Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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getting to know MEN'S LACROSSE PLAYER MARK COCKERTON University of Virginia grad Mark Cockerton has traded in his blue, white and orange Cavalier uniform for the orange, white and black uni- form of MLL's Rochester Rattlers. The Rattlers' seventh-round pick (56th overall) in the 2014 MLL Draft, Cockerton scored 47 goals and as- sisted on 16 in helping the Cavaliers make another trip to the NCAA Tour- nament this past season. Cockerton also was a Tewaarton Award nominee and was voted third- team USILA All-America honors for a second consecutive year. In addition he was voted to the All-ACC Team for a second straight year. Cockerton registered eight hat tricks as a fourth-year and scored a career-high seven goals at Mount St. Mary's. He ended his career with 125 goals, which tied him for eighth on the all-time list with Garret Billings. My advice to student-athletes is: Give it your all. You only have four years and you don't want to leave anything out there. I didn't work as hard my first two years as I did my last two. You should start doing that your very first year. The primary challenge facing stu- dent-athletes today is: Confidence on the field in their respective sport. If you don't have confidence it can hurt because somebody is trying to gain your spot. You need confidence in order to play well. The best thing about UVa is: The people within the sports world. There are some of the greatest fans at UVa. You don't experience anything like it elsewhere. When we've gone to other schools it's not the same. Why I chose UVa: I chose it be- cause it has one of the best lacrosse programs in the country and it's a great academic school. They treated me well, and right off the bat I knew that's where I wanted to be. The highlight of my UVa athletic career: Winning the national cham- pionship (2011). Playing in front of 25,000 people and playing with my best friends is something I'll never forget. The most important thing I've learned from lacrosse is: Just be- ing a part of the team. Teamwork is probably the most important thing. If you want to be successful you have to work together. My dream vacation would be: Australia. My parents lived there for a couple of years and my sister just came back. It's a completely different culture. My post-college ambition is: Not many guys can play NLL and MLL. Playing both NLL and MLL has been my dream since I was a little kid. That's what I'm striving for. — Mike Scandura WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE … … TV show: "Entourage" … movie: "Lord of the Rings" … actor and actress? Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston … Charlottesville hangout/restaurant? Boylan Heights … musician/band? The Tragically Hip … pro sports team? Toronto Maple Leafs … food? Spaghetti and meatballs … UVa class? Criminology … sport (other than lacrosse)? Hockey … pregame ritual? Listening to music on my IPod Cockerton concluded his ca- reer with 125 goals, which tied him for eighth on UVa's all-time list. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA i11-14.Cavalier Sports.indd 7 6/3/14 4:40 PM