Charlottesville, VA (cvillerightnow.com): UVA Athletics were on an exam break last week, but the dynamic, talented university athletes of Charlottesville kept plenty busy.  Men’s Basketball was in action against Bethune Cookman, and Swim and Dive made the trip over to the World Aquatics Short Course Championships in Budapest.  Here’s what you need to know from both of those events, as Christmas grows ever closer.    

Men’s Basketball’s game against Bethune-Cookman mid-Exam week frightened many fans through the first half of play, but their shooting percentage shot-up from 28 to 60 in the second half, allowing the Hoos to march to a 59-41 victory.  Jay James full report on the game is HERE.  Ron Sanchez’s men do not get to rest long however; they are set to tangle with Memphis this Wednesday at 7:00 PM at John Paul Jones Arena.    You can watch the game on ESPN2 and/or listen to it on the Virginia Sports Radio Network, 98.9 FM.   

UVA Swim and Dive comprised one of the most talented contingents of Team USA at the World Aquatics Short Course Championships in Budapest.   The numbers the Hoos put up need to be seen to be believed.  UVA swimmers won 10 world championships, seven individual and three as part of relay teams.  11 individual world records were set, including nine different times by Gretchen Walsh alone (two in the 50 free, two in the 50 fly, three in the 100 fly, and two in the 100 IM).  Alumna Kate Douglass had the other two, the 200 IM and 200 breaststroke.    Douglass, Walsh, Paige Madden, Katie Grimes, and Alex Walsh all helped bring in three more world relay records.  Along with that, they set 18 American records, and won a total of 25 medals, Douglass and Gretchen Walsh tied for seven each, Alex Walsh was close behind with six, Katie Grimes chipped in with three, and Paige Madden and Emma Webber filled the total with a gold medal each.  My report from the event last week can be found HERE.   

That’s a wrap on last week’s action.  The big story this week was UVA Football filling the two Quarterback vacancies from the end of the 2024 season.  Two new arrivals from the transfer portal were made official on Monday.  One of the biggest names in the portal at the signal-caller position is on his way to Charlottesville from North Texas University.  Chandler Morris looks to be the new QB1 for 2025, coming off a year where he threw for 31 touchdown passes, surpassed only by Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward, and Cade Klubnik.  Morris’s likely backup is former Nebraska Corn Husker Daniel Kaelin, who has plenty of starting pedigree after a solid true-freshman season in Nebraska.  It looks to be quite the competitition ahead to run-out first for the Hoos come fall of next season. 

As far as what’s to come this week, men’s Basketball will also play on Sunday against American at 2:00 PM at JPJ.  American is 6-4 at time of writing and will play St Joe’s before coming to Charlottesville.  Women’s Basketball plays on Tuesday at 7:00 PM and Saturday at 1:00 PM, both at JPJ, against Maryland Eastern-Shore and Coppin State respectively.   UMES is 4-7 and just lost to George Mason last time out, 61-40.  Coppin State is 7-5 and will play Kent State on Thursday.  Lastly, Wrestling heads to Bethlehem, PA for the Sheridan Tournament.  We will tell you about all that on next week’s holiday edition of The Wahoo Rundown, only at Cvillerightnow.com.