The depth of Virginia's athletics program was clearly apparent by the end of the spring season, as several teams achieved top-ten status, including men's and women's soccer and men's and women's lacrosse. Tied for first place (with Penn State) among public Division I-A schools and ranked eighth overall for the graduation rate of its athletes, the University is taking bold steps to ensure an even brighter future for all Cavalier sports. 

Debbie Ryan: Achieving Equity for Women's Sports When Debbie Ryan accepted the post as head coach, the women's basketball team didn't even have its own locker room.  There were no scholarships, and the budget was so tight that players carpooled to away games. It was a hard season. The Cavaliers won only eight of their twenty-five games. It was Coach Ryan's first-and as it turns out, only-losing year. A full quarter-century later, Coach Ryan is a U.Va. institution. She has been named ACC Coach of the Year seven times, has led her team in the NCAA Tournament nineteen times in a row, and, in the process, has compiled a 561-200 record. Even more important, she has been a driving force in achieving gender equity for women's sports. Today the women's team has the same facilities and same advantages as the men's team. This year, Virginia added women's golf as its twenty-fifth varsity sport, appointing Jan Mann as head coach. Coach Mann, who compiled an outstanding record as head coach at UNC Wilmington, is just the latest beneficiary of Coach Ryan's groundbreaking efforts.

The men's soccer team dominated the ACC, finishing the regular season undefeated for the first time since 1995. Coach George Gelnovatch (College '87) was named the ACC Coach of the Year and served as an assistant coach on the U.S. World Cup team, which was led by former Virginia coach Bruce Arena. Three of our alumni, Claudio Reyna (College '95), Tony Meola (College '91), and Jeff Agoos (McIntire '91), were also on the World Cup team. Coach Steve Swanson and the women's soccer team advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, sparked by the outstanding performance of Lori Lindsey (College '03), who was named U.Va.'s top female athlete for 2001-2002.

Men's and women's lacrosse also had exceptional years. The men's team advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the third time in four years before losing to eventual national champion Syracuse 12-11 in two overtimes. Conor Gill (College '03), a two-time first-team All-America selection and a three-time All-ACC selection, was named U.Va.'s top male athlete of the year. Mark Koontz (McIntire '02) became the first defenseman in ten years to win ACC Player of the Year honors.

Like the men's lacrosse team, the women's team finished third in the nation, thanks to the depth of its talent. Lauren Aumiller (College '03) and Tiffany Schummer (College '02) were named first-team All Americans, and Amy Appelt (College '05) won honors as ACC Rookie of the Year. Men's coach Dom Starsia and women's coach Julie Myers were both named ACC Coach of the Year.

The football and basketball seasons had their highlights as well. On the gridiron, the Cavaliers defeated Clemson on the Tigers' home turf for just the third time in thirty-five years of competition. The men's basketball team upset third-ranked Duke by three points.

Great Venues for Fans and Players

The quality of our sports facilities is an important measure of the University's commitment to varsity athletics and plays a critical role in our ability to attract top recruits. This year, the baseball stadium was transformed into one of the best ballparks in the ACC. Fans who once hunched together on cold metal bleachers now sit in a comfortable covered grandstand. The improved facility, designed by VMDO Architects of Charlottesville, also offers new concession areas, a new press box, a home locker room and clubhouse, and stadium lights that permit night games for the first time. The playing surface, which was replaced during the recent campaign through the support of former players and other donors, has been named in memory of Thomas Edward Davenport (Curry '53). A former captain of the Cavalier baseball team, Ted Davenport oversaw the Virginia Student Aid Foundation and fund raising for athletic scholarships for thirty years.

Basketball is next in line. The Buildings and Grounds Committee of the Board of Visitors approved schematic plans for a new multipurpose arena and convocation center, which will be located across Massie Road from University Hall. The design includes a horseshoe-shaped, 15,000-seat sports and special events venue with contiguous practice courts, coaches' offices, a weight training room, a club lounge, and twenty luxury suites. The University has received two $20 million gifts for the arena, one from an anonymous donor and another from alumnus Paul Tudor Jones II (College '76), chair of the Greenwich, Conn.-based Tudor Group of Companies. Adding other major commitments, including $1 million from Anthony F. Markel (College '64) of Richmond, approximately $48 million has been raised for the $130 million project. Its expected completion date is 2006.

Providing a Foundation for Excellence

The Department of Athletics has taken decisive steps to bolster its financial foundation, ensuring its long-term ability to sustain competitive programs. In October 2001, Director of Athletics Craig Littlepage presented the Board of Visitors a plan for improving the overall sports program, while maintaining academic excellence, fiscal prudence, and compliance with NCAA and federal regulations. The plan calls for additional operating support, much of it to come from private contributions.

Subsequently, the Department of Athletics developed ambitious ten-year goals aimed at achieving a 100 percent graduation rate, complying fully with Title IX, winning at least seventy conference championships and twelve national titles, and providing the scholarships, facilities, and operational resources necessary to recruit and develop the best student-athletes in the country. As part of this effort, the department has made it a priority to fund all of the 309 full scholarships it is allowed to offer by the NCAA by 2005. Acquiring these resources will be the responsibility of the Virginia Student Aid Foundation, which has been renamed the Virginia Athletics Foundation and given the expanded role of conducting all athletics fund-raising activities.