Monday Motivation: Field Hockey claims first ACC Championship!

Fall sports are starting to wind down with ACC championships as winter sports are getting into gear. Let’s look at the week that was in Virginia Sports.

Rapid Fire

-Here’s your weekly ridiculous Justin Anderson play:

-No. 6 Women’s Swimming had a big week, sweeping Penn State and No. 1 Michigan in a dual meet. Virginia won the 200-yard medley race, while Leah Smith touched first in the 1,000 free and 400 IM events. Kaitlyn Jones won the 100 butterfly, and Laura Simon tied for first in the 200 breaststroke, breaking the AFC record time for the event.

Second year diver Kylie Towben placed first in the 3-meter event.

-Four Virginia wrestlers claimed titles at the Clarion Open to open their season on the right foot. Jack Mueller, Sam Krivus, Chance McClure, and Andrew Atkinson all finished first, while another three Cavaliers placed second.

Next up, the Hoos face a challenge against No. 11 Michigan on Friday and No. 18 Central Michigan on Sunday.

-Virginia Baseball alum Brandon Guyer may not have won the World Series this time, but he sure as heck contributed big time in Game 7, going 2-for-2 at the plate with an RBI, two runs scored, and a walk.

With two outs in the bottom of the 8th, down two runs, Guyer knocked out a double, scoring Jose Ramirez. The next batter up, Rajai Davis, crushed a two-run shot to left field to tie the game.

In extra innings, Guyer worked a walk and scored on a single by Davis to make it a one run game, but Michael Martinez grounded out to give the Cubs the elusive World Series they had been craving.

Apologies to my Cleveland friends, but this tweet just kills me, so I have to share:

I think we can all relate to that sentiment at some point in our sports fandom.

-There wasn’t much to take away from the (whispers) football game. However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include this absolutely RIDICULOUS touchdown catch by Doni Dowling. Seriously just absurd.

Wahoo of the Week

This week’s StLMMWotW is an alumni. THAT’S RIGHT. AN ALUM. As far as I’m concerned, once a Wahoo, always a Wahoo, and I make the rules, so that’s that. Malcolm Brogdon kicked off his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks the past week, and our guy is making a name for himself in the most Malcolm-y way.

In six games, he is averaging 22 minutes, 8.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and two steals per game and is shooting 43% from the field.

Here are some highlights of “The Prez” (dubbed by the Bucks) or “Malcolm in the Middle” (dubbed by Gus Johnson):

Plus, there’s this.

Needless to say, our NBA friends are realizing what a great player and person Malcolm is (just search his name on Twitter to see all the compliments).

Team of the Week

They made it SO easy on me this week as the No. 7 Women’s Field Hockey team claimed their first ever ACC Championship with a 4-2 win over No. 5 UNC. Before we get into the finals, let’s check out what they had to do to reach that point.

First, Virginia defeated Boston College 6-3 in a back and forth affair. BC twice led by a goal in the first half and the two teams entered the break tied 3-3, but the second half was all Virginia as Caleigh Foust notched two goals (including the game-winner) sandwiching a score from Anzel Viljoen.

In the semifinals, Virginia faced Wake Forest in an overtime thriller. UVA’s Caleigh Foust tipped in a pass from Tara Vittese to send the Hoos to their first ACC Championship game since 2009.

In the finals, first year Erin Shanahan opened scoring for the Hoos, but Carolina tied the game up at one with 12 minutes remaining until halftime. Second year Izzy McDonough wasted no time, giving Virginia the 2-1 lead back four minutes later. After the halftime stanza, first year Anzel Viljoen, whose first goal of the season was the one against BC, notched her second of the tournament to extend Virginia’s lead to 3-1.

With ten minutes to go, UNC pulled back to within one score, but an insurance goal from Lucy Hyams ensured the Virginia victory. Goalkeeper Carerra Lucas had six saves in the game. Caleigh Foust, who had the game winners against both BC and Wake, was named the tournament MVP, and Lucy Hyams, Dominique Van Slooten, and Tara Vittese all joined Foust on the All-Tournament team.

While the win earned Virginia the ACC’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the Hoos didn’t know until last night who’d they be facing:

Good luck, ladies, and GO HOOS!