Top 10 Individual Performers of the 2022-2023 Virginia Sports Year

Ranking the top 10 Cavaliers of the 2022-2023 college athletics year based on individual performance

Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

With the 2022-2023 college athletics year in the books, we are continuing to recap what was another great season for Virginia Athletics. Several UVA sports teams delivered successful seasons thanks to an endless number of outstanding individual performances. 

This was a difficult selection process with tons of amazing candidates, but here's our picks for the top 10 individual Cavalier performers from the 2022-2023 Virginia sports year:

1. Kate Douglass

Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

In 2022, Kate Douglass accomplished an unprecedented feat in collegiate swimming, winning three NCAA titles in three different strokes and distances and breaking American records in each. This season, Douglass nearly matched that performance, winning three more individual NCAA titles in the 200-yard individual medley, 100-yard butterfly, and 200-yard breaststroke and breaking the American records in each event once again, leading the Cavaliers to their third-straight national championship. She also helped UVA win four relay titles and capped her legendary Virginia career with 15 total NCAA titles, including seven individual NCAA championships and eight relay titles. Douglass also won three individual titles and four relay titles at the ACC Championships, leading UVA to its fourth-straight ACC Championship. 

Of course, Douglass received nearly every top swimming award and accolade. In her final season swimming at the collegiate level, Douglass was named the Honda Sport Award winner for swimming & diving for the second year in a row, the ACC Swimmer of the Year for the second-straight season, the Swimmer of the Meet at the NCAA Championships, and the Most Valuable Swimmer of the ACC Swimming & Diving Championships. 

Simply put, Kate Douglass is one of the greatest athletes to ever attend the University of Virginia. 

2. Kyle Teel

Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

Kyle Teel's 2023 season was one for the record books. He became the first Cavalier in program history to be named a consensus First-Team All-American by six different college baseball publications. Teel also became the first Cavalier since 2006 and just the third in program history to be named the ACC Player of the Year. He had by far his best season at the plate, batting .407 and recording 65 RBI, 13 home runs, 25 doubles, and 105 hits, fourth-most in the nation and second-most in program history behind Griff O'Ferrall, who also set UVA's hits record this season. 

Teel started all 65 games behind the plate for the Cavaliers and missed just 23 total innings this season. Teel committed only three errors all season and caught 15 runners stealing on 24 attempts, receiving the nod as the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year. Teel's career at UVA has likely come to an end as he is expected to be a top 10 overall pick in the first round of the MLB Draft, but he leaves a lasting legacy as one of the best players in the history of the Virginia baseball program. 

3. Ethan Dabbs

Virginia Athletics

Ethan Dabbs put the finishing touches on an incredible career at Virginia this season, winning his fourth-consecutive ACC title in the men's javelin, becoming the first athlete to ever accomplish that feat. Dabbs was named the ACC Men's Field Athlete of the Year and is just the eighth Cavalier in program history to win that award. For the second year in a row, Dabbs finished as the runner-up in the men's javelin at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and earned his third-consecutive All-American selection. The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association also named Dabbs the Southeast Region Men's Field Athlete of the Year. Dabbs ended his career as the Virginia, ACC, and ACC Championship record-holder in the javelin thanks to his toss of 82.92 meters at the 2022 ACC Championships. 

4. Ben James

Lucas Peltier

In just one year at the college level, Ben James has already left a lasting mark on the UVA men's golf program. James played a key role in one of the most successful seasons of Virginia men's golf in school history, as the Cavaliers advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships for the first time behind a sixth-place individual finish in stroke play by James, who shot a -4, 276. He also matched his own school record by shooting a -20, 196 at the NCAA Las Vegas Regional, earning co-medalist honors. James played at an incredible level throughout his entire freshman season, breaking the program record with five first-place finishes and placing top six in 11 of Virginia's 13 tournaments. 

At the end of the year, James hauled in a remarkable array of awards and accolades. James became just the second Cavalier to ever win the Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award and was also the second UVA golfer to be named a First-Team All-American by PING and the Golf Coaches Association of American, and was voted the ACC Freshman of the Year. He was a finalist for both the Haskins Award and the Jack Nicklaus Award and was the only freshman to be a finalist for either award. James finished the season as the No. 3-ranked golfer in the Golfstat and Golfweek rankings. 

5. Amanda Sambach

Jaylynn Nash/ACC

After an outstanding freshman season that saw her earn All-ACC honors, Amanda Sambach raised the bar in her sophomore year at Virginia. Sambach set multiple UVA single-season records by winning three events, posting 19 rounds of par or better, and shooting an average of 71.31. In the NCAA Westfield Regional, Sambach shot -13, 203 to tie for first, becoming the third Cavalier in program history to finish first at an NCAA regional. She also became the third Cavalier to win an ACC Individual title, shooting an ACC and Virginia record -14, 202 at the ACC Championships. Prior to the NCAA Championships, Sambach was named one of 10 finalists for the ANNIKA Award, presented to the most outstanding female NCAA Division I college golfer, and was one of seven finalists for the Division I Ping Women's Golf Coaches Association Player of the Year. 

6. Connor Shellenberger

Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

Even in a season in which his goal-scoring numbers weren't up to his usual standards, Connor Shellenberger was still among the nation's leaders in points and continued to operate as one of the top attackmen in all of college lacrosse. Shellenberger led the Cavaliers in assists (54) and points (84), and was third on the team in scoring with 30 goals. His 5.25 points per game led the ACC and was second in the nation and his 3.38 assists per game led Division I men's lacrosse. Much of his goal production came in the NCAA Tournament, where Shellenberger continued to live up to his "Mr. May" nickname. In just three NCAA Tournament games, Shellenberger tallied 22 points on 11 goals and 11 assists and earned his second-career NCAA All-Tournament Team selection. In nine career NCAA Tournament games, Shellenberger has recorded 54 total points, averaging six points per game, and has posted five or more points in eight of those nine games.

Shellenberger tied UVA's single-game NCA Tournament record with 10 points against Georgetown in the quarterfinals and his six goals in that game tied his own NCAA Tournament program record that he notched against Georgetown in the 2021 quarterfinals. By the end of the season, Shellenberger had added significantly to his already impressive resume of accolades, as he was a Tewaaraton Finalist for the second time, a USILA First-Team All-American for the third time in three seasons, an All-ACC selection for the second time, and the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

7. Chris Rodesch

Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

Winning a second-straight national championship required a high-level of play from the entire Virginia men's tennis team, but Chris Rodesch in particular rose to the occasion when it mattered most. Rodesch was named the Most Valuable Player of both the ACC Men's Tennis Championship and the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship as he went on a brilliant 17-match winning streak from early March all the way through to the semifinals of the NCAA singles tournament. He earned pivotal points for the Cavaliers in three of their final four matches on the run to the national title and ended the season as the No. 5-ranked men's singles player in the country. A four-time ACC Player of the Week in 2023, Rodesch turned in a 31-7 singles record, which included 21 wins over ranked opponents, as well as a 22-9 record in doubles. Rodesch rode that winning streak into the NCAA singles tournament and advanced all the way to the semifinals. At the end of the season, Rodesch was named an ITA Singles All-American as well as an All-ACC First Team selection, both for the second time in his career. 

8. Reece Beekman

Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

Last season, Reece Beekman joined a long line of elite Cavalier defenders in the Tony Bennett era to be named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Under Bennett's direction, Virginia has now produced five ACC Defensive Players of the Year: Darion Atkins (2014-2015), Malcolm Brogdon (2015-2016), Isaiah Wilkins (2017-2018), De'Andre Hunter (2018-2019), and Reece Beekman (2022-2023). After finishing second in the voting for the award in 2021-2022, Beekman established himself as the unquestionable top defender in the league and as one of the best on-ball guard defenders in the entire country. Ranking second in the ACC in steals with 57, Beekman frequently drew, and shut down, the opposing team's top offensive player, garnering his second-consecutive ACC All-Defensive Team selection. Beekman also had his best offensive season of his career, averaging-career highs in points (9.5) and assists (5.3) and leading the ACC in assist/turnover ratio at 3.36, a figure that also ranked second in all of Division I men's basketball. After testing the waters of the NBA Draft, Reece Beekman decided to return for his senior season at Virginia, where he will look to have a breakout campaign on the offensive end as he takes the keys of the UVA offense. 

9. Anthony Johnson

Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

In a UVA football season heavy with on-the-field struggles and off-the-field tragedy, Anthony Johnson had the best season of his career and asserted himself as one of the top defensive backs in the ACC in his fifth and final season playing college football. In 10 games, Johnson recorded 51 tackles, two interceptions, and 12 pass breakups. His average of 1.4 passes defended per game ranked eighth in all of FBS college football and second in the ACC. Johnson became the first Cavalier defender since 2018 to earn a First-Team All-ACC selection and, along with Fentrell Cypress II, became the first cornerback duo to be selected All-ACC in the same season in Virginia football history. 

10. Justin McCoy

Photo courtesy of Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics Communications

Justin McCoy won an ACC Wrestling Championship at 165 pounds, becoming the 93rd individual ACC Champion in UVA wrestling history. McCoy's victory in the 165-pound weight class came after he twice finished as the runner-up at the ACC Championships in 2022 (165 pounds) and 2021 (157 pounds). McCoy was an All-ACC selection for the third-consecutive season and qualified for the NCAA Championships for the fourth time in his career, becoming just the 14th Cavalier in program history to be a four-time NCAA qualifier. 

Honorable Mentions

Xander Dickson [men's lacrosse] - set UVA's single-season scoring record with 61 goals, All-ACC selection, USILA and Inside Lacrosse Second-Team All-American, USA Lacrosse Magazine Third-Team All-American

Gretchen Walsh [women's swim] - won the 50-yard freestyle title and four relay titles at the ACC Swim & Dive Championships, won the 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard freestyle titles at the NCAA Championships, was part of four of Virginia's relay wins at the NCAA Championships

Alex Walsh [women's swim] - won three individual titles and four relay titles at the ACC Swim & Dive Championships, won the NCAA individual title in the 400-yard individual medley, was part of four of Virginia's relay wins at the NCAA Championships 

Andreas Ueland [men's soccer] - ACC Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-ACC, ACC All-Tournament Team

Lia Godfrey [women's soccer] - First-Team All-ACC, First-Team All-American by United Soccer Coaches, semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy

Camryn Taylor [women's basketball] - Second-Team All-ACC, UVA's first All-ACC selection since 2020

Annie McDonough [field hockey] - All-ACC First Team, All-ACC Tournament Team, NFHCA First-Team All-American

Ashlyn McGovern [women's lacrosse] - 204 career goals (third in program history), First-Team All-ACC, IWLCA Second-Team All-American, ILWomen All-American honorable mention, US Lacrosse Magazine All-American honorable mention

Rachel Clark [women's lacrosse] - led Virginia in goals (63) and points (76) in 2023, First-Team All-ACC, IWLCA Second-Team All-American, US Lacrosse Magazine Third-Team All-American, ILWomen All-American honorable mention

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