CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Bridget Guy (Gree­nsburg, Pa.) and Kyle Guy (Indianapolis, Ind.) were honored as Virginia’s top male and female athletes for the 2018-19 academic year at the Hoos Choice Awards dinner on Wednesday (May 1) at John Paul Jones Arena. Bridget Guy claimed the IMP Award as UVA’s top female athlete, while Kyle Guy earned the WINA Award as the top male athlete. Brigdet Guy and Kyle Guy are not related.
 
Bridget Guy made history becoming the Cavaliers’ first female All-American in both the indoor and outdoor pole vault. She earned first-team All-America honors at the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships, placing in the top five at both championships. At the 2018 ACC Outdoor Championships, she captured UVA’s first female ACC title in the event. Guy holds both the indoor and outdoor UVA pole vault record, as well as the Lannigan Field and Virginia Challenge record. The senior jumper finished the 2019 indoor regular season undefeated, winning the pole vault at five competitions.
 
Kyle Guy was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Final Four after leading Virginia (35-3) to its first national title in school history. Guy scored 24 points in the championship win against Texas Tech and hit three free throws with 0.6 seconds left to give UVA a dramatic 63-62 win over Auburn in the national semifinals. Guy was a consensus All-America third-team selection after leading Virginia in scoring at 15.4 points per game. Guy also took home the Sportsmanship Award for his outstanding conduct on and off the court.
 
Kihei Clark (Woodland Hills, Calif.) was named Male Rookie of the Year and soccer player Alexa Spaanstra (Brighton, Mich.) was named Female Rookie of the Year. Clark vaulted into a starting role for the Cavaliers’ last 12 games because of his tremendous poise, toughness and on-ball defense. Clark made the historic game-tying assist on Mamadi Diakite’s (Conakry, Guinea) game-tying shot against Purdue in the Elite Eight with 0.1 seconds remaining in regulation. The game-saving play earned Men’s Play of the Year honors. Clark broke his wrist against Morgan State and didn’t miss a game during his freshman season. Spaanstra led the UVA women’s soccer team with nine goals and assists for a team-leading 24 points on the season. She was named an All-ACC and All-Region selection, while also earning Best XI Team honors from Top Drawer Soccer. She hit the game-winning goals against Syracuse and in the NCAA Tournament opener against Monmouth while four of her six assists were on game-winning goals. She helped lead Virginia to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the 14th consecutive season – the nation’s longest active streak of Sweet 16 appearances in NCAA Division I women’s soccer.
 
Chesdin Harrington (Montpelier, Va.) of the baseball team earned the Wahoowa Award, which goes to the individual who best displayed selflessness, commitment, school pride, and leadership, all while contributing to the betterment of the team.
 
The national champion men’s basketball earned Comeback of the Year, as the squad mounted several dramatic comeback wins during its historic season. The Cavaliers rallied from a 14-point deficit against Gardner-Webb in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, tied their Elite Eight contest vs. Purdue at the buzzer and Kyle Guy’s three free throws with 0.6 seconds left in regulation sent the Cavaliers past Auburn 63-62 in the national semifinals. In addition, UVA trailed Texas Tech 68-65 with 22 seconds remaining, but De’Andre Hunter’s 3-pointer with 14 seconds sent the game to overtime where the Cavaliers outscored the Red Raiders 17-9 for its first NCAA national championship.
 
Paige Madden (Mobile, Ala.) of women’s swimming delivered the Women’s Play of the Year. Madden was the NCAA runner-up in the 500-yard freestyle. The sophomore dropped over five seconds off her entry time finish second in the event. Her time of 4:32.98 is the second fastest in UVA history and the third-fastest swim in the NCAA this season.
 
Harrington and women’s basketball player Jocelyn Willoughby (East Orange, N.J.) earned Ernest H. Ern Jr. awards for outstanding contributions to student life at Virginia.
 
Joe Reed (Charlotte Court House, Va.) of football was the recipient of the Ralph Sampson Scholarship Award. Wrestler Jack Mueller (Dallas, Texas) received the Virginia Athletics Department’s Distinguished Student-Athlete Scholarship Award.
 
Senior Associate AD Jane Miller was honored with the Bus Male Memorial Service Award for her years of service to the athletics department. Miller, who is one of the most respective administrators in college athletics, is retiring after 35 years at UVA.

Cameron Simmons (Royersford, Pa.) of baseball received the Craig Fielder Memorial Award for overcoming adversity. Softball’s Erika Osherow (Darien, Conn.) netted the Life Skills Scholarship Award.

Senior managers Ben Buell (Richmond, Va.), Justin Maxey (Fairfax, Va.) and Faris Wasim (Nashville, Tenn.) were the recipients of Bob Goodman Memorial awards for their dedicated service to the men’s basketball program.

Mollie Przybocki (Manassas, Va.) of wrestling received the Tim Abbott Memorial Award, honoring the student assistant athletics trainer most dedicated to and possessing empathy for the student-athletes.

Carl Söderlund (Stockholm, Sweden) of men’s tennis and Willoughby of women’s basketball earned ACC Scholar-Athlete awards. Football’s Lester Coleman (Martinsville, Va.) earned the Susan J. Grossman Memorial Award in recognition of outstanding service to student-athletes and contributions to the Student-Athlete Mentor Program.

Track and field’s Nace Plesko (Ljubljana, Slovenia) received the Gus Tebell Memorial Award as the fourth-year male student-athlete with the highest scholastic average through his four years at Virginia, while swimmer Vivian Tafuto (Hummelstown, Pa.) was the recipient of the Jettie Hill Memorial Award as the fourth-year female student-athlete with the highest scholastic average through her four years at UVA.

Virginia’s ACC Top VI Award recipients included DeAndre Bryant (Charlottesville, Va., football), Chris Glaser (Solon, Ohio, football), Jack Salt (Auckland, New Zealand, men’s basketball), Osherow (softball), Erica Susi (Vero Beach, Fla., women’s tennis) and Willoughby (women’s basketball).

In addition, 87 student-athletes will be honored as recipients of a 2019-2020 Virginia Athletics Foundation endowed scholarship. Recognized by the Virginia Athletics Foundation (VAF) and the UVA Athletics Department for their contributions to the University of Virginia athletics program, these student-athletes excel academically, athletically and as leaders in the community. In coordination with Virginia Athletics administration and UVA head coaches, VAF aims to recognize deserving student-athletes who meet the criteria of each of named scholarships. Eleven of these scholarships will be awarded for the first time during the 2019-2020 academic year.
 
An endowed scholarship gift is one of the most powerful gifts a donor can make and has a lasting impact on UVA Athletics. Naming opportunities for endowed scholarships start at $250,000. Endowment donors are recognized on the Endowment Wall, located on the second level of the John Paul Jones Arena.
 
About the Virginia Athletics Foundation (VAF): Each year, donations to VAF from our generous donors allow University of Virginia student-athletes to compete at their very best in the classroom and in their sport. At the University of Virginia, all 316.6 athletics scholarships, the Athletics Academic Affairs office, a portion of sport-specific operational fees and facilities are funded through private donations to the Virginia Athletics Foundation.
 
Team Awards  
Baseball – Billy Word Memorial Award – TBA
Men’s Basketball – Sidney Young Memorial Award – Jack Salt

Women’s Basketball – Coaches Award for Excellence – Moné Jones
Men’s Cross Country – Coaches Award for Excellence – Brent Demarest
Women’s Cross Country – Coaches Award for Excellence – Abbey Green
Field Hockey – Coaches Award for Excellence – Carrera Lucas
Football – John Acree Memorial Award – Bryce Hall
Men’s Golf – F. Dixon Brooke Memorial Award – Thomas Welsh
Women’s Golf – William E. Eacho Memorial Award – Katharine Patrick
Men’s Lacrosse – Henry Gaver Memorial Award – David Smith
Women’s Lacrosse – Coaches Award for Excellence – Maggie Jackson
Rowing – Coaches Award for Excellence – Heidi Long
Men’s Soccer – Stanley Lerner Memorial Award – Robin Afamefuna
Women’s Soccer – Coaches Award for Excellence – Laurel Ivory
Softball – Coaches Award for Excellence – Erika Osherow, Lacy Smith
Men’s Squash – Coaches Award for Excellence – Grayson Bubrosky
Women’s Squash – Coaches Award for Excellence – Annie Tyson
Men’s Swimming & Diving – Brooke Maury Memorial Award – Zach Fong
Women’s Swimming & Diving – Diane Montgomery Greene Memorial Award – Rachel Politi
Men’s Tennis – Norton Pritchett Memorial Award – Aswin Lizen
Women’s Tennis – Coaches Award for Excellence – Meghan Kelley
Men’s Track & Field – Henry Cummings Memorial Award – TBA
Women’s Track & Field – Z Society – The Lou Onesty Memorial Award – TBA
Men’s Indoor Track & Field – Coaches Award for Excellence – Jordan Scott
Women’s Indoor Track & Field – Coaches Award for Excellence – Bridget Guy
Volleyball – Coaches Award for Excellence – Kathryn Young
Wrestling – David Senft Memorial Award – Jack Mueller