Cavalier Corner

goal [at Virginia] was to win a national champion‑ ship as a team. "Obviously, we came up a little short of what our goal was. But at the same time, I wouldn't have traded it for anything." Despite missing eight contests while pulling double duty, she ranked in the ACC's top 10 for every major statistical category, and ranked first in assists per game (0.78), second in points per game (1.89) and fifth in goals per game (0.56). The St. Simons Island, Ga., native claimed the Mary Garber Award as the top female athlete in the league, while leading the Cavaliers to their first NCAA Tournament championship game ap‑ pearance. She became the first in program history to join the 40‑40 club — with 41 career markers and 43 career helpers — and be named a first‑ team All‑America three times. The four‑time All‑ACC pick was also chosen as Virginia's top women's athlete for the second straight year, while U.S. Soccer honored her as the Young Female Athlete of the Year. Not sur‑ prisingly, the Houston Dash selected her No. 1 in the National Women's Soccer League Draft in January. Brian and her classmates successfully changed the culture of the program, according to Swanson. They put team above all else, and that's a lasting legacy she will leave on Grounds. Although the coach places her among the best in the history of college soccer, it won't be the stellar player that first comes to mind when he thinks of Brian, who has more big things ahead. "As amazing as her career has been so far — there's not really an award she hasn't won in both high school and college — she remained pretty humble, down to earth and hard working," he said. "She's just a great person, first and foremost. At the end of the day, as much as she's won all of these awards, that's not going to be what defines her. It's going to be the quality of person that de‑ fines her, and she's a great person. "I think her mark on women's soccer is still hap‑ pening, she is still influencing. When she was here at Virginia, she influenced the Virginia team and college soccer; now she's moved on to continue doing that on the world stage and in the global soc‑ cer community. She has the ability to do that." ◆ BEST OF THE REST Leah Smith, swimming and diving — The second-year captured the NCAA titles in the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle while leading the Cavaliers to a fifth-place finish nationally, which stands as the best in school history. She is the first in program history to win multiple national crowns in the same year. Makenzy Doniak, soccer — The first-team All-American played in the shadow of teammate Morgan Brian, but provided plenty of offense when her counterpart was off on national team duty. The third-year led the ACC and ranked third nationally with a school-record 51 points, while her 20 goals also paced the league, tied for third-best in the land and tied a program record. Julia Elbaba, tennis — UVa's No. 1 singles player finished No. 5 in the national rankings, earned ITA All-America and All-ACC honors for the third straight campaign, and was the first in program history to ascend to the No. 1 rank- ing as an individual. She also won the prestigious USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships crown in singles. Casey Bocklet, lacrosse — In her final campaign, Bocklet improved from a third-team All-American to a first-team selection. In addition to all-conference and all-region laurels, she tied for first in the ACC and 16th nationally with an average of 4.05 points per game, while her 1.74 assists per contest ranked second in the league. — Ryan Tice

• Cover