By: Garrett Zatlin
Reminder of the list so far...
#10 Virginia Cavaliers
10. Virginia
Cavaliers
Flotrack’s #10:
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Coach: Bryan
Fetzer
Notable Departures: N/A
Notable Additions: Matt Novak, Will Gray, Alex Corbett
Notable Additions: Matt Novak, Will Gray, Alex Corbett
Projected Scoring
Five: Kyle King (SR) [ET#39],
Zach Herriot (JR), Connor Rog (JR), Adam Visokay (JR), Thomas Madden (JR)
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It pains me to put my Hokies behind our rivals from UVA, but
hey what are you gonna do? UVA is loaded this year with outstanding depth and
one of the best recruiting classes in the entire nation. They are an
experienced squad that have so many pieces to work with. UVA will be sneaky
good this year.
As always, UVA has made themselves relevant in NCAA XC
throughout the years. They continue to have excellent recruiting that they
would eventually develop into top-tier talent. 2014 was no exception. The first race of the year was at a quietly solid meet called Panorama Farms. Iona, Auburn,
and a little known team called Furman were all entered in the race. A race that
was supposed to be an opening season tune-up turned into a fight with Furman who used their excellent depth to give UVA a scare. Still, the Cavaliers came out
on top, sneaking by Furman 47 to 51. Iona was at 54 points. Already the Cav’s
had established something special. It was good for UVA to get a quick race like
that in considering the Washington Invite would be no easier. UVA headed out
west to meet teams like NAU, UCLA, Stanford, Villanova, Washington, and more. The
field was loaded and while UVA had some excellent depth, the firepower upfront was
still iffy. Sure enough, UVA failed to place anyone in the top 15, but packed
the rest of their squad in going 19, 20, 21, 25, and 27. The pack running was
excellent, but the lack of a low-stick hurt the Cavaliers and dropped them to 4th
overall. The race was a bit of a set back, but they knew they had time. Kyle
King placed 18th at NCAA’s last year and there was no reason to
think he couldn’t lead his team again…right? The UVA men took it easy for the
rest of the regular season not participating in any big meets. They waited all
the way until ACC’s to come out of hiding. Unfortunately, that tactic did not
play out well for them. The loaded field had depth beyond what UVA could
imagine and caused separation in a pack that had always been so close together.
Connor Rog led the team with a 14th place finish while Herriot was
18th. Solid performances, but once again, Kyle King failed to be the
low-stick the Cavaliers desperately needed. He finished 29th that
day becoming the 4th man for the men in blue and orange. The thinning
out of the pack hurt the team score, driving it up to 121 points, and putting
the Wahoo’s (yes, that’s what they call themselves) in 4th place. It
was not what the team was expecting to do. The Southeast regional would be next
and the once heavy favorite, UVA, didn’t seem to be the heavy favorite anymore
after such a poor ACC’s performance. While many questioned if UVA could even
get an auto-bid, UVA kept their cool and executed the plan they had all season.
The pack running returned at full force and UVA finally got some low-sticks!
Adam Visokay and Kyle King went 6th and 7th overall while
Herriot finished 11th. The rest of the scorers had slightly off day
placing 24th and 27th, but it wouldn’t matter. Virginia
tallied up a solid 75 points for the regional title and defeated Furman (again)
by another four points. The frustration that had come from ACC’s now became confidence
and Virginia walked onto the blue carpet in Terre Haute ready to prove themselves
to the nation. Which Cavalier team would we see? The one that had claimed a
regional title? Or the one that struggled to even get top 5 at ACC’s?
Unfortunately, that answer was the latter. UVA had their top three close
together, but without a low-stick they wouldn’t have an impact. Herriot led the
team placing 81st. Rog was 84th while King was 88th.
The magical sophomore season that King had hoped to replicate was gone. However,
what really hurt UVA was the rough performances from their fourth and fifth men
that ended up falling way back to 164th and 174th. The
Cavaliers were lost in the crowd of talent and finished in a disappointing 21st
place.
UVA’s team is extremely good this season. Like Michigan, they
return their entire squad from last season and they are all experienced veterans
that have outstanding potential. They have a very tight pack and leaders at
every position. Not only that, but they have the depth to back it up now. UVA’s
recruiting class was outstanding and I expect at least one of those guys to
have an impact. It could be Novak (4:06 mile), Corbett (8:58 two mile), or Gray
(8:22 3k). This class isn’t messing around. I also like the fact that this is a
team that can improve. The placing they have shows that their room for
improvement and that the potential is there. The only problem right now is that
they simply don’t have that front-man that Kyle King once was. They need a
consistent and reliable low-stick if they want performances like that had regionals.
If King can return to top form, and bring that pack individuals with him, then
UVA could be more than just a top-10 talent…
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