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26 CAVALIER CORNER EXCEPTIONAL UVA STUDENT-ATHLETES PETEY LASALLA Fourth-Year • Lacrosse It's not a stretch to say that Virginia men's lacrosse midfielder Petey LaSalla may be the best faceoff specialist to ever don the orange and blue. Last season when the Cavaliers won their second straight national championship, the Miller Place, N.Y., product chipped in a program-record 277 wins at the center-X. He also set the UVA single-season record and finished third in the nation with 137 ground balls last year. This season, LaSalla and the Cavaliers will look to become just the fourth program in NCAA Division I history and first since 1998 to attempt to three-peat. "In every sport, possession is so valuable," Virginia head coach Lars Tiffany told Virginia- Sports.com earlier this fall. "In the sport of la- crosse, it's not really fair the way the rules are written. … And what the rules allow us to do, we take full advantage of with Petey LaSalla on our roster." As elite as LaSalla is on the field, he also embodies the phrase "student-athlete" at the University of Virginia. LaSalla, who boasts a 3.5 GPA as an American studies major, is on track to graduate this spring. The 2021 All-ACC Academic selection and three-time ACC Honor Roll recipient was accepted in the top-ranked McIntire School of Commerce pro- gram, which will allow him to prolong both his academic and athletic careers at UVA. "My time at UVA as a student-athlete has been eye-opening for me," LaSalla said. "Coming from a small high school on Long Island, I was never exposed to all of the dif- ferent opportunities that life has to offer, and UVA embraces that. "UVA has helped me grow into the person I am today." And while he is thriving as a UVA student- athlete, don't expect him to shy away from his blue-collar, tough-as-nails Long Island men- tality on the field or in the classroom. LaSalla, who already owns the program's single-sea- son records in faceoff wins and ground balls, will have his sights set on the all-time career records in both categories as well, in addition to the tall task of vying for a third consecutive national title. But if there's anyone up to the task, it's No. 23 LaSalla, who can be found digging in the trenches — literally — on game day, fighting for every possible extra Cavalier possession. — Patrick Boling • Photo by Matt Riley/ courtesy UVA Athletics