Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1523343
SUMMER 2024 13 VAF AND NIL In addition to starting the 1.15.41 Me- morial Fund, VAF made headlines by starting its Sabre Society, a philanthropic giving so- ciety in support of Virginia athletics and the more than 750 student-athletes it serves. Donations can impact the Athletic Director's Excellence Fund, facility projects, sport-spe- cific operations, endowments, annual fund scholarships and NIL opportunities. The announcement of the Sabre Soci- ety came on the heels of groundbreaking legislation from Virginia's state government to support college student-athletes. On April 18, Governor Glenn Youngkin ceremo- nially signed a bill that significantly changed the way colleges and universities in this state would be able to operate with regard to name, image and likeness. It permitted institutions to be more in- volved in helping their student-athletes with NIL opportunities, and Virginia became the first state to allow universities to directly compensate student-athletes for the use of their NIL if its governing body — in UVA's case, the Board of Visitors — approves poli- cies and procedures that govern NIL. AMAZING ATTENDANCE Record attendance figures were a regular occurrence for Virginia programs during the year. For the first time ever, the Cavalier volley- ball team played a match at John Paul Jones Arena. A program-record crowd of 3,162, well above the capacity of Mem Gym, was whipped into a frenzy when UVA rallied from a 0-2 deficit to topple rival Virginia Tech. That wasn't the only record crowd in JPJ that featured a stunning victory against the Hokies. On March 3, the Cavalier women's basketball team toppled No. 5 Virginia Tech in front of 11,975 fans. The attendance fig- ure is the highest ever recorded in a college women's basketball game in the state of Virginia. It also marked UVA's first win over a top-five opponent since the 2017 season. The fall also saw UVA play host to the NCAA Division I Cross Country Champion- ships. A sellout crowd of more than 5,000 running fans poured into Panorama Farms in Albemarle County to cheer on the run- ners, including both the UVA men's and women's teams. They also witnessed Jenny Schilling become the first All-American for the UVA women's program since 2013. ACADEMIC SUCCESS UVA student-athletes did not disappoint in the classroom. The NCAA annual Aca- demic Progress Report showed UVA had a four-year reporting score of 992, well above the national average of 984. Four Cavalier programs — women's golf, women's lacrosse, women's softball and men's tennis — posted perfect multi-year scores of 1,000, and 16 of 23 had a multi-year score of at least 990. For the 2022-23 reporting year, 19 of the 23 had a score of at least 990. The NCAA's Graduation Success Rate data also showed UVA preforming at one of the highest rates in the nation. Cavalier student-athletes covered during the reporting period (2013-14 to 2016-17) graduated at a 96-percent rate, the highest mark for UVA athletics since the NCAA launched the GSR program in 2002. The NCAA's national average for this year's reporting range was 91 percent. TOP PERFORMERS No single student-athlete had a better year at UVA than third-year swimmer Gretchen Walsh. On the way to helping UVA win its fourth consecutive NCAA title (see Women's Team of the Year on page 16), Walsh won seven NCAA titles, was named the national collegiate swimmer of the year and then made the U.S. Olympic team for the first time, becoming the first competitor at the swim trials to record a world record time since 2008. Read more about Walsh, UVA's female student-athlete of the year, on page 17. 2023-24 IN REVIEW TEAM ACHIEVEMENTS • The Cavalier men's outdoor track and field team won the program's first outright ACC title and UVA women's swimming won its fifth consecutive ACC title. • Baseball advanced to its third Men's College World Series in the last four seasons. • Men's lacrosse advanced to its 26th NCAA Final Four, while field hockey reached its sixth NCAA Final Four. • Men's golf, men's tennis and women's tennis advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals. • Men's outdoor track and field finished eighth at the NCAA Championships. • Softball advanced to its first NCAA Regional final. • Rowing finished 13th nationally. • Women's cross country finished 15th at the NCAA Championships. • Men's soccer advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. • Men's swimming and diving finished 17th at the NCAA Championships. • Women's lacrosse advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship. • Men's cross country finished 22nd at the NCAA Championships. • Wrestling advanced four wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. • Men's basketball advanced to its 26th NCAA Tournament. • Women's basketball played in the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament. • The UVA football team picked up its first-ever road win against an Associated Press top- 10 ranked opponent when the Hoos defeated No. 10 North Carolina 31-27 in Chapel Hill, N.C. • UVA played its 500th football game (versus James Madison) at Scott Stadium. The Virginia men's track and field team won its first outright ACC outdoor title in program history, edging rival Virginia Tech by five points to take the crown. (Photo courtesy UVA)