The women of Virginia athletics continue to put together an impressive year as dominant programs build on their success and those that have struggled in recent history try to rewrite their narratives. In this article, I rank the top 5 highlights from this past weekend which saw action from basketball, swimming and diving, tennis, and track and field.
No. 5 Camryn Taylor Puts Up 20 Against Virginia Tech
The Cavalier women’s basketball team suffered a tough loss at home on Sunday to No. 12 Virginia Tech with a final score of 72-60. However, Camryn Taylor (Sr.) continued her offensive hot streak by putting up 20 points for her second consecutive game. Taylor went 9-of-16 shooting to cap her fourth 20-point game this season. She leads the team with 302 points, averaging 13.7 per game, and is second for rebounds behind Mir Mclean (Jr.), who suffered a season-ending injury to her knee earlier last month.
4. UVA Women’s Tennis Qualifies For ITA Indoor Team Championships
The No. 8 women’s tennis team continued their undefeated record with a 4-1 win against Washington State in the opening match of the ITA Kickoff Weekend. The Hoos followed it up with a 4-1 win over South Carolina in the Championship match. The win over South Carolina earned the team a spot at the 2023 ITA National Indoor Team Championships in Washington. The three-day tournament begins on Feb. 10.
The Wahoos went undefeated in doubles competition. Hibah Shaikh (Jr.) sealed the win in both matches with a victory on court 5 in the Washington State match and court 6 against South Carolina. Melodie Collard (So.) won her match on court 6 in two sets, but did not play against South Carolina. The Cavaliers rearranged their singles lineup heading into the Championship match and added Elaine Chervinsky (So.), who won in two sets on court 3.
3. Virginia Dominates 400-Yard Individual Medley
Winning championships certainly requires a few superstars, but depth is what separates the great teams from the good teams. Virginia proved again this weekend that it is a team that can fill a podium for swimming. In the Cavaliers’ meet against No. 4 NC State and No. 18 UNC, the Hoos finished 1-2-3-4 in the 400-yard individual medley. Ella Nelson (Sr.) led the way (4:03.66) followed by junior Alex Walsh (4:03.79), junior Abby Harter (4:12.98), and junior Sophia Wilson (4:13.72). Walsh is the defending NCAA champ in the event and Nelson is the defending bronze medalist. In last year’s NCAA Championship meet, Harter finished 11th in the 200-yard IM and 200 fly while Wilson was 27th in the 400-yard IM. If the Hoos can get more women such as Harter and Wilson into the Championship and Consolation finals in March, they will be extremely difficult to dethrone.
OKAY ESTHER
In her first 800-meter race as a Cavalier, the State College, Pa. native set a VIRGINIA INDOOR RECORD with her time of 2:05.38 #GoHoos⚔️ pic.twitter.com/bOz7Uxt9nQ
— Virginia Track & Field and Cross Country (@UVATFCC) January 28, 2023
2. Esther Seeland Breaks UVA’s 800-Meter School Record
The native of State College, Pennsylvania, lit up her hometown by clocking a 2:05.38 in her 2023 800-meter debut. Seeland (Sr.) bested her indoor PR by 0.01 seconds, which she ran last year while attending Messiah, a Division II institution. Seeland competed for the cross-country team this fall which placed ninth in the NCAA back in November. The previous 800-meter school record was held by Alahna Sabbakhan (Jr.), who ran 2:05.74 when she finished 4th at last year’s ACC Indoor Championship. Sabbakhan has yet to debut in the open 800, but has run the distance on two Distance Medley Relay teams this month. It is possible she will race it this weekend as the Hoos are slated to split squads between the Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite Meet and the JDL Camel City Invitational. We will likely see Seeland and Sabbakhan continue to push each other to better times throughout the remainder of the indoor and outdoor track seasons.
1. Walsh Sisters And Douglass Remain Unstoppable For Virginia
This past weekend was like most others for the UVA women’s swimming and diving team. Alex Walsh (Jr.), Gretchen Walsh (So.), and Kate Douglass (Sr.) entered the water and left with (almost) too many first-place finishes to count … except I did count. All three women claimed a whopping five first place finishes in the tri-meet with No. 4 NC State and No. 18 UNC. Alex Walsh won two individual and three relay titles, while Gretchen Walsh and Douglass each earned one individual win along with four relay titles. All three relays that Alex Walsh won featured legs swam by Gretchen Walsh and Douglass as well.
This three-headed monster looks to be in championship form and swim fans everywhere should get their popcorn ready for the postseason, which begins in two weeks at the ACC Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Thank you for this summary. It’s hard to keep up sometimes. Much gratitude your way.