Virginia Men's Lacrosse Season In Review

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June 21, 2000

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Despite suffering a heartbreaking loss to Princeton in the NCAA semifinals, the Cavaliers had one of the best seasons in school history in 2000. Following a season-opening loss to Syracuse (13-12 in overtime), the Cavaliers reeled off a school-record 13 consecutive victories en route to a 13-2 overall record.They were invited to the NCAA playoffs for the eighth straight season and advanced to the final four for the second year in a row.Their 13 wins this season tied the record for most wins in a season with the 1994 and 1999 squads (all coached by Dom Starsia).Playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation, Virginia posted impressive wins over Princeton in the season’s second game, Johns Hopkins, two over Maryland in College Park and two over Duke among others.

They successfully defended their ACC title with an 11-7 win over Maryland on the Terps’ home field in the finals of the ACC Tournament. The championship marked their third in the last four years, while the back-to-back titles are the first time Virginia has won successive ACC titles since 1983-85.

Three Cavaliers – Ryan Curtis, Conor Gill and Jay Jalbert-were named first-team All-Americans, with Curtis and Jalbert repeating from a year ago. Gill is the first UVa sophomore named to the first team since 1988.

Drew McKnight and Mark Koontz were named to the second team, while Peter Ragosa was named a third team All-American. The six All-Americans represent Virginia’s largest contingent ever, tying the 1971 and 1995 squads.

Drew McKnight was named the ACC Player of the Year becoming the third Cavalier in the last four years to claim the league’s top player award.

Dom Starsia was voted the ACC’s Coach of the Year for the second year in a row and the fourth time overall.Cavaliers Tie Season Victory Mark

The Cavaliers finished with a 13-2 overall record this spring in what proved to be a record-setting season.

Following a season-opening loss to Syracuse in March, Virginia rebounded and put together a school-record 13-game winning streak. The winning streak came to an end with a 12-11 loss to Princeton in the national semifinals, but the Cavaliers still finished with a 13-2 overall record.

The 13 wins equal the most in school history, tying the mark set by the 1994 and 1999 clubs, as Virginia became the first team in ACC history to win at least 13 games in back-to-back seasons.UVa’s 12 regular season wins this season (NCAA playoff win over Duke not included) represent the most regular-season victories in school history.

McKnight, Starsia Named ACC’s Best
Senior attackman Drew McKnight was named the ACC Player of the Year, while head coach Dom Starsia was named the conference’s Coach of the Year in voting by the league’s four head coaches.

A native of Virginia Beach, Va., McKnight finished among the national and ACC leaders in scoring (60 points, 4.00 per game), goals (33, 2.20 per game) and assists (27, 1.80 per game). He is the only player to rank in the top-three in every category in the ACC this season.

A second-team All-American selection and Scholar All-American, he finished his career with 99 goals and 93 assists.McKnight took just eight games to accumulate 20 goals and 20 assists which is as fast as any Cavalier has reached these figures in the last 36 years.

His selection marks the second year in a row a Cavalier has been selected the conference’s player of the year. Tucker Radebaugh, an assistant coach at UVa this season, won the award last season.Starsia was named the conference’s top coach for the second year in a row as he led UVa to the ACC title again this season. He guided the Cavaliers to a school-record 13 consecutive victories and a 13-2 overall record this spring.

Starsia also won the league’s coaching award in 1995 and 1997.Under Starsia’s tutelage, Virginia has produced 41 All-Americans, 28 All-ACC selections, four ACC Rookies of the Year and three ACC Players of the Year. He has a 92-29 record in eight seasons at UVa and has led the Cavaliers into the NCAA playoffs every year he has been in Charlottesville.

Virginia in the NCAAs
The Cavaliers made their 24th appearance in the NCAA Tournament this season. Only Johns Hopkins has been to the tournament (29 times) more than the Cavaliers. Maryland also made its 24th tournament appearance this season.

Head coach Dom Starsia has guided the Cavaliers to the national championships each of his eight years in Charlottesville. The longest streak in school history is a nine-year run of appearances from 1978-86.

Eight Cavaliers Earn All-America Recognition
Led by first-team holdovers Ryan Curtis and Jay Jalbert, eight Cavaliers were named to the USILA All-America team this season.The two seniors were instrumental to the team’s success throughout their careers at Virginia. Curtis, the Schmeisser Cup winner as the nation’s top defenseman last season, will go down among the top defensemen in school history. He joins Kevin O’Shea (1979-80) as UVa’s only two-time first-team defensemen. Curtis was also a second-team choice in 1998.

Jalbert, an explosive offensive force for the Cavaliers, finished his career fifth on UVa’s goals list with 112 goals. Winner of the McLaughlin Award in 1999 as the nation’s top midfielder, he is the first UVa midfielder named to the first-team in back-to-back seasons in more than a quarter of a century. Pete Eldridge was a two-time first-teamer in 1971-72.

Joining Curtis and Jalbert on the first team is sophomore attackman Conor Gill, the ACC’s leading scorer this season. He is the first UVa sophomore named to the first-team since Andy Kraus (M) in 1988 and the only non-senior on this season’s first team.

Senior attackman Drew McKnight and sophomore defenseman Mark Koontz were named to the second team. McKnight, the ACC Player of the Year this season, finished in the top three in the conference in goals, assists and points. Koontz is UVa’s first sophomore defenseman named to the All-ACC team since Scott Lind in 1984.

Senior long stick middie Peter Ragosa was chosen for the third team. The nation’s most unheralded player, Ragosa was a force throughout his career on the defensive end. A starter in every game this season, he was instrumental in a defense that allowed just 8.20 goals per game this spring and ranked fifth in the nation.

Senior midfielder and faceoff specialist Jason Hard and junior midfielder Hanley Holcomb were honorable mention selections.The six players named to the first-, second-, and third teams are UVa’s most ever (six Cavaliers were also selected in 1971 and 1995).

Twelve Cavaliers Conclude Collegiate Careers
Head coach Dom Starsia and his staff bid farewell to perhaps one of the finest senior classes in school history this season.

Five All-Americans dot the list of players who provided the foundation for the past four years of success-Ryan Curtis, Jason Hard, Jay Jalbert, Drew McKnight and Peter Ragosa-are among those lost due to graduation.

Starting defenseman Court Weisleder also will not return. Weisleder graduated last year and took a job with an investment firm, but returned to the team after the Christmas break to use his final year of eligibility and help the Cavaliers repeat as national champions.Several key reserves have also graduated, including goalkeeper Duffy Birckhead, midfielder/attack David Bruce, goalkeeper Ben O’Neil, defenseman Richard Reid, midfielder Bruce Townsend and defenseman Doug Worthen. Will Quayle also graduated in May, but has a year of eligibility remaining and is expected to return next season.

These players combined to post a 45-13 overall record, a winning percentage of 77.6 percent. They captured the national title in 1999, the program’s first in 27 years, and won the ACC championship three times in four years.

Led by two-time first-team All-Americans Curtis and Jalbert, they earned a combined eight All-American selections, while three players (Curtis, Jalbert, McKnight) were named All-ACC a total of five times.They also captured their share of individual awards, including the nation’s top defensive player in 1999 (Curtis), the nation’s top midfielder in 1999 (Jalbert), the 1997 ACC Rookie of the Year (Hard) and the 2000 ACC Player of the Year (McKnight).

McKnight, Ragosa Named Scholar All-Americans
Drew McKnight and Peter Ragosa are among 25 players named to this year’s USILA Scholar All-American team for excelling academically, athletically and as citizens of their community.

The athletes named to the team are students with senior academic standing, with at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average and were either named to the USILA All-America team or selected to participate in the North-South All-Star game.

McKnight, the ACC’s Player of the Year and a second-team All-American, finished second in the ACC in scoring this spring behind teammate Conor Gill with a career-high 60 points. He scored a team-leading 33 goals and added 27 assists and finished third in the conference in both categories. He graduated in May with a degree in economics.

Ragosa, one of the nation’s top long-stick middies, was named a USILA third-team All-American this spring and was one of the defensive leaders throughout his career. He snapped up 65 ground balls this season, second among UVa’s long sticks. Virginia allowed an average of 8.20 goals per game this spring, its lowest figure since 1986. Ragosa also graduated in May with a degree in economics.

Five Cavaliers Named All-ACCFive Cavaliers were named to the 2000 All-ACC squad, the largest contingent of Wahoos since 1997, in voting by the league’s head coaches. Two Cavaliers are repeaters from last season-Ryan Curtis and Jay Jalbert-while Conor Gill, Mark Koontz and Drew McKnight were all selected for the first time.

Gill and McKnight give UVa two All-ACC attackmen for the first time since 1997, when Doug Knight and Michael Watson were selected.Jalbert’s selection marks UVa’s first two-timer in the midfield since Andy Kraus in 1988-89.

Known for their offensive prowess, it’s not unusual to see several Cavalier attackmen or midfielders selected. But this season the ACC coaches properly rewarded the UVa defense for its outstanding play with the selection of Curtis and Koontz. This marks the first time since 1991 (George Glyphis and Mike Schattner) that two Cavalier defensemen were named All-ACC. Curtis joins Tommy Smith (1996-97) as the only two-time All-ACC defensemen under Dom Starsia, while Koontz is UVa’s first sophomore defenseman named to the all-league team since Scott Lind in 1984.

Gill and Koontz are the only sophomores named to this season’s All-ACC team.

Cavaliers Claim 14th ACC Title
The Cavaliers won the ACC Tournament this season to claim their second consecutive ACC championship and their 14th overall. This season’s title marks the first time since 1983-85 (when the champion was determined through regular season play) that they have won back-to-back championships.

Virginia’s title this season makes the Cavaliers the first team since North Carolina in the early ’90s to win consecutive ACC championships. The Tar Heels won the first six ACC Tournaments from 1989-94, but the champion had alternated between the four ACC schools every year until this season.

Cavaliers are Road Warriors
This year’s Cavaliers squad set school records for most consecutive wins (13), most wins in the regular season (12) and tied the school record for most wins in a season (13).

Lost in the shuffle of these record-setting performances is one that is frequently overlooked-Virginia’s ability to win away from home.The Cavaliers played more than half their games this season (nine of 15) away from home.

Prior to the national semifinal loss to Princeton in College Park, Md., Virginia had won 14 consecutive games at road or neutral sites (seven road games, seven neutral site games) to tie an ACC record for most consecutive wins away from home. North Carolina also won 14 straight games away from Chapel Hill from 1981-83.

UVa’s 14-game winning streak in games away from Charlottesville is by far the longest such streak in school history. The previous record of nine wins away from home was set in 1994.

McKnight Reaches 20-20 as Fast as AnySenior attackman Drew McKnight became the 27th Cavalier since 1964 to score 20 goals and record 20 assists in a season. As one of the nation’s leading attackmen, his offensive ability has never been questioned.

But considering some of the offensive standouts-Tom Duquette, Kris Snider, Roddy Marino, Kevin Pehlke, Tim Whiteley, Doug Knight, Michael Watson, Tucker Radebaugh just to name a few-that have worn the orange and blue throughout the years, perhaps it is interesting to note that McKnight got to “20 & 20” as fast as anyone. It took him just eight games to reach 20 goals and 20 assists, the same amount of time it took Tom Duquette in 1970, Mike Caravana in 1982, and Doug Knight and Michael Watson in 1997. Since 1964, no Cavalier has gotten to “20 & 20” as fast as this group.

Gill Leads ACC in Scoring, Assists
Sophomore attackman Conor Gill proved to be immune from the dreaded “sophomore slump” that seems to afflict so many players. Following up on last year’s marvelous rookie season, Gill was even better this season in leading the ACC in scoring (4.40 ppg) and assists (2.67 apg). He is the first sophomore since former Cavalier Doug Knight (1995) to lead the conference in scoring.

For the season, Gill scored 66 points (26g, 40a), tied for the ninth-highest total in school history, and eclipsed his numbers from last season in just 13 games.

A remarkably consistent scorer, Gill scored at least one goal in every game this season except against Duke in the NCAA playoffs. That game also ended a streak of 29 consecutive games with either a goal or an assist.

He turned up his offensive output midway through the season starting with a two-goal, three-assist performance vs. Duke prior to the ACC Tournament.

Over the final seven games of the season he scored 12 goals and added 24 assists, with averaging more than five points per game during that stretch.

He recorded a career-high eight points (4g, 4a) against Ohio State in a 13-7 win on April 29. Three days later he scored two goals and tied his career high with five assists in a 20-7 win over Butler.Gill tied his career high with five assists (to go along with two goals) in the semifinal loss to Princeton.

With 118 career points (48g, 70a) as a sophomore, Gill has reached the century mark in scoring faster than any UVa player since Kevin Pehlke in 1990-91. Pehlke recorded 125 points through his first two seasons.

McKnight Joins Exclusive 90-90 Club
Drew McKnight was a remarkably consistent scorer throughout his career. Prior to this season he had scored between 19 and 25 goals and assisted on between 20 and 24 more goals.

However, McKnight’s scoring exploded this spring as he compiled career high numbers in points (60), goals (33) and assists (27) on the way to being named the ACC Player of the Year.He tied for 15th nationally in assists at 1.80 apg, while tying for 17th in scoring (4.00 ppg).

He trailed only teammate Conor Gill in the race to lead the ACC in scoring and finished third in the conference in goals and assists. In the process he was the ACC’s only player to finish in the top three in each category this spring.

McKnight scored 99 goals and recorded 93 assists to become only the fourth player in school history with at least 90 goals and 90 assists.The members of the “90-90” club are listed (chronologically) below.

Hard, Jenkins Form Potent Faceoff Tandem
Jason Hard and David Jenkins have given head coach Dom Starsia the rare luxury of having two of the nation’s top face-off men the last two seasons.

They began alternating face-offs in 1999 and the change in strategy proved to be beneficial to both players as Virginia won its first national title in 27 years.

Jenkins finished second in the nation in winning percentage in 1999 (.643), while Hard was sixth (.628).

This season it was much the same as both players finished in the top 10 nationally and gave Virginia the only pair to rank among the top 15 faceoff men in the land.

Hard finished seventh nationally, winning 62.6 percent of his draws, while Jenkins finished ninth at 62.1 percent.

It’s interesting to note that UVa hasn’t had a player win at least 60 percent of his faceoffs for two straight years since Gabby Roe in 1990-91, but this year two Cavaliers did so.

Overall UVa finished third in the country in face-off winning percentage (.621).

Virginia won the face-off battle in all but one game this season (the regular season game vs. Duke).

Jalbert is Offensive and Defensive Force
Jay Jalbert was named the nation’s top midfielder last season after scoring 31 goals and adding 10 assists as UVa won the national championship.

This season he turned in another outstanding season and was one of the team’s top performers as the Cavaliers reeled off 13 consecutive victories and finished with a 13-2 overall record.

He was named a first-team All-American this season for the second year in a row, the first UVa midfielder named to the first-team for two years in a row since Pete Eldridge in 1971-72.

At 6-1, 200 pounds, he was frequently among the bigger players on the field and he used his superior size and strength to great advantage. It wasn’t unusual for him to clear the ball by himself and start the UVa offense on the attack.

This spring he found the back of the net 28 times and assisted on a career-high 15 other scores, while consistently being a force on the defensive end of the field as well.

He fell just short of becoming only the third player to score 30+ goals in three straight seasons (Doug Knight and Michael Watson did it).

Jalbert finished his career fifth in school history with 112 goals (17th in ACC history) and 12th in the Virginia record books with 155 career points.

A Quick Look Ahead to 2001
Despite losing four All-Americans and six starters altogether, as well as a number of key reserves, the Cavaliers look to be in good shape for the 2001 season.

Conor Gill, the only non-senior named a first-team All-American this season, returns to spearhead the attack and will be joined by Ian Shure. The most apparent void on attack is the loss of ACC Player of the Year Drew McKnight.

In the midfield, Hanley Holcomb, Chris Rotelli and A.J. Shannon are among likely candidates to run on the first midfield. Shannon, a member of the first midfield this spring, could move to attack. Returnees Jamison Mullen, Will Quayle and Aaron Vercollone return and should battle for playing time. Little used freshmen Andrew Faraone and Billy Glading should also be candidates to see more action to round out what should be a very deep midfield. David Jenkins and Brenndan Mohler return as excellent defensive middies. Jason Leneau is likely to see increased time by sharing the faceoff duties with Jenkins.

The Cavaliers are hard hit defensively and will look to Ned Bowen, David Burman, John Harvey among others to join Mark Koontz as the last line of defense. Trey Whitty returns as the team’s most experienced long stick middie.

Derek Kenney returns in goal, but a back-up will come from among a host of incoming freshmen.

Several newcomers are likely to work their way into the rotation, but at this time the candidates are uncertain.

Underrated UVa Defense Among Nation’s Best
Virginia allowed just 8.20 goals per game this season and ranked fifth in the nation in scoring defense. UVa’s GAA is its lowest since a 7.20 mark in 1986.

The Cavaliers allowed more than eight goals in a game only four times this season as the opposition reached double digits just three times.

Much of the success of the defense has to go to starting defensemen Ryan Curtis (a two-time first-team All-American), Court Weisleder, Mark Koontz, long stick middie Peter Ragosa and goalie Derek Kenney. In addition, Richard Reid, John Harvey and Doug Worthen provided outstanding relief when needed, as did long stick middie Trey Whitty.

The defense was also adept at limiting the opposition’s shot opportunities throughout the season, allowing just 26.8 shots per game,

UVa’s lowest mark since at least 1969.
Kenney finished second in the nation in goals against average, allowing just 7.47 goals per game. He was one of just four goalies to relinquish fewer than eight goals per game this season.

UVa’s man-down defense was also outstanding this spring. The Cavaliers relinquished just 16 goals in 68 extra-man opportunities (.235), tying for 14th in the nation. Virginia’s man-down defense hadn’t been this good since 1991 when UVa allowed opponents to convert on just 21.2 percent of their advantages.

Scoring Came From Unlikely Sources
Head coach Dom Starsia and his coaching staff were no doubt looking to midfielders Jay Jalbert and Hanley Holcomb to be among the Cavaliers’ big guns in the offensive zone this season. Jalbert held true to form, scoring 28 goals to rank second on the team. Holcomb, however, had a tough season and scored 10 goals.

Much to Starsia’s delight, there were some pleasant surprises who picked up on the offensive end and took on some of the scoring load.Although a proven offensive player, Drew McKnight almost surely surpassed what was expected of him. The ACC Player of the Year found the back of the net a team-leading 33 times, surpassing his previous career best of 25 goals.

Fifth-year midfielder/attackman David Bruce was a reserve throughout his career, never scoring more than 11 goals. He moved to the midfield for his final season and the move paid off. Using the knowledge gained over the previous four years, Bruce tallied 22 goals. It took him just five games to surpass his previous career high for goals. Bruce made opponents pay in 2000 with good positioning around the crease that enabled him to score almost all of his goals from in close.

Ian Shure missed all of last season due to a knee injury and saw limited action as a freshman two years ago. But playing at full strength, Shure contributed 25 goals this spring.

A.J. Shannon, a highly regarded freshman from Canada, led ACC rookies with 16 goals while running with the first midfield.Faceoff specialist Jason Hard was more involved on offense this season than in the past and finished with 18 goals. Like Bruce, it took him only five games to exceed his previous career high (five in 1997).

CAREER LEADERS

Goals

Assists

Points

THE STARSIA PROFILE

Dom Starsia completed his eighth year at UVa and his 18th season overall on the collegiate level this spring.A 1974 graduate of Brown, he was the head coach at his alma mater from 1983-92. He compiled a 101-46 (.687) record at Brown before coming to UVa.

He has won the Morris Touchstone award as the Division I Coach of the Year twice-1985 and 1991, while at Brown. His 100th win came in 1992, when his Bruins topped Cornell to wrap up an NCAA bid.His Brown teams won two Ivy League championships (’85 and ’91) and went to the NCAA Tournament four of his last six seasons.

In addition to leading Virginia to its first national championship in 27 years last year, he has been tapped the ACC Coach of the Year four times (co-coach in 1995, ’97, ’99, ’00).

Virginia has participated in the NCAA Tournament every year under his direction, including three appearances in the championship game.Virginia claimed two USILA national award winners in the same season for the first time ever in 1996 as Doug Knight was named Player of the Year and Michael Watson was chosen Attackman of the Year.

Two more Cavaliers received USILA national awards in 1999 as Ryan Curtis was selected Defenseman of the Year and Jay Jalbert was named Midfielder of the Year.

Under Starsia’s tutelage, Virginia has produced 49 All-Americans, 28 All-ACC selections, four ACC Rookies of the Year and three ACC Players of the Year.

Overall
at UVa 92-29

One-Goal games:
at Brown 10-14
at UVa 11-14

In Overtime:
at Brown 2-4
at UVa 6-7

When his team scores 10+ goals:
at Brown 88-13
at UVa 86-18

When opponents score 10+ goals:
at Brown 21-33
at UVa 30-23

When his team scores 10 goals:
at Brown 13-33
at UVa 5-11

When both teams score 10+ goals:
at Brown 21-13
at UVa 32-18

When neither team scores at least 10 goals:
at Brown 12-13
at UVa 5-5

NCAA Trn.
at Brown 2-5at UVa 12-7

At home (UVa only)
51-8 (.864)

Away (UVa only)
27-14 (.659)

Neutral (UVa only)
14-7 (.667)

THIS WEEK’S POLLS
STX/USILA poll
(May 1, 2000)

Others receiving votes (in order): Yale, Army, Villanova, Harvard, Denver, Massachusetts.

Inside Lacrosse media poll(May 2, 2000)

Others receiving votes: Penn State 10, Denver 7, Towson 7, Butler 2, Harvard 1, Massachusetts 1.

The Baltimore Sun Records through April 30

PRESEASON ACCOLADES
Ryan Curtis (D)
Lacrosse Player of the Year
Inside Lacrosse D of the Year candidate
Lacrosse “Player to Watch”(1 of 5)
College Lacrosse USA All-America (1st)
Baltimore Sun All-America (1st)
Inside Lacrosse All-America
Face-off All-America (1st)
College Lacrosse USA ACC Player of Yr.
Face-off All-ACC
College Lacrosse USA All-ACC
Inside Lacrosse “Nut Crackers” (1 of 9)

Conor Gill (A)
Face-off All-America (1st)
Baltimore Sun All-America (1st)
College Lacrosse USA All-America (3rd)
Face-off All-ACC
Inside Lacrosse “Ankle Breakers” (1 of 8)

Jason Hard (FO/M)
Face-off All-America (2nd)
College Lacrosse USA All-America (HM)
Face-off All-ACC
Inside Lacrosse “The Draw Men” (1 of 11)

John Harvey (D)
Inside Lacrosse All-America (HM)

Hanley Holcomb (M)
Inside Lacrosse All-America
Face-off All-America (3rd)
College Lacrosse USA All-America (HM)
Face-off All-ACC
Inside Lacrosse “The Wheels” (1 of 10)

Jay Jalbert (M)
Inside Lacrosse MF of the Year candidate
Lacrosse “Player to Watch” (1 of 5)
Inside Lacrosse All-America
Baltimore Sun All-America (1st)
College Lacrosse USA All-America (1st)
Face-off All-America (1st)
Face-off All-ACC
College Lacrosse USA All-ACC
Inside Lacrosse “Show Stoppers” (1 of 8)
Inside Lacrosse “Ankle Breakers” (1 of 8)

David Jenkins (FO/M)
Face-off All-America (1st)
Face-off All-ACC
Inside Lacrosse “The Draw Men” (1 of 11)

Derek Kenney (G)
Face-off All-America (HM)
College Lacrosse USA All-ACC

Mark Koontz (D)
Inside Lacrosse All-America
Face-off All-America (HM)

Drew McKnight (A)
Face-off All-America (1st)
College Lacrosse USA All-America (3rd)
Face-off All-ACC
Inside Lacrosse “Sharpshooters” (1 of 9)

Peter Ragosa (LSM)
Inside Lacrosse All-America
Face-off All-America (3rd)
College Lacrosse USA All-America (3rd)
Face-off All-ACC