Top 10 Moments of the 2021-2022 Virginia Sports Year

Ranking the top ten moments of another banner sports year for the UVA athletics department

In the 2021-2022 college sports year, the Cavaliers brought some more serious hardware back to the trophy case for the University of Virginia athletics department. UVA won three ACC regular season titles, three ACC postseason championships, several NCAA individual titles, and two NCAA team national championships. Add in some spectacular highlights and thrilling victories across each of Virginia's sports teams and this past athletic season held countless incredible moments for UVA student-athletes. Today, we take on the challenge of choosing the ten best moments from the 2021-2022 Virginia sports year.

10. Abby Weaver's walk-off home run gives UVA softball upset win over Notre Dame

Photo courtesy of Virginia Athletics Communications

In first game of Virginia's ACC-opening series against No. 24 Notre Dame, the Cavaliers trailed the Fighting Irish by three runs heading into their final at-bat. A two-run single by Tori Gilbert brought the Hoos to within one run. Down to the final out and trailing 0-2 in the count, sophomore Abby Weaver delivered a clutch three-run home run over the left field wall to give UVA the epic walk-off win. 

Virginia then won the second game of the double-header against Notre Dame to clinch UVA's first series win against ranked opponent since 2010. The Cavaliers went on to win eight of their first nine ACC games, including sweeps over NC State and Boston College, to notch the best start to ACC play in program history. Virginia ended up winning 28 games in the 2022 season, the most victories for the program since 2010. 

9. Claudio Romero wins NCAA Discus National Title

Photo courtesy of Virginia Athletics

On the final night of men's competition at the 2022 NCAA Track & Field Championships, UVA junior Claudio Romero brought home the NCAA Discus Championship. Romero topped the rest of the field on his second attempt, a throw that went 66.17 meters (217 feet and one inch), and became just the second Cavalier to ever win the the NCAA Discus title, joining Philip Mihaljevic (2017). Romero is also just the fourth UVA athlete in history to earn First-Team All-American honors in the discus event in multiple seasons. 

8. Virginia wins 2021 ACC Women's Soccer regular season title

Photo courtesy of Virginia Athletics Communications

A goal from Diana Ordoñez helped Virginia to a 1-1 draw at Florida State in the regular season finale to clinch the 2021 ACC Women's Soccer regular season championship, the third ACC regular season title in program history. UVA finished the season with a 15-1-2 overall record including an unbeaten 8-0-2 mark in ACC play. 

Head coach Steve Swanson was voted the ACC Coach of the Year, Diana Ordoñez was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, and seven Cavaliers were selected to All-ACC teams. 

7. Devin Ortiz hits grand slam to give Virginia epic walk-off victory over North Carolina

Photo courtesy of Olivia Taylor/Virginia Athletics Communications

Game 2 of the series between Virginia and North Carolina was one of the most thrilling college baseball games of the season. UVA took a 4-3 lead into the ninth inning and needed just three outs to close out the game. UNC managed to tie the game right away as Alberto Osuna took the first pitch of the inning over the wall in left center. Virginia loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but an inning-ending double play ruined UVA's hopes of a walk-off. The Tar Heels then put up three runs in the top of the tenth to seemingly take control of the game. 

In the bottom of the tenth, Virginia scored seven runs, the last six of which came with two outs. A sacrifice fly from Casey Saucke made it 7-5, but also brought the Cavaliers down to their final out. Kyle Teel and Alex Tappen hit back-to-back clutch singles to tie the game at 7-7. UNC walked Jake Gelof intentionally to load the bases, bringing up Devin Ortiz. After missing out on an opportunity to win the game in the previous inning, Ortiz redeemed himself by hammering the first pitch of the at-bat deep to left field and was just a few feet short of clearing the grandstands. Ortiz was mobbed at home plate as Virginia celebrated the series-clinching walk-off win. 

6. Virginia wins 2022 ACC Rowing Championship

Photo courtesy of Virginia Athletics

For the 12th-straight season, Virginia won the ACC Rowing Championship. The Cavaliers were victorious in four of the five grand finals on Lake Hartwell at Clemson and claimed their 20th conference title in the last 21 ACC championship regattas. 

5. UVA football wins thrilling game at Miami as Canes' last-second field goal hits upright

Courtesy of Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports

With the final seconds of regulation ticking off the clock, Miami's Andres Borregales lined up a chip-shot field goal from 33 yards out to win the game. Virginia had led for the entire game up until that point, but a few defensive lapses in the fourth quarter were seemingly going to lead to the Hurricanes taking the comeback win on the final play of the game. Instead, Borregales hit the left upright on his field goal attempt and the Cavaliers rushed the field to celebrate their first victory at Hard Rock Stadium since 2011. 

If not for the late-game drama, the most memorable play of the game undoubtedly would have been Dontayvion Wicks' circus touchdown catch in the third quarter. 

4. Virginia wins 2022 ACC Men's Lacrosse Championship

Photo courtesy of Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics Communications

Virginia captured the 2022 ACC Men's Lacrosse Championship, UVA's second ACC title in the last three seasons and 19th in program history, with a convincing 21-15 victory at Syracuse to put the finishing touches on a 5-1 season in ACC play. 

The Cavaliers nearly swept the ACC season awards, as Lars Tiffany was voted the ACC Coach of the Year, Cole Kastner was selected as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and Matthew Nunes was named the ACC Freshman of the Year. 

Reece Beekman hits clutch buzzer-beating three-pointer to stun Duke at Cameron Indoor

Photo courtesy of Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics Communications

Without a doubt the most clutch play of the entire Virginia men's basketball season, Reece Beekman sank a dagger through the heart of the Blue Devils fans packed at Cameron Indoor to give Virginia the upset 69-68 victory at No. 7 Duke. Despite the Cavaliers shooting a combined 1/11 from beyond the arc up to that point, Beekman drained the three-pointer with the game on the line to put UVA ahead with just 1.1 left on the clock. The silence at Cameron Indoor was deafening. 

Virginia wins 2022 NCAA Men's Tennis National Championship

Photo courtesy of Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

After starting the season with a lackluster 3-5 record through the first eight matches, Virginia ran the table for the rest of the season, winning the next 23 matches all the way to the NCAA final. The Cavaliers went 12-0 in ACC play and won both the ACC regular season and tournament titles for the second-consecutive season. UVA swept Kentucky 4-0 in the championship match to capture the program's fifth NCAA championship, with all five of those titles coming since 2013. 

Virginia wins 2022 NCAA Women's Swimming & Diving National Championship

Courtesy of Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports

Todd DeSorbo is building a swimming dynasty at the University of Virginia. The Cavaliers took home back-to-back NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving national titles and they did so in record-breaking fashion. Virginia won NCAA titles in 11 different events and set five American swimming records in the process. UVA finished atop the standings with 551.5 points, nearly 150 more points than second-place Texas. 

One of the most dominant all-around team performances in the history of UVA athletics takes the top spot as the best moment in the 2021-2022 Virginia sports year. 

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