Crosse Checks with Megan O'Malley

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April 2, 2007

Megan O’Malley and the Cavaliers travel to Norfolk to take on the Lady Monarchs of Old Dominion on Wednesday, April 4. O’Malley, who was named to the USA National Developmental Team last August, will face an Old Dominion squad led by Hall of Famer Sue Stahl, who led the US to four World Cup titles.

O’Malley plays both ends of the field for the No. 5 Cavaliers, ranking among the team leaders in scoring. Virginia ranks nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense. Virginiasports.com sat down with her to introduce her to Cavalier fans.

Crosse checks first appeared in the United States Women’s Lacrosse Association’s newsletter in the early 1980’s and was the main source for information in the USA about women’s lacrosse. This column is named as such as a tribute to those women who paved the way for our sport.

My primary inspiration in sports is: My mom and dad.

My advice to players is: never be intimidated to try something new.

The best thing about the University is: It’s not only a great school, but it’s a great lacrosse program.

My dream vacation would be: Australia

The best advice I ever received is…. (and from whom): You can’t ride the peaks too high and you can’t ride the valleys too low. All you can do is give it everything you got. It will fall into place with hard work. – my dad.

My favorite moment in sports history (personal): signing my national letter of intent to UVA

My favorite moment in sports history (overall): Michael Jordan’s last shot before retiring in his last NBA championship

Best lacrosse game I have been a part of (and any details):The ACC championship game against Duke in `06

Best lacrosse game I have ever seen: watching UVA beat Princeton for the NCAA championship in `04

Why I play lacrosse….: I like the speed and pace of the game.

A brief summary of my early lacrosse history (introduction to the sport, etc): Started playing lacrosse my sophomore year in high school. My freshman year, I used to walk by the lacrosse practice fields after softball practice and wanted to give it a try. By the end of my sophomore year, I was part of a state championship lacrosse program.

If I could invite someone to dinner, it would be (and why):Lance Armstrong

Why Virginia?: I wanted to be the best I could be in lacrosse and to do that, I needed to be with the best.

The most important thing I learned while playing is….. in order to play at the D1 level, you have to play with confidence.

QUICKSTICKS:What is your favorite….

…movie? Dumb and dumber

…Disney movie? The Little Mermaid

…C-ville restaurant? Bang

…musician/band? Red Hot chili peppers

…food? cheeseburgers

…song? “The Way You Make Me Feel,” Michael Jackson

…vacation spot? The Jersey shore

…dance move? The Cage

…day of the week? Saturday

…Dr. Seuss book? Oh, The Places You’ll Go

…Crayon color? red

…sport (other than lacrosse) basketball

…TV show? 24

…cartoon character? Jem!

…Sportscenter anchor? Chris Berman

…actor/actress? Johnny Depp

…sports figure? Cal Ripken

…book? My Personal Best, John Wooden

Something that makes me unique: Not afraid to laugh at myself.

Groups I am associated with other than lacrosse: Lambda Alpha Chi

Please write a quote about your time here at UVa with the school and the team: The four years spent here will define who I am. You realize that the friendships made are the friendships kept and every year, you have the opportunity to create more memories and friendships with every new class of teammates.