The Virginia athletics department has evolved into one of the most successful in the nation as witnessed by its success on the field in both Atlantic Coast Conference play and NCAA Championship competition. Since 2002, UVA has won more ACC team championships – 82 – than any other school in the conference. During their proud athletics history, the Cavaliers have won 35 national championships, including 27 NCAA team titles.
The benchmark for overall excellence in collegiate athletics is The Director’s Cup. Its points standings reflect NCAA Championship finishes for all sports. Virginia is one of just 12 schools to have been ranked in the top 30 of the final Director’s Cup All-Sports point standings every year since 1994. UVA has finished in the top-10 of the Director’s Cup seven times in the last 10 years.
“College athletics is a challenging enterprise. The way that Virginia wants to do it is the way that I am built to do it, and we'll continue to focus on academic achievement. We'll do it with integrity. We'll give maximum effort, and we're going to come together as a team, not just within our different sports teams, but within the athletic department and within the Charlottesville community. To prospective students and prospective student-athletes in every sport, throughout the commonwealth of Virginia and across the country, if you are looking for a place to make big dreams a reality, if you are looking for a place to achieve goals that seem unimaginable, if you are looking for a place to defy the odds, I've found that place. Come join us at UVA, Go Hoos. ” - UVA Athletics Director Carla Williams
Athletics Director Carla Williams
* First African-American Athletics Director at a Power 5 Institution and one of five active females in that position
* Named 2019 Administrator of the Year for all NCAA Division I FBS athletics programs by Women Leaders in College Sports
* Ph.D in Sports Administration
* 13 years as an associate athletic director at Georgia; 5 years as an assistant WBB coach at Georgia, reaching four Final Fours
*1,000-point scorer and All-SEC guard as a player at Georgia
The ACC is the top women's basketball conferences in the country
In the last three years (2017-19), Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball teams have earned more bids to the NCAA Tournament than any other conference (23) and are tied for the most wins in tournament games (42) in that same span
Six of the last seven NCAA Tournament title games have featured an ACC team
The ACC is the only conference to have three teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll at the same time in each of the past seven years.
THE ACC and the WNBA
The ACC has now had at least one first-round selection in each of the past 15 WNBA Drafts, the most of any conference. The next-longest streak by a peer conference is six
ACC member schools have produced 154 WNBA draft picks, including an ACC record 13 players selected in the 2019 WNBA Draft and eight in this year’s draft
Four No. 1 WNBA Draft picks have come from current ACC schools - Lindsey Harding, Duke (2007); Angel McCoughtry, Louisville (2009); Jewell Loyd, Notre Dame (2015) and Jackie Young, Notre Dame (2019).
A league-best 22 ACC players were on WNBA rosters at the start of the 2019 playoffs, eight more than the next-closest conference
The ACC leads all conferences with 32 former student-athletes on 2020 WNBA rosters, 11 more than any other conference
Virginia's coaching staff
Head coach Tina thompson
- Naismith Hall of Famer
- Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer
- 2x Olympic Gold Medalist: Athens (2004) & Beijing (2008)
- 4× WNBA champion (1997–2000)
- 9× WNBA All-Star (1999–2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013
- WNBA All-Star Game MVP (2000)
- 3× All-WNBA First Team (1997, 1998, 2004)
- 4× All-WNBA Second Team (1999–2002)
- First player selected in the first WNBA Draft (1997) by the Houston Comets
- First WNBA player to have 7,000 points and 3,000 rebounds
- WNBA’s all-time leading scorer at the time of her retirement with 7,488 points in 496 games played (15.1 ppg)
Associate Head Coach Karleen Thompson
- Kodak All-American
- Junior College Hall of Fame
- Two-time letter winner at USC
- WNBA Coaching veteran with the Houston Comets, LA Sparks and Atlanta Dream
- Assistant Coach for the WNBA Select Team and 2003 FIBA Women's World Cup squad
Assistant Coach Walter Pitts
- 2x Guy Lee Turner Defensive Award
- Tyler Junior College All-Conference Team
- Graduated from Alabama
- Played four years in the South American League
- NBA Development League Assistant Coach
- Chinese Basketball Association Coach
- On coaching staffs at Jackson State, UNC Greensboro and Texas Southern
Assistant Coach Monica Wright Rogers
- 2x WNBA Champion with the Minnesota Lynx
- WNBA All-Rookie Team
- UVA's all-time leading scorer
- National Defensive Player of the Year
- 3x All-American
- ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year
- Retired number and retired jersey hanging in the rafters at John Paul Jones Arena
cavaliers in the wnba
Numerous Cavaliers have gone on to have successful playing and coaching careers in the WNBA. Additionally, the very first president of the WNBA, Val Ackerman, is also an alum. Jenny Boucek has also gone on to have a successful coaching career in the NBA, coaching with both the Sacramento Kings and the Dallas Mavericks
john paul jones arena
John Paul Jones Arena, an award-winning facility that opened which opened in the summer of 2006, was designed and built to benefit the Virginia basketball programs, the entire athletics department, the University and all of Central Virginia. The arena provides a beautiful and functional home for men’s and women’s basketball, benefits all of the department’s student-athletes with its dining hall and academic center, and gives residents of Central Virginia a venue to watch collegiate basketball at its highest level as well as a variety of other entertainment options. The men’s and women’s programs each have one and a half practice courts available at all times for team and individual work. The arena seats 14,593 for basketball and features coaches’ office complexes, locker rooms, a training room, a strength and conditioning area and an equipment room.
EXCELLENT SUPPORT
The excellence achieved by Virginia’s student-athletes has not been confined to competitive venues. Thanks to strong support systems, UVA student-athletes consistently excel in the classroom and participate in many extracurricular activities. In 2018, 404 Cavaliers were named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll that recognizes student-athletes who registered a grade point average of 3.00 or better for the entire academic year. The honor of honors is graduating from Virginia and making the walk down the Lawn.
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING
The dedicated strength and conditioning and performance staffs at UVA maximize fitness and assist student-athletes to properly train, fuel and recover in preparation for competition. Each team has a dedicated coach to help utilize the most appropriate training methods each individual student-athlete based on his or her needs, end goals and baseline readiness. It is a holistic, athlete-centered process that focuses on the development and enhancement of physical qualities that underpin the general and specific needs of each athlete for his or her sport.
ACADEMICS
The excellence achieved by Virginia’s student-athletes has not been confined to competitive venues. Thanks to strong support systems, UVA student-athletes consistently excel in the classroom and participate in many extracurricular activities.
The athletics academic affairs staff oversees registration and eligibility requirements of a diverse group of student-athletes. They communicate directly with coaching staffs concerning student needs and progress. Along with dedicated staff members for each team, tutors and mentors are readily available for individual assistance.
SPORTS MEDICINE
The mission of the department of sports medicine and our athletic trainer Brittanie Vaughn is to provide the "Gold Standard" of health care for Division I student-athletes. The "Gold Standard" is exemplified by having NCAA, Olympic and National teams look to UVA as the best product for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation for the elite athlete.
SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY
The mission of the University of Virginia Sport Psychology unit is to promote mental well-being, safety, and optimal performance in all aspects of student-athlete life. We respect and sustain our student-athletes’ autonomy, resiliency, and confidentiality. We provide confidential one-to-one meetings for members of all 27 of our Division-I sports. Through enhancing student-athletes' ability to embrace challenges successfully, we help optimize their experience in their roles as students, as athletes, and as community members. We also lead team meetings and consult with coaches and other support staff to enhance performance, communication, and coping skills of our entire Athletics Department. Our model of having two full-time licensed sport psychologists "in-house" in the athletics department is one of only four of its kind in the nation and sets the standard for other Division-I schools.
CHARLOTTESVILLE
Located in the foothills of Virginia‘s Blue Ridge Mountains, Charlottesville is home to more than 43,475 residents with a metropolitan population nearing 200,000. Charlottesville is a small, thriving city, 120 miles from Washington, D.C.
The downtown area is an 18-block, brick-paved pedestrian mall with more than 30 outdoor cafes and restaurants, numerous modern theaters as well as several music venues. From April through October, Charlottesville celebrates Fridays After Five downtown, with free live music at its amphitheater, the Charlottesville Pavilion. Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena hosts a number of attractions including concerts, family shows and community events. Performers like the Rolling Stones, U2, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga and Charlottesville‘s own Dave Matthews Band have all been a part of the town’s music scene.
The countryside around Charlottesville and the neighboring areas, especially in the spring and fall, ranks among the most beautiful sites in the nation. For the outdoor lovers, there are plenty of hiking trails and vineyards to explore. The region is rich in history and offers numerous Civil War sites in addition to the homes of three early American Presidents – Monticello, home of the University's founder, Thomas Jefferson, Ashlawn-Highlands, home of James Monroe, and Montpelier, home of James Madison.
For years, Charlottesville has been chosen as one of the best places to live in the United States. It has been named: Best college town in the country by Traveler‘s Today; best town for food lovers by Wine Magazine; the country's favorite mountain town by Travel & Leisure; and most recently, the ‘Happiest City’ in America by US National Bureau of Economic Research.
THE UNIVERSITY of Virginia
Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University sustains the ideal of developing, through education, leaders who are well-prepared to help shape the future of the nation and world. The University is public, while nourished by the strong support of its alumni. It is also selective; the students who come here have been chosen because they show the exceptional promise Jefferson envisioned.
As one of the finest academic institutions in the world, UVA's purpose goes beyond education. We create the next generation of leaders. We usher in the breakthroughs of tomorrow. It is our responsibility to be a force for good in the world. Our graduates take these values with them and go on to achieve historic success. With a tenacious spirit, a life-long commitment to integrity, and an endless drive, we pursue a greater tomorrow.