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THE TEN MOST SIGNIFICANT VCU ATHLETIC MOMENTS OF 2009
By Chris Kowalczyk
1-13-09
Here at VCU, we’re working under an aggressive, five-year strategic plan designed to enhance the athletic department in every conceivable way. From donor dollars, to honor students, to championship trophies, everybody has a role in making VCU Athletics a success. Over the past year, there have been plenty of success on which to draw. Here are the 10 most significant VCU Athletic events of 2009. These were selected based on a number of criteria, which will remain secret as a matter of national security.
10. Women’s Tennis Reaches NCAA Tournament for fourth straight year
You can pretty much count on the success of Paul Kostin’s VCU Tennis programs like you can count on the Simpsons. Although the VCU men’s squad saw its run of 16 consecutive NCAA bids come to an end, the Rams’ women’s team kept rolling to record its eighth tourney appearance of the decade. Despite the loss of All-American Tatsiana Uvarova to graduation, VCU reloaded behind rising stars Kateryna Yergina, Olena Leonchuk and Laura Burns.
 9. Men’s Golf Rallies from 12 strokes down to win 2009 CAA Championship
VCU got birdies from Rafael Campos and Mark Jargren on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to complete an improbable comeback at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga. on April 19. On the final day of the tournament, VCU fired a 2-under 286 while Georgia State was busy imploding like Jean Van de Velde in the 1999 British Open. It was the Rams’ eighth CAA crown, but first since 2002. VCU returns all its starters in 2010 and could be primed for another run.
8. Women’s Basketball Topples Old Dominion
No program cast as big a shadow on VCU as Old Dominion. From the 1975-76 season through last year, ODU won a staggering 46 of 48 contests in this series. It was like Usain Bolt and John Goodman racing every day in perpetuity.
Even when the Rams surged to a school-best 26-8 record in 2007-08, Old Dominion was there to deal VCU three of its losses. This wasn’t just a monkey on the Rams’ back. It was King Kong. However, on Feb. 1, in front of a program record crowd of 2,400 at the Siegel Center, the Rams overcame a nine-point deficit to score a 58-51 victory. Chesapeake, Va. native Quanitra Hollingsworth, who felt the wrath of Lady Monarch fans during her career, led the way with 21 points and 15 rebounds.
 7. Brandon Inge Named to American League All-Star Team
Playing some of the best baseball of his career, Brandon Inge became the first former Ram to earn a spot in Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. Inge had an outstanding first half, hitting .268 with 21 homers and 58 RBI, while playing Gold Glove defense at third base for the Tigers. Inge was initially left off the American League roster, but received the squad’s final spot after receiving 11.8 million fan votes. Inge also participated in the home run derby prior to the Mid-Summer Classic, but we don’t talk about that around here anymore (zero homers).
6. Quanitra Hollingsworth selected ninth overall in WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx.
Many expected Hollingsworth, the second leading scorer and leading rebounder in school history, to be drafted, but ninth overall? That was a pleasant surprise. At 6-foot-5 and only 20 years old, the Lynx loved Hollingworth’s upside. Hollingsworth showed great promise in her rookie year, averaging 4.8 points and 3.2 rebounds.
 5. Men’s Basketball Defeats Jeff Capel and No. 17 Oklahoma
Remember Rocky V? Yeah, it’s an awful movie. Like, criminally bad. Anyway, Rocky trains a young fighter from Oklahoma named Tommy Gunn. After a rapid ascension, Gunn is scooped up by George Washington Duke, a comically obvious Don King parody. The movie’s climactic scene is a fight between Rocky and Tommy Gunn on the streets of Philadelphia. Rocky eventually knocks out Gunn and children dance in the street.
So, VCU’s win over Oklahoma and Capel (pictured, left) was pretty much a recreation of the plot of Rocky V. Four years in the making, VCU jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in an 82-69 win. It was the Rams first victory over a ranked opponent since 1994. When the horn sounded, a rabid throng of 7,547 stormed the court to celebrate a historic victory (children dance in the streets, etc.).
 4. Eric Maynor selected 20th overall in the NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz.
Not only was this a validation of Maynor as a next-level type player, but it was also an affirmation that the VCU Basketball program could turn out top-tier talent. Maynor was the first VCU player ever selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. Later, VCU fans learned that Oklahoma City had an NBA team when the Jazz shipped Maynor to the Thunder in what was essentially a salary dump. Maynor is currently making significant contributions off the bench for OKC.
3. Women’s Basketball Receives First NCAA Bid
In 2003, Beth Cunningham inherited a painfully average VCU program. In six years, she transformed it into a source of pride for Rams’ fans. On the strength of its second straight 26-win campaign and led by a future WNBA draftee, VCU received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Rams eventually took on national powerhouse Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J., where they gave the Scarlet Knights all they could handle in a 57-51 loss. After years as a CAA also-ran, VCU has become a certified contender.
2. Men’s Basketball Wins 2009 CAA Championship
For the third time in six years, the Rams captured the CAA crown in front of a national T.V. audience when they dismantled 2006 Final Four darling George Mason, 71-50. It wasn’t so much the victory itself as it was the way VCU won. Sophomore Larry Sanders morphed into Shaquille O’Neal with 18 points, 20 rebounds and seven blocked shots as the Rams laid a historic beat down on the Patriots.
1. Michael Rao succeeds Dr. Eugene Trani as VCU President
Let’s not kid ourselves. The university president plays a huge role in the direction of an athletic program. Dr. Trani stamped out a considerable legacy at VCU after nearly two decades of service. Among his accomplishments was the construction of the Stuart C. Siegel Center, now the epicenter of VCU Basketball and Athletics as a whole. Dr. Rao has a tough act to follow, and is facing a number of difficult tasks. The Rams are looking to upgrade facilities across the board, for starters, and there’s always that elephant in the room, football. The decisions Rao makes in conference with Athletic Director Norwood Teague will direct the future of the program.
Honorable Mention: Field Hockey Upsets No. 17 Iowa… Volleyball Finishes 27-9 and wins CAA Regular Season title… Dave Giffard named men’s soccer coach… Leonardo DiCaprio spotted wearing VCU hat… Shaka Smart named VCU men's basketball coach... Cla Meredith traded to Baltimore Orioles… John Rollins wins Reno-Tahoe Open… Lanto Griffin named CAA Golfer of the Year… Michala Kvapilova Named CAA Volleyball Rookie of the Year… Ivana Rich breaks volleyball blocks record… Eric Maynor breaks VCU scoring record… Maynor breaks VCU assist record… Pretty much anything Maynor did…Men’s Tennis upsets North Carolina and Lousiville.
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