UVa Announces Spring Football Award Winners/Captains

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Charlottesville, VA – At halftime of Saturday’s annual Orange & Blue Spring Football game, Virginia head coach Mike London announced the recipients of the team’s spring football awards and the team captains for the 2011 season.

Senior offensive guard Austin Pasztor (Langton, Ontario) and senior strong safety Rodney McLeod (Oxon Hill, Md.) were named the Rock Weir Award winners as the most improved players during spring drills.

Pasztor has started all 36 games during his Virginia career and is one of five returning starters on the Cavalier offensive line.

McLeod was fourth on the team in 2010 with 54 tackles and also had two interceptions. McLeod enters his senior season with 133 career tackles.

Offensive tackle Morgan Moses (Richmond, Va.) was the recipient of the Z Society Dudley Award presented to the first-year player for his excellence in the classroom, on the field and in the community. The award is named after the late “Bullet” Bill Dudley, who exemplified those traits and was a two-time All-American at Virginia.

The Cavalier Academic Achievement Award was shared by junior defensive tackle Will Hill (Williamsburg, Va.) and sophomore offensive guard Luke Bowanko (Clifton, Va.). The award is presented to the UVa student-athletes who represent Uncompromised Excellence in his academic pursuits.

Senior wide receiver Matt Snyder (Glen Allen, Va.) won the team’s Iron Cavalier award for his performance and dedication in the weight room. Snyder joined the program as a walkon and worked his way into the rotation at wide receiver the past two seasons. In 2010 he was fourth on the team with 30 catches for 393 yards.

Snyder and McLeod are joined by tailback Perry Jones defensive tackle Nick Jenkins as captains for the 2011 season.