The Cavs sports campaign in ‘06-’07 a successful one

By Cody Dalton

The 2006-07 school year will be one that many people, most notably the seniors, will never forget. This holds true, especially for the many of the athletes here at UVa.-Wise.

Although UVa.-Wise is not the traditional or prototypical school for athletics, it is good to look at the achievements of these players, coaches, and teams. This is true for every sport, regardless of how important other people may place it in their minds.

Last fall, the cross country team made some sparks. Both the men’s and women’s teams were farely young, but with the guidance of coach Jason Lewkowicz, had a great season. The team’s season was highlighted by a first-place victory for the men’s team at the Tusculum Invitational and a second-place finish at the Maryville Invitational. The women also showed success, as freshman Maureen Seibold made the All-AAC freshman team, with an outstanding season.

Another sport not talked about much, but progressing extremely fast is the men’s golf team. The team this season was very productive and capped off their final event, the AAC/NAIA Region XII Championship, with great performances. The team finished in fourth place out of twelve teams. In individual performance, Bryan Bentley and John Blake Graham finished fourth and sixth respectively. These performances earned them All-AAC honors.

As for basketball, the men’s and women’s teams had some bright spots. Both of these teams had difficult seasons, with many games coming down to the final minute, but these teams showed promise with their play for next season. These teams will improve and come back from a tough 2006-07 season.

And who can forget the football team. There is no question that the team returned to competitive form this past season, improving from 4-7 and 1-4 in the Mid-South Conference in 2005 to an excellent 8-3 record with a 3-2 conference record. We also made state news, with running back Ra’Shad Morgan being named the Dudley Award recipient for his work on the gridiron.

Rounding out the fall sports is volleyball. The Cavaliers finished in the “middle of the pack” in the AAC, with a sixth place finish in the standings. Their season would end early, however, as the Cavs lost their opening round match to Virginia Intermont. Although the team loses great players in Kate Daub and Stacey Ringhoffer, the team will be at full force next season, as three terrific players have signed on to play under coach Steve Dallman.

Looking at the spring sports now, the men’s baseball team finished their regular season at 27-12-1, with a 10-6 overall record in the conference. This tied the Cavaliers for third in the standings, which improves from this fifth place finish last season.

On the other side of the diamond, the women’s softball team ended its season with a 10-4 record in the AAC. This earns the Lady Cavs their fourth straight regular season crown and fifth in the last six seasons. They will defend their tournament championship on May 2-4.

The tennis team made great progress in the spring as well. The women’s team served their way into a second place finish in the regular season, as well as a runner-up in the AAC Tournament. For the men’s team, they struggled with a young team, but had some strong points, with junior Henning Kuich leading the way. They will return all, but one player next year, so look for them to really make some noise in the conference.

Overall, it was a great year for sports fans, athletes and coaches alike this season, for a tremendous year in sports for the college athletics. Let’s only hope that next season, the Cavs sports teams can out do themselves and be even more competitive than this past year.

(April 30, 2007)