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20 CAVALIER CORNER BY JEFF WHITE T he 2023-24 academic year was another memorable one for UVA athletics, which finished fifth in the Directors' Cup, an annual competi- tion that reflects schools' performances in NCAA championships. That marked the sec- ond straight top-10 finish for Virginia, which placed fourth in 2022-23. Carla Williams, who has been UVA's di- rector of athletics since December 2017, touched on a variety of topics in a recent interview in her McCue Center office. Cavalier Corner: What are your general thoughts on the school year that just ended? Williams: "A lot of teams performed very well this year. I'm always amazed. We have so many great teams that do so well, not just throughout the season, but especially in the postseason. It seems like when the lights are brightest, that's when we really perform, and they're brightest definitely in the NCAA cham- pionships. And so it's awesome. "Having softball make the regional final was great for that program, and then some teams that historically do very well came through again. I'm just very proud of that, on top of the fact that this was an excellent year academically for us. All 27 teams finished with a GPA of 3.0 or better, which was amaz- ing. And then 49 student-athletes had a 4.0. "And not only did they finish that high in the Directors' Cup and do so well academically, they also did a ton of service in the commu- nity. So it never ceases to amaze me what our student-athletes are able to do, what they're able to accomplish under the circumstances. It's a premier academic institution, and they meet the challenge athletically, they meet the challenge academically, they meet the chal- lenge in the community. It's just phenomenal. "I've heard it said and read about this notion that college athletics has forgotten about academics and education. That's not true for us. Our values haven't changed and the mission to educate young people through sports participation remains a foun- dational value for us." Cavalier Corner: The Molly and Robert Hardie Football Operations Center opened in June, and the Harrison Family Olympic Sports Center is scheduled to be completed next summer. Is there another major facilities project on the horizon? Williams: "It's too early to say, because of the changing landscape. We're having to prioritize the court settlement [for the House v. NCAA case] and what that means [it's es- timated athletic departments will be able to pay athletes up to $21-22 million annually per school for future revenue sharing]. So, that takes the priority. "Once the Olympic sports facility is complete in late summer of 2025, that is the exact same time the settlement takes 'OUR VALUES 'OUR VALUES HAVEN'T CHANGED' HAVEN'T CHANGED' UVA Director Of Athletics Carla Williams Talks About This Year's Success And Looks Ahead Williams, who has been UVA's director of athletics since December 2017, guided the Cavaliers to a second straight top-10 finish in the Directors' Cup. (Photo by Matt Riley/courtesy UVA)