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Sports Briefs

Field Hockey Beats a No. 1

Members of the UVA Field Hockey team Matt Riley

For just the second time in program history, the UVA field hockey team beat a No. 1 nationally ranked opponent. The Cavaliers beat the University of North Carolina 2-1 in October. It was the first time the team beat a No. 1 during regulation play.

Virginia’s last defeat of a No. 1 team came back in September 2001, when they beat the University of Maryland on strokes. UVA field hockey has ranked as high as third in the nation this season and sat atop the ACC rankings for much of the year. As of press time, they have earned four wins over Top 10 squads this season.

Why Football Matters

“We need to recognize how much football can give, yes: The game can be a superb school for body, heart, and mind. But we also need to see how much harm football can do, and not just to the body. Football is a potentially ennobling, potentially toxic school for the spirit. When you play the game seriously, you put your soul on the line.”

—Excerpt from UVA English professor Mark Edmundson’s new book, Why Football Matters: My Education in the Game

Blanding's Spicy Start

First-year football safety Quin Blanding (Col '18) Matt Riley

First-year football safety Quin Blanding (Col ’18) has quickly made a name for himself. Halfway through the season, Blanding led the ACC in tackles with 61. The five-star recruit is also leading the nation in tackles for freshmen.

“When he got here, he already had a certain skill set that would allow him to get in the mix early,” football coach Mike London told the Fredericksburg (Va.) Free Lance-Star. “We saw something in the young man that he had the type of skills that could really help our football team. I believe before it’s all said and done, he will be as good as anybody [who’s] been here.”

Bragging Rights

The long-standing rivalry between the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech is getting a new name: the Commonwealth Clash, presented by the Virginia529 College Savings Plan. Building on a tradition started when the two schools first competed against each other in an 1895 football game, the Commonwealth Clash is a head-to-head, points-based competition between the athletic teams of the Hoos and Hokies.

The competition will include the 21 sports in which the two schools compete against each other, plus one fan-decided point.