2024: The Year in Photos
Take a look back at the most memorable moments from this year in Virginia Athletics through the words of UVA Athletics Director of Photography Jamie Holt and the photographs from her and the photography team.
FOUR PEAT
Virginia Swim & Dive continued their dominance in the pool this year with another ACC Women’s Championship and the fourth NCAA Women’s National Championship in a row. This was the first national championship I’ve gotten to photograph in my career, but I’m positive it will not be my last here in Charlottesville.
MEN’S HOOPS ACTION
One of the programs I was most excited to work with when I was hired here was our men’s basketball team. Growing up a UVA fan, I was thrilled for the opportunity to be able to shoot in John Paul Jones Arena and beyond with this team as I know how much this storied program means to the community here in Charlottesville.
THANK YOU COACH BENNETT
Speaking of how much I was looking forward to working with our men’s basketball program, I’d be remiss not to mention a large part of that excitement was the chance to work alongside Coach Bennett. While I only got to spend part of a season photographing him, I was honored to be able to capture his retirement announcement this fall.
GRIND NOW, SHINE LATER
This past year for the women’s basketball team saw Coach Mox’s 100th career win, a Commonwealth Clash win over no. 5 Virginia Tech, and an upset win over no. 20 North Carolina. The high energy with this team is infectious!
STUDIO SESSIONS
Having the opportunity to bring our athletes into a studio or speciality shoot is one of my favorite parts of my job. It allows our team the chance to be a bit more creative and concise than what we capture on game days and offers the chance to connect one-on-one with our incredible athletes.
ORDER ON THE COURT
This year also saw the continued success of our men’s and women’s tennis teams both making it all the way to the NCAA Quarterfinals in Stillwater, OK. With strong singles and doubles performances and a lot of emotional celebrations, they are always bound to make great photographs all season long.
LAMONICA’S FIRST SEASON
Women’s lacrosse had the best start to a season since 2007 under the direction of new head coach Sonia LaMonica. With thrilling wins and lots of passion, this was a fun team to spend time around and it resulted in one of my favorite images from the entire year in their upset overtime win over no. 3 Boston College.
TOURNAMENT WORTHY
The softball team had a great overall season and this resulted in their second NCAA Tournament appearance, breaking a 14-year drought since their first appearance in 2010. Growing up playing softball, this is a program close to my heart.
POSTSEASON PHENOMS
One of the most thrilling teams I was around this year was men’s lacrosse. From Payton Cormier breaking the D1 all-time goals record to the comeback double-overtime win over Johns Hopkins to punch their ticket to the final four, there was never a dull moment around this team.
OMA-HOOS AGAIN
A successful regular season resulted in another trip to Omaha for the baseball team with a fun postseason run hosted at the Dish against Mississippi State and Kansas State. With a few MLB draftees as well, there’s no wonder why this is such a great group to photograph.
SERVING SUCCESS
The volleyball team had one of their most successful years this season with big home wins over Florida State and Miami leading to a postseason bid into the NIVC tournament. The fast pace and high energy makes this one of my personal favorites to shoot.
FALL FUN
Bouncing between Turf Field and Klöckner Stadium all fall long resulted in some thrilling games and superb images from Field Hockey, Men’s Soccer, and Women’s Soccer. With all of these programs having successful seasons and postseason runs, I’m excited to see how they continue to grow next year.
IN THE END ZONE
Coming from previous roles in the NFL and SEC, football is the sport I’ve spent the most time around and my first fall here at UVA was no different. With a great start to the season and some good road trips (how about that Pitt game?), my team and I were able to capture some stunning images.
LET’S KEEP GOING
When I arrived here in January I had no idea what would come of this first year here in Charlottesville. Being a Virginia native, I was familiar with the orange and blue and all it means to so many people, but after my first year I’m starting to understand what it has come to mean to me. I’m honored to be able to photograph our talented athletes, coaches, and staff, to tell their stories and share their moments. To be able to do what I love for a living in such an amazing place as Charlottesville is a blessing that is not lost on me. All of this would not be possible without our incredible photography team – Olivia, our Multimedia Specialist (but truly my right-hand woman, assistant director, Swiss Army knife of skills) who has been here with me since day one, and our talented students Josie, Grace, and Proud. Words cannot describe how lucky I am to have them on my team and I am so excited for the future here in C’Ville. Here’s to all the great moments of 2024 and onwards to even more in 2025! Go Hoos!
