Brennan Armstrong and Kate Douglass were honored as Virginia’s top male and female athletes for the 2021-22 academic year. Armstrong earned the WINA Award as the top male athlete, while Douglass claimed the IMP Award as UVA’s top female athlete.
Armstrong had a magical season on the gridiron in 2021. Armstrong put up passing numbers never seen before by a Cavalier quarterback. His record-setting performances included a single-season record of 4,491 passing yards, a single-game record of 554 passing yards against North Carolina and another single-season record of 4,700 yards of total offense. An All-ACC performer, he was a finalist for a number of individual honors including the Maxwell Award, Davey O’Brien Award, Johnny Unitas Gold Arm Award and the Manning Award. Brennan Armstrong is Virginia Athletics’ Male Athlete of the Year.
Douglass has collected numerous honors after an incredible 2021-22 season. She is the Honda Sports Award winner and was named CSCAA and ACC Women’s Swimmer of the Year after she won three individual NCAA titles, as she set the American, NCAA, and US Open records in the 50 Free and the 200 Breaststroke, and the American record in the 100 Fly. She also won four relay NCAA titles, as she was the leadoff swimmer in the 200 and 400 free relays and the anchor in the 200 and 400 medley relays.
Two-sport star Jay Woolfolk of football and baseball was named Male Rookie of the Year and swimmer Gretchen Walsh was named Female Rookie of the Year. Woolfolk is a quarterback on Virginia’s football team and a relief pitcher for the Cavaliers on the baseball diamond. Woolfolk became the first true freshman to start at quarterback at UVA since 1977, throwing for 196 yards against Notre Dame on Nov. 13. He leads the Cavalier bullpen with 25 appearances and has pitched to a 2.23 ERA. The righthander struck out 51 batters in his first 32.1 innings pitched.
Walsh had an incredible freshman season, winning an individual title at the NCAA Championships in the 100 Free and swimming in all four of the Cavaliers’ winning relays. In addition to winning the 100 free, the seven-time All-American set a UVA record with her time of 46.05. She finished as the runner-up in the 50 Free and 100 Back at the NCAA Championships, as well the 50 and 100 Frees at the ACC Championships.
Owayne Owens of men’s track and field earned the Wahoowa Award, which goes to the individual who best displayed selflessness, commitment, school pride, and leadership, all while contributing to the betterment of the team.
Ethan Dabbs of men’s track and field earned Comeback of the Year. Dabbs underwent Tommy John surgery in July of 2021. In his first appearance following the surgery this season, Dabbs won the Javelin at the Virginia Challenge when he let go of a throw that set both UVA and ACC records reaching 80.41 meters (263’10”). Dabbs went on to become just the fourth athlete to claim three consecutive ACC men’s javelin titles at the ACC Championships this season as he improved on his record setting mark throwing 82.92 meters (272’0”).
Jay Aiello of wrestling netted the Sportsmanship Award, which is awarded to the individual or team that exhibited exemplary sportsmanship during an athletic competition. Aiello earned a bid to the NCAA Championships for the fourth consecutive year, surging to the NCAA bid after missing the early part of the season after claiming the bronze medal at the U23 World Games in Serbia in November. He has been a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and served as team captain.
Michaela Meyer’s national championship in the 800 meters was the Women’s Play of the Year, while Alex Rode’s massive save against Maryland near the end of regulation lifted the men’s lacrosse team to its second consecutive NCAA national championship.
Football’s Chayce Chalmers earned UVA’s Distinguished Student-Athlete Scholarship Award, while Natasha Subash of women’s tennis was the recipient of the Ralph Sampson Scholarship Award.
Milla Ciprian (volleyball) and Paul Rodriguez (men’s lacrosse) earned Ernest H. Ern Jr. awards for outstanding contributions to student life at Virginia.
John Paul Jones Arena chef Kenton Chelf was honored with the Bus Male Memorial Award for his dedication, service and spirit during the 2021-22 athletics school year.
Amandine Toi of women’s basketball received the Craig Fielder Memorial Award for overcoming adversity. Toi missed both the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons with knee injuries. She made her delayed debut as a third-year but finally found her stride in her fourth year, averaging 14.0 points per game before the team opted out of playing the remainder of the 2020-21 season. This year as team captain, Toi led the ACC in minutes played and was the lone Cavalier to earn an ACC postseason honor, being voted to the All-ACC Academic team while being among the top scorers on the team.
Student manager Chris McGahren was the recipient of Bob Goodman Memorial award for his dedicated service to the men’s basketball program. In addition to his stellar work as a manager, McGahren earned a jersey and suited up all 35 games for the Cavaliers.
Marin Bronaugh (men’s lacrosse) received the Tim Abbott Memorial Award, honoring the undergraduate sports medicine student most dedicated to and possessing empathy for the student-athletes.
Jeffrey von der Schulenburg of men’s tennis earned his first ACC Scholar-Athlete award, while Subash earned her second. Jeffrey von der Schulenburg helped lead the team’s national championship run, earning All-Tournament honors in both doubles and singles. He finished the season with a 19-1 record in the spring and was ranked in the top-25 in the nation in singles. The political science major has a 3.9 grade point average.
Subash is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District 3 honoree, the only player in the team’s history to have earned the honor. She is a two-time singles All-American and a 2021 doubles All-American who will be looking to add further honors this week at the NCAA Individual Championships. Subhash is studying at the McIntire School of Commerce with a 3.93 GPA.
Skylar Sload of women’s golf earned the Susan J. Grossman Memorial Award in recognition of outstanding service to student-athletes and contributions to the Student-Athlete Mentor Program.
Rodriguez (men’s lacrosse) received the Gus Tebell Memorial Award as the fourth-year male student-athlete with the highest scholastic average through his four years at Virginia, while Maddie Wilson of softball was the recipient of the Jettie Hill Memorial Award as the fourth-year female student-athlete with the highest scholastic average through her four years at UVA.
Virginia’s ACC Top VI Award recipients included Beatrice Jones (rowing), Alahna Sabbakhan (women’s track & field), Josh Rawlings (football) and Chalmers (football).
In addition, 124 student-athletes will be honored as recipients of a 2022-23 Virginia Athletics Foundation endowed scholarship. Recognized by the Virginia Athletics Foundation (VAF) and the UVA Athletics Department for their contributions to the University of Virginia athletics program, these student-athletes excel academically, athletically and as leaders in the community. In coordination with Virginia Athletics administration and UVA head coaches, the VAF aims to recognize deserving student-athletes who meet the criteria of each named scholarship. Sixteen of these scholarships will be awarded for the first time during the 2022-23 academic year. Click here to view the complete listing of all 124 endowed scholarship recipients.
An endowed scholarship gift is one of the most powerful gifts a donor can make and has a lasting impact on UVA Athletics. Naming opportunities for endowed scholarships start at $250,000. Endowment donors are recognized on the Endowment Wall, located on the second level of the John Paul Jones Arena.
About the Virginia Athletics Foundation
Each year, donations to VAF from our generous donors allow University of Virginia student-athletes to compete at their very best in the classroom and in their sport. Through its fundraising efforts, the Virginia Athletics Foundation provides funding for all 316.6 athletics scholarships, construction and renovation of athletics facilities, and assists in providing funding for the Athletics Academic Affairs program and sport-specific operational costs.
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