Virginia (Olympic) Winter Sports Recap

This winter, while Wahoo fans were busy dissecting the game-by-game performances of the UVA basketball team's opponents' opponents for RPI purposes, other teams competed too. Here's a quick look back at the seasons of the hardworking student-athletes on the women's basketball, wrestling, swimming, and track teams:

Women's Basketball:

Finish: 16-14 (8-10 ACC - 6th place) - Declined WNIT bid

Hat Tip: Ataira Franklin (14.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG)

The results in the second year of Coach Joanne Boyle's tenure were underwhelming, and a brutal barrage of injuries was to blame. After a first-round ACC tournament exit against Boston College, Boyle decided that it simply wasn't worth it to go through the grind of the postseason with a team that was well beyond running on fumes.

The Daily Progress summed up the casualty list: "Guard Kelsey Wolfe tore her ACL and forwards Telia McCall and Jazmin Pitts each had their bouts with concussions. Throw in earlier season-ending injuries to guards Lexie Gerson (hip) and Raeshaun Gaffney (shin) and the Wahoos became rail-thin at times, occasionally dressing just eight players with Franklin being one of them. The All-ACC guard led the league in minutes played despite dealing with the lingering issues of a torn meniscus suffered early in 2011-12."

Despite her own injury issues, Franklin put the team on her back early in the year, as the Hoos got off to a 6-3 ACC start to put itself in good position for a potential NCAA tournament berth. However, the injury-ravaged team sputtered down the stretch, losing 8 of its final 10 games.

The team will lose China Crosby, Simone Egwu, and Telia McCall to graduation; however, senior Lexie Gerson, who made the 2011-2012 ACC All-Defensive team, redshirted and will return for a 5th year. Centered around (a hopefully refreshed) Franklin and Wolfe, the pieces are in place for a 2013-2013 year with more success....and hopefully better luck as well.

Wrestling:

Finish: 16-4 (4-1 ACC) - 2nd place ACC Tournament, 21st place NCAA Tournament

Hat Tips: All-Americans Nick Sulzer and Jedd Moore

The wrestling team completed another banner year under head coach Steve Garland. The Hoos finished the regular season ranked 13th nationally. The team's 16-4 final record included two losses to #7 VT, along with defeats against #5 Iowa and #12 Nebraska. UVA also picked up big wins against #11 Central Michigan and at Maryland.

For just the fifth time in the program's history, two Virginia wrestlers qualified as All-Americans when Moore placed 6th and Sulzer 8th at Nationals. At the ACC Championship, the Hoos placed second, finishing tantalizingly close behind the Hokies.

Besides Sulzer and Moore, UVA was led by Matt Snyder, who was stuck in a brutal 125 pound ACC weight class. (For example, he was ranked 9th nationally heading into the ACC tournament, but was seeded 4th in the conference). Snyder will graduate along with Jedd Moore, Derek Valenti, and Mike Salopek. This is another program that the head coach has in perpetually good shape; much of the core will return next season.

Swimming and Diving:

Finish: Men: 1st ACC, 27th NCAA. Women: 1st ACC, 18th NCAA

Hat Tip: Lauren Perdue - ACC Championship's Most Outstanding Swimmer