Virginia Athletics Excellence From the Perspective of a Current UVA Student

Inside the experience of Virginia sports as a UVA student

Author:
Kathleen Boyce
Publish date:
Jun 3, 2022 7:22 PM EDT

Excellence.

One word to describe the University of Virginia athletics program.

Day in and day out, Virginia sports are excellent. 31 national championships, including 13 in the past 10 years, is one way to see that.

We can look at national rankings and often find Virginia among them across every sport, and we can see consistent winning seasons in the ACC, which is no small feat in a Power Five conference.

We can even look at the success of Virginia athletes, who have received countless honors at both the collegiate and professional levels.

Best of all, this greatness is free to all UVA students.

The majority of the Cavalier sports complexes are within walking distance from Grounds, and students just need to bring their student IDs to be admitted, free of charge.

While men’s basketball games tend to reach capacity and rely on a lottery system, students can earn more lottery entries by attending other games, something that is attainable and enjoyable for all.

The average college student can’t procrastinate homework to go watch a top-25 matchup, but Virginia students can say otherwise. We get to witness the country’s best student athletes night in and night out in games that others watch all across the country.

As a rising fourth year student, I know that my time in Charlottesville has reached its final chapter. Graduating college is bittersweet in many ways, but I will definitely miss walking to John Paul Jones Arena on a Monday night to catch a basketball game, eating Ben & Jerry’s at Disharoon Park, or crowding around on the hill at home football games.

I feel lucky to go to a school that has so much to offer sports fans like me. The success of Virginia sports is incredible, and to be there in person is something I do not take for granted, especially after a year where students were unable to attend games live.

Looking back on my first three years of live sports at UVA, a few favorite memories come to mind. First, storming the field at Scott Stadium in 2019 when the Virginia defense stopped Florida State running back Cam Akers at the four-yard line as time expired to hold on to a 31-24 victory the same week we had been ranked the No. 25 team in the nation. That was only the second home football game I had witnessed, and I felt my love for my school increase immensely.

Unfortunately, I missed the historic win against Virginia Tech on Black Friday, but even just watching my fellow students storm the field while I was cheering from my hometown is a great memory.

My all-time favorite memory was the home basketball game against Duke in 2020, who was ranked seventh at the time. It was a packed house and a back-and-forth affair, and Jay Huff was playing the best basketball of his life. He finished with 15 points, 10 blocks, and 9 rebounds, with the most crucial block coming against Vernon Davis with 3.7 seconds left, preserving the 51-50 upset win.

Huff’s block and his immediate celebration are part of the pregame hype video at every home basketball game, and it gives me chills every time as I remember how incredible that play was, as well as the entire game.

My sophomore year in 2020 only had one live game involved, but it was something I cherished even more than ever before. My roommate won two tickets to a football game against Louisville, and she was kind enough to take me as her guest. It was eerily quiet with the small number of fans in attendance, but it was amazing to be back in person and watch Virginia pull off a 31-17 victory.

Despite the heartbreaking loss against Virginia Tech in the most recent Commonwealth Clash, the environment in Scott Stadium was electric. I couldn't help thinking about how lucky I was to be a student attending this game, while others paid hundreds of dollars for a ticket to watch the in-state rivals battle it out.

In February, a special day was watching our men’s lacrosse team win its home opener against Air Force in the afternoon, and then seeing our men’s basketball team defeat Miami in the evening. Getting to watch two recent national champions play on the same day is a pretty unique experience.

Throughout this past year, I’ve enjoyed checking out new sports with my friends, especially the spring sports that I missed out on the past two years because of COVID-19. I’ve written articles covering the UVA softball team for two seasons now, and I got to attend my first softball game as a UVA student this spring as the Cavaliers put together their best season in over a decade. I am constantly amazed at what our student athletes can accomplish.

My favorite moments often surround major victories over our rivals, but any game I get to attend is something I appreciate. In my final year of college, I plan to take advantage of the sports paradise of Charlottesville so I can add to this memory list.

My days of breathless cheers and burning calves from jumping up and down during timeouts are numbered, so I want to use up every last one of them!

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