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6 CAVALIER CORNER cavalier sports behind the scenes Cross Country Overview I n a conference that has experienced exceptional success at the national level in cross country on both the men's and women's sides, Vin Lananna and the Virginia Cavaliers embarked on the 2022 cross country campaign with their sights set on the national stage. A buzz surrounds the Cavaliers as Vir- ginia is set to host the NCAA Champion- ships on its home turf at Panorama Farms in 2023, but until then the focus remains on the here and now. Virginia welcomes back a strong group of returners as well as exciting incoming classes for both the men's and women's teams in 2022. On the men's side, the Cavaliers return the core of their 2021 squad including their top two runners from the previous season, Rohann Asfaw and Derek Johnson. Also returning for Virginia is Wes Porter after a standout first-year campaign and Yasin Sado, who will look to make yet another leap forward in his third-year season. Following outstanding first-year campaigns from cross country through the outdoor track and field seasons, Margot Appleton and Mia Barnett will lead the Cavalier women into the new season. Appleton, who was Virginia's top cross country runner in just her first season in Charlottesville, will look to make another jump in Year 2. Last year, Appleton led the way for Virginia at the ACC Championships and advanced to the NCAA Regionals in Louisville, Ky. The Cavalier women will also lean heavily on a strong class of transfers including Camryn Menninger from NYU and Rebecca Story out of Stanford. Another transfer joining the Cavaliers is Esther Seeland, a three-time NCAA champion at Division III Messiah in the 800 and 1,500 meters. "Each young woman who transferred in has been somebody we wanted in the program and felt as though she would add to the culture of the program," Lananna said of the incoming transfers. "I feel very good about those we have. I think they will help us, and we just have to continue building." Competing in a conference that boasted a national champion in North Carolina State on the women's side as well as two top-10 teams nationally in Notre Dame and Wake Forest on the men's side, Virginia struggled in 2021 as the men finished eighth at the ACC Champion- ships while the women finished 10th. How- ever, with an experienced base combined with their talented newcomers, the future looks promising for the Cavaliers as they once again prepare to face some of the toughest competition the NCAA has to offer. "We have a strong core. We do need to improve, and I think we will," Lananna said. "I think our student-athletes are laser- focused. We recruited them all because they want to be part of something special. "I think they have demonstrated through their hard work and their commitment to the program that they are truly going to show that not only in words but in deeds." — Quinn Hull Two-time All-ACC performer Rohann Asfaw, a fifth-year, leads the way for a strong returning core on the men's side. (Photo courtesy UVA) Second-year Margot Appleton leads the way for the women's team after an outstanding rookie campaign. (Photo courtesy UVA) Margot Appleton • Cross Country The second-year from Mattapoisett, Mass., picked up where she left off in her an outstanding rookie season, earn- ing the first ACC Women's Performer of the Week for the 2022 season after securing a win at the Spider Alumni Open Sept. 3. Appleton led wire to wire but had to fend off Georgetown's Grace Jensen by one-tenth of a second in a dead heat finish to win the 4K race with a time of 13:23.4. Matt King • Swimming The third-year from Snohomish, Wash., won a pair of gold medals at the Phillips 66 National Championships July 26-30 in Irvine, Calif. He swept the sprint freestyle events, winning the 50- and 100-meter races. King set a UVA record in the 50 free in prelims (21.95) and then improved that mark with a 21.83 in finals. In the 100 free, he set the UVA long course record by touching the wall in 48.44. Amanda Sambach • Golf The second-year from Pinehurst, N.C., was one of 25 players named to the watch list for the 2023 ANNIKA Award, which is presented annually to the nation's most outstanding female collegiate golfer. An honorable mention All-American as a freshman, Sambach led UVA with a 72.85 stroke average last season — the lowest single-season average by a first-year in program history. She picked up All-ACC honors, placed 31st at the NCAA Championships and was third at the ACC Championships. 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.