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JUNE 2017 ◆ 5 GETTING TO KNOW TRACK & FIELD FOURTH-YEAR CHRISTINE BOHAN CAVALIER SPORTS Fourth-year Christine Bohan, a 2017 indoor track and field All-ACC Academic team selection, is closing out her UVA career in a high note. She took home shot put titles at the Hurricane Twilight March 25 and the Texas Relays March 31, plus she set a personal record (PR) in the discus at the Hurricane Twilight. In mid-May, she placed fourth in the shot put and sixth in the discus at the ACC Outdoor Championships to earn all-conference accolades in both events. My advice to student-athletes is: To perse- vere through everything. It's not easy. You're going to get knocked down a lot because of injuries or a bad training session. You have to tell yourself I can be set back but have to keep pushing forward. The primary challenge facing student- athletes today is: Just managing schedules and the various responsibilities we have, like trying to excel academically as well as manag- ing our schedules for track. We also try to be as involved as possible in extracurricular activities. The best thing about UVA is: How special the school is, especially because of the tradition. It's a great community. There isn't another school like UVA, which is what makes it special. Why I chose UVA: In high school I did various events. UVA was a little differ- ent because they wanted me for throws, and I was a jumper. I came for a visit and loved the coach and the tradition and took a leap of faith. I wasn't sure about being a thrower, but it all worked out. What I like the most about track and field: The pure competitiveness of it. Everything you put into it you get out of it. It's basically a sport where you can work every day to improve your- self and push your own limits. You really get to see all the work you put in with every PR. You get to see it right away. The highlight of my athletic career: My second year when I first broke the school record at the Vir- ginia Challenge. I didn't expect to reach that level because I did not come in as the greatest thrower. I had switched from glide to rotational throwing. It really validated my decision to become a thrower. The most important thing I've learned from track and field: I have learned that I'm capable of a lot more than I thought I was. If you work hard enough you can achieve amazing things. My dream vacation would be: To do an Af- rican safari. My post-college ambition is: To take a few years to work and then go to grad school. After grad school I want to start my long-term career as a mechanical engineer. — Mike Scandura Bohan earned All-ACC honors in the shot put and discus at the ACC Out- door Championships in mid-May. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA WHAT/WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE … … TV show? "Pysch" … movie? "Hidden Figures" … actor and actress? Matt Damon and Sandra Bullock … Charlottesville hangout/restaurant? Boylan Heights … musician/band? Maroon 5 … pro sports team? Minnesota Vikings … food? Cupcakes … UVA class? Capstone Design … sport (other than track and field)? Volleyball … pre-meet ritual? The night before a meet I give myself a full spa treatment HOO'S HOT Recognizing the "Who's Hoo" in UVA athletics — Cavalier student-athletes, past, present and future who are making news around the world of sports. Francesco Badocchi ◆ Basketball The Milan, Italy, native signed w i t h To ny B e n - nett's program on May 11 after the 6-7, 195-pounder put up averages of 13.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game at Mission (Kan.) Bishop Miege. The Rivals three-star forward helped his school win its second straight Class 4A Division I state title as a senior and earned tournament MVP honors. He was an all-state honorable mention selection as a junior and a first-team pick this past season, his only two years of prep basketball in the United States. "Francesco is a talented forward with good length and athleticism," Bennett said. John Hicks ◆ Baseball The former UVA catcher was called up to help the Detroit Tigers on April 22. Hicks didn't take long to make his presence felt — he had two hits, including a double, and an RBI in his MLB debut for the season (he had appeared in 18 MLB games previously). The next night, he had three hits, including his first MLB home run, and five RBI while scoring twice to help the Ti- gers to another win. After hitting .423 in seven games, Hicks returned to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens in early May — but not before making a major impression. Through May 22, he was batting .333 with four homers and 21 RBI in 20 contests with the Mud Hens. Filip Mihaljevic ◆ Track and Field The fourth-year was named the Co-ACC Outdoor C h a m p i o n s h i p Men's Field MVP on May 14 after winning his fourth s t r a i g h t g o l d medal in the dis- cus with a throw of 60.69 meters. The product of Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina, is just the third ACC student-athlete to win four discus titles and the ninth to win four titles in any single ACC outdoor event. He also won the shot put to help UVA place second and give him 10 ACC gold medals between the shot put (indoor and outdoor) and dis- cus. He was also named the school's WINA Award winner as the school's top male athlete for the 2016-17 academic year. Leah Smith ◆ Swimming In early May, the fourth-year from P i t t s b u r g h w a s honored as Virgin- ia's top female ath- lete, winning the IMP Award for the s e c o n d s t r a i g h t year. The 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle ACC champion also helped the 800 freestyle relay win gold at the con- ference meet. She followed that up with a pair of runner-up showings at the NCAA Championships (500 and 1,650) and a fifth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle. H e r fo u r i n d i v i d u a l n a t i o n a l crowns (both the 500 and 1,650 in 2015 and 2016) are the most by a Virginia student-athlete in any sport.