Micah Kiser, Tara Vittese Named Top Athletes At Virginia

Virginia held the Hoos Choice Awards on Wednesday.
Micah Kiser and Tara Vittese earned Virginia’s top athlete honors. ~ Kris Wright

Micah Kiser and Tara Vittese received plenty of recognition this past fall so it made sense that the duo hauled Virginia’s own top athlete honors Wednesday night. Kiser earned the WINA Award as UVA’s top male athlete, while Vittese claimed the IMP Award as UVA’s top female athlete.

Kiser helped the football team return to bowl play this fall as he led the ACC in tackles for the third straight season. He piled up 145 stops, the fourth most in the nation and No. 2 all-time in a single-season at Virginia. Kiser was named first-team All-ACC and first-team All-American (Sporting News). He received All-ACC Academic team honors as well. Kiser won the 2017 Campbell Trophy, known as the Academic Heisman, this season too. He became the first Hoo picked in the NFL Draft this past weekend as well.

Vittese landed quite a few honors as well this fall. She received her third straight National Player of the Year honor this season, the first field hockey player in the history of the sport to win three times. She is only the second UVA athlete ever to be National Player of the Year three times, joining Ralph Sampson. Vittese was also the ACC Player of the Year for the second time and a first-team All-American for the fourth time. She finished second nationally in points and goals per game. The Hoos won the ACC Regular Season title.

The duo’s recognition took place as part of the Hoos Choice Awards dinner at the John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday night.

Other award recipients included men’s basketball standout De’Andre Hunter. He was recognized as UVA Male Rookie of the Year. Hunter was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team and was the ACC Sixth Man of the Year. He averaged 9.2 points for the team as it set a new single-season program record for wins with 31. Hunter banked in the game-winning 3-pointer at Louisville as well. That rally was named Comeback of the Year.

Pien Dicke received the Female Rookie of the Year honor for Virginia. She was a first-team All-American and first-team All-ACC selection as well as ACC Freshman of the Year. She averaged 1.05 goals per game. Dicke played much of the year with a broken hand, including her first ever college game when she scored a hat trick.

For more about the Hoos Choice Awards, check out this news release from VirginiaSports.com. Team Award winners are listed below.

  • Baseball – Billy Word Memorial Award – TBA
  • Men’s Basketball – Sidney Young Memorial Award – Devon Hall and Isaiah Wilkins
  • Women’s Basketball – Coaches Award for Excellence – Jocelyn Willoughby
  • Men’s Cross Country – Coaches Award for Excellence – Brent Demarest
  • Women’s Cross Country – Coaches Award for Excellence – Frances Schmiede
  • Field Hockey – Coaches Award for Excellence – Nadine de Koning
  • Football – John Acree Memorial Award – Micah Kiser
  • Men’s Golf – F. Dixon Brooke Memorial Award – Thomas Walsh
  • Women’s Golf – William E. Eacho Memorial Award – TBA
  • Men’s Lacrosse – Henry Gaver Memorial Award – Scott Hooper
  • Women’s Lacrosse – Coaches Award for Excellence – Kasey Behr
  • Rowing – Coaches Award for Excellence – Ali Zwicker
  • Men’s Soccer – Stanley Lerner Memorial Award – Joe Bell
  • Women’s Soccer – Coaches Award for Excellence – Veronica Latsko
  • Softball – Coaches Award for Excellence – Allison Davis
  • Men’s Squash – Coaches Award for Excellence – Mason Blake
  • Women’s Squash – Coaches Award for Excellence – Carey Danforth
  • Men’s Swimming & Diving – Brooke Maury Memorial Award – Zach Fong
  • Women’s Swimming & Diving – Diane Montgomery Greene Memorial Award – Rachel Politi
  • Men’s Tennis – Norton Pritchett Memorial Award – Aswin Lizen
  • Women’s Tennis – Coaches Award for Excellence – Cassie Mercer
  • Men’s Track & Field – Henry Cummings Memorial Award – TBA
  • Women’s Track & Field – Z Society – The Lou Onesty Memorial Award – TBA
  • Men’s Indoor Track & Field – Coaches Award for Excellence – Jordan Scott
  • Women’s Indoor Track & Field – Coaches Award for Excellence – Holly Sullivan
  • Volleyball – Coaches Award for Excellence – Haley Fauntleroy
  • Wrestling – David Senft Memorial Award – Jack Mueller and Louis Hayes