Cavalier Corner

Steele Stanwick Puts Finishing Touches On Super Career T BY WHITELAW REID HE LIST IS AN impressive one. It features current NFL players D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Heath Miller, pro tennis player Somdev Devvarman and Olympic swimmer Matt McLean, just to name a few. In the spring, it got even better when lacrosse player Steele Stanwick was added. Stanwick beat out the likes of recent NBA draft pick Mike Scott to win Virginia Male Athlete of the Year. MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR "It was unbelievable," said Stanwick, who was also the Cavalier Corner's choice for that honor. "You look down that list and see some of the past winners. To even be considered for that award and to be mentioned in the same sentence with some of the guys like Mike Scott is totally humbling. It was a really special award for me. "It's definitely something I'm going to look back on and be pretty proud of." A year after winning ACC Player of the Year, Stanwick was named the league's Offensive Player of the Year this spring. The Baltimore native be- came the first Virginia men's lacrosse player to receive two ACC Player of the Year awards during his career. Stanwick, who graduated this past May, led the nation in assists (51) and was second nationally in points per game (5.0). He was named ACC Player of the Week three times, making him the first men's lacrosse player in conference history to accomplish the feat. Stanwick finished his career as Virginia's all- time leader in points (269). "He may be the best lacrosse player that I've ever had the great pleasure of coaching," Virginia head coach Dom Starsia said. "He certainly may be one of the best attackmen and one of the best players who's ever been here at the University of Virginia. "But for me personally, what I'm going to miss the most is what a great kid he is." Starsia said Stanwick has always been a favorite of his daughters, Maggie and Emma, who are de- velopmentally delayed. "They have no idea that he's a good player," Star- sia said. "They just like him for who he is because he's been so selfless and thoughtful with them over the years, and so giving. "I think it speaks volumes about the kind of person he is." In 2011, Stanwick received the Tewaaraton Tro- phy as the top male collegiate lacrosse player and earned first-team All-America honors. That season he led Virginia on a stunning run to an NCAA title. After stumbling down the stretch in the wake of suspensions to two key players, UVa didn't look like it had much of a chance in the postseason. But behind Stanwick the Cavaliers reeled off four straight wins in the NCAA Tournament for the program's fifth title. "He's been here through a tumultuous time and was always an anchor for all of us — a very steady person, someone you could count on, level-headed and as selfless as any great player I've ever been around," Starsia said. "That, as much as anything else, speaks to who he is and what his impact has been." This past season, Virginia beat Princeton 6-5 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before CAVALIER CORNER ◆ AUGUST 2012 ◆ 36

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