While eyes have been focusing on the futures of Coach Al Groh and Coach Tony Bennett (which appear to be generally going in opposite directions), Virginia women's basketball, women's cross country and field hockey athletes racked up a number of conference and national honors.
Women's Basketball
Virginia freshman center Simone Egwu (Odenton, Md.) was named the ACC Rookie of the Week. She averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in a 1-1 week for the Cavaliers. Egwu scored a career-high 19 points against USC Upstate on Wednesday, Nov. 18. In addition, she pulled down seven rebounds and had a steal. The Cavaliers defeated the Spartans, 110-63, in John Paul Jones Arena. The following game, Sunday, Nov. 22, vs. No. 6 Tennessee, Egwu netted 10 points and had six boards in a 77-63 loss to the Lady Vols. This is the first career honor for Egwu. The 15th-ranked Cavaliers (3-1) open play at the Junkanoo Jam in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, vs. Indiana on Thursday, Nov. 26 at 2:15 p.m.
Women's Cross Country
Junior Catherine White has been named one of four nominees for the 2009-10 Honda Sports Award for cross country, and the winner of this award will become a nominee for The Honda-Broderick Cup, an award annually given to the nation's outstanding collegiate woman athlete of the year. White finished fourth for Virginia at the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships on Monday to earn All-America honors and became the highest finisher for the Cavaliers since Lesley Welch won the national title in 1982. She also won the 2009 NCAA Southeast Region Title this season - becoming the program's first-ever individual regional champion - and earned Southeast Region Athlete of the Year honors for her accomplishments, another first for Virginia.
Field Hockey
Virginia field hockey players Paige Selenski, Inga Stöckel and Michelle Vittese were named All-Americans by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. Selenski was named to the first team, Stöckel to the second team and Vittese to the third team. Virginia's three selections are the most since 1998. It is the second honor for Selenski, who was selected as a second-team honoree in 2008. It is the first honor for both Stöckel and Vittese; all three are sophomores for the Orange and Blue. Virginia concluded the season with a 20-4 record and made its third trip to the NCAA semifinals. The Cavaliers set a program record for wins (20) and games played (24) in a season.