Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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TOP ROOKIES Filip Mihaljevic (track and field) and Leah Smith (swimming and diving) led the way for a group of talented new‑ comers in Charlottesville. Mihaljevic was tabbed as the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Men's Freshman of the Year and became the first UVa male athlete to compete in two individual events at the same NCAA Outdoor Championship, qualifying in the shot put and discus. He posted top‑eight finishes to earn first‑team All‑America honors in both events. He set a school record of 64‑2.25 to earn a seventh‑place finish in the shot put. In the discus, he finished eighth with a throw of 193‑1. At the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in April, Mihaljevic was the conference champion in the discus and finished third in the shot put. He ended his rookie season with the school record in the shot put and the second‑ best mark in school history in the discus. Smith, meanwhile, became the eighth Virginia women's swimmer to be named ACC Freshman of the Year. At the ACC Championships, she captured gold in the 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle and 800 freestyle relay events, and silver in the 200 freestyle. Smith went on to earn All‑America honors in two events, recording a third‑place finish in the 1,650 freestyle and a fifth‑place showing as part of the 800 freestyle relay. Her time of 15:42.04 in the 1,650 free was a school record, while the 800 freestyle relay's mark of 7:01.39 was a UVa and ACC record. Smith also received honorable mention All‑America honors in the 500 freestyle, placing ninth in a school‑ and ACC‑record time of 4:33.65. Other notable rookies include (in alphabetical order): men's soccer midfielder Jordan Allen (third‑team All‑ACC and All‑ACC Freshman Team), volleyball outside hitter Jasmine Burton (ACC Freshman of the Year), cross country runner Maria Hauger (ACC Freshman of the Year), field hockey midfielder Lucy Hyams (ACC Freshman of the Year and second‑team All‑ACC), volleyball outside hitter Haley Kole (All‑ACC Freshman Team), men's tennis player Thai‑Son Kwiatkowski (third‑team All‑ACC), cross country runner Thomas Madden (ACC Freshman of the Year), men's bas‑ ketball point guard London Perrantes (ACC All‑Freshman Team), women's tennis player Rachel Pierson (third‑team All‑ACC), baseball infielder Daniel Pinero (third‑team All‑ACC), rower Georgia Ratcliff (ACC Freshman of the Year) and women's soccer goalkeeper Morgan Stearns (All‑ACC Freshman Team). BREAKOUT ATHLETES Second‑years Nathan Kirby (baseball) and Danielle Collins (women's tennis) burst onto the scene this year after modest debuts. Kirby was 4‑1 with a 6.06 ERA in 24 appearances (two starts) in 2013, but emerged as the staff ace while helping the Cavaliers reach the College World Series finals. He was tabbed as the ACC Co‑Pitcher of the Year and a first‑team All‑ACC honoree after leading the league in opponent batting average (.175); ranking third in wins (nine), innings (113 1 ⁄3) and strikeouts (112); and finishing fifth in ERA (2.06). In addition, Kirby was named a first‑team All‑American by Baseball America and Louisville Slugger, was one of 21 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award and was selected to the 2014 U.S. Collegiate National Team. On April 4, Kirby announced his presence as a force to be reckoned with when he fired a no‑hitter — Virginia's fifth in the last 50 years — at Pittsburgh while striking out 18 batters, which was one off the school and ACC record. Collins posted a 24‑8 singles record while playing part time and low in the lineup for Florida in 2012‑13, and opted to transfer to UVa last summer. This year, she settled in as UVa's No. 2 singles player and helped lead the Wahoos to their first‑ever ACC