy earned Scholar All-America honors by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. • Women's soccer players Rebecca Jar- rett, Lizzy Sieracki and Taryn Torres were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-Dis- trict first team.