Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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cavalier sports FEBRUARY 2018 7 BRENTON NELSON • Football In a year, the 5-11, 180-pound safety went from a walk-on — who originally showed up on Grounds to be a jumper on the track team — to the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in football. After redshirting last season, he was officially given a scholarship during fall camp and quickly proved worthy of it. The Miami native started all 13 games this past fall and tied for the team lead with four interceptions; he also broke up six passes and totaled 64 tackles, which ranked fifth on the squad. He ranked No. 4 among freshmen nationally in passes picked off to become the second Cavalier to win the defensive rookie honor, which was first awarded in 2007 (defensive back Ronde Barber won the league's overall Rookie of the Year honor in 1994), after safety counterpart Quin Blanding in 2014. Six players ended up receiving votes for the ACC award, but Nelson easily captured the laurel with 29 votes; runner-up A.J. Terrell, a Clemson defensive back, finished with just nine votes. Despite his original plans to do both track and football at UVA, a hamstring injury led Nelson to focusing exclusively on football, and it has paid off — literally. "I fought for it," Nelson told VirginiaSports.com before the season. "I didn't want to pay for school, so I made it to the point where they had to offer me." THAI-SON KWIATKOWSKI • Men's Tennis The 2017 NCAA Division I singles national champion still hasn't stopped piling up the awards for the Cavaliers. On Jan. 17 at the NCAA Convention, he was recognized as one of the NCAA's Top 10 Award recipients. The Charlotte, N.C., native helped lead UVA to its three straight NCAA team titles from 2015-17 and was a three-time ITA All-American. It's his latest honor for athletic and academic achievement, after he twice won both the ACC Men's Tennis and Virginia's Scholar-Athlete of the Year distinctions. He is the sixth in school history to earn the Top 10 Award that honors 10 exceptional former student-athletes from across the country each year for success on the field, in the classroom and in the community. RACHEL ROBINSON • Field Hockey Robinson was part of an outstanding first-year class at UVA that also included ACC Freshman of the Year Pien Dicke, the third rookie in school history to be named a first-team All-American. Robinson was selected for the under-21 U.S. Junior National Team Dec. 28. The Mount Joy, Pa., native was an All-South Region second-team choice after helping spearhead a defense that posted seven shutouts in 20 games, including a streak of 371 minutes without a goal allowed. She was previously a member of the U-19 Women's National Team. 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. BUILD YOUR WEALTH WITH A FULL FIDUCIARY Stuart F. Pierson, Jr. Owner & Founder, MS Tax Piedmont Capital Asset Management LLC Contact Me Today To Learn More! 800-369-7210 Toll Free 434-972-7210 Charlottesville, VA s p i e r s o n @ p i e d m o n t c a p i t a l . n e t • M Y P I E D M O N T C A P I TA L . C O M Piedmont Capital Asset Management LLC A Registered Investment Advisor