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26 CAVALIER CORNER BY JEFF WHITE F or Sonia LaMonica, the highs greatly outnumbered the lows during her four years on the University of Mary- land women's lacrosse team. She totaled 111 goals and 55 assists during her college career, helped the Terrapins win two NCAA titles and three ACC championships, and earned first-team All-America honors as a fourth-year. Not every memory, though, is a happy one for the former Sonia Judd. Her college career ended on May 16, 2003, when the Virginia Cavaliers edged the Terps 9-8 in the NCAA semifinals at Syracuse, N.Y. "You never forget the last game when you were walking off the field," LaMonica said, "and that was against UVA." Twenty years later, she's now in charge of the program that deprived her of a sto- rybook ending to her Maryland career. UVA hired LaMonica in July to succeed Julie My- ers, who compiled a 349-181 record and never missed the NCAA Tournament in 28 seasons as head coach at her alma mater. Myers resigned from her post at UVA in June. Later that month she was named chief executive officer of One Love, a national non-profit organization that works to end relationship abuse. "Obviously, Julie's been an icon for a long time, and she's won as a player, and an assistant and a head coach [at UVA]," La- Monica said. "I'm excited for her in this next journey. I'm excited to honor the past of this program and celebrate the past and to forge a new path forward." A native of Australia, LaMonica came to UVA from Towson University, where her teams made seven trips to the NCAA Tour- nament in her 14 years as head coach. She posted a record of 139-91. Her assistant coaches at Towson included her husband, Mike LaMonica, a former standout on the Maryland men's lacrosse team, and he'll have a similar role at UVA. The LaMonicas have three children: sons Luca and Bodhi, and daughter Marley. In women's lacrosse, Virginia has won three NCAA titles (1991, 1993 and 2004) but hasn't advanced to the tournament's final four since 2014. Sonia LaMonica believes there's no reason the Hoos can't reach the NCAA summit again. "This place has everything," she said. "It's got the esteemed academics. It's got a vi- brant community. It's got, obviously, incred- ible athletics across the board. It really has so much to sell. I'm excited to be able to really go after the top recruits in the country who are in alignment with our values, and I think that's gonna help catapult us." Her program figures to benefit from the new Olympic Sports Complex, on which ground was broken in June. The project, which is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2025, includes a renovation of the McCue Center, and it will allow UVA's field hockey, cross country, track and field, lacrosse, rowing and soccer programs to move into new locker rooms. "So, it is an exciting time, and we're looking forward to bringing in top recruits," LaMonica said. "It's not going to be easy. It's going to take a lot of hard work and grit, but I do think [the Olympic Sports Complex is] a necessary enhancement that has probably been missing while other ACC and Big Ten schools have been building facilities." LaMonica introduced herself to the Hoos' returning players and their incoming recruits on a Zoom call before her hire was an- nounced. Virginia finished 11-7 this spring after losing in the NCAA Tournament's first round. A WINNING A WINNING CULTURE CULTURE New Head Coach Sonia LaMonica Is Eager To Lead The UVA Women's Lacrosse Program LaMonica (in black top) came to UVA from Towson University, where her teams made seven trips to the NCAA Tournament in her 14 years as head coach. (Photo courtesy Towson University)