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Prospectus

By Randy Wert

CLASSES ARE IN THEIR LAST TWO WEEKS, and so are
the Atlantic Coast Conference athletic seasons. With one
University team sitting on top of the pack and two others as solid
contenders for the first slot, the remaining several days will be
crucial in determining the fate of the league standings.

THIS WEEKEND WILL GO A LONG WAY toward settling
things in two sports as well as giving one of Virginia's club teams
a chance to get the recognition it deserves. The group referred to is
the Virginia Rowing Association which leaves today for
Philadelphia and the annual Dad Vail Regatta which is hailed as
the greatest, most prestigious crew event of the year. More than
100 schools will enter the various classes of races on the Schuykill
River including powerhouses St. Josephs, Trinity, Temple, and
Massachusetts, not to mention several schools that the crew has
already defeated.

COACH PANOS ELIADES HAS BEEN POINTING for this
race all year and will enter four shells in the class including
Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Freshmen eights and a Varsity Four.
The winner of the regatta will be decided by points amassed from
all races, and in order to win an event, it may be necessary for a
boat to row three races during the two day affair. A victory by
the Varsity eight would complete a "grand slam" of rowing for
this year's shell as it has already notched crew's Triple Crown,
winning the Cherry Blossom Regatta, the Southern Regatta, as
well as last weekend's triumph in the Mid-America Regatta,
defeating seven year winner, Marietta. Should the Cavaliers win, it
would be equivalent of a national championship in rowing. We
certainly wish all four shells the best of luck.

DEPARTING BEFORE THIS COLUMN IN PRINTED, the
Cavalier baseball squad faces a rough swing south with four games
in four days against Clemson and South Carolina before winding
everything up at Maryland. Coach Jim West's club received a
slight setback in their title drive, by dropping a 1-0 decision to
Maryland, but in such a close race, and with the Terrapins
following the Cavaliers south before their May 13 showdown, the
pennant hopes are far from dim. In as much as Maryland knocked
off Clemson for the title last year, the Tigers may save their best
pitchers and psyche jobs for a vindictive effort against the hot-hitting
Terps.

ONLY TIME WILL TELL THE OUTCOME. But let us scan
the season in retrospect. West "only" lost his best batsman from
last year's team and yet not only are their new faces in the lineup,
but the record thus far is truly laudable. At 19-6, the team is
tied for the greatest number of games won by a Cavalier diamond
nine. Keeping one's head above water in this year's balanced ACC
race is noteworthy, but the baseballers have been right in there
the whole route. Strong pitching, timely hitting, solid defense has
combined with Coach West's ability to produce a winning
attitude which has yielded victories in games that were supposed
to be lost. Hopefully, the weekend will be a profitable one for the
glovemen.

POSSIBLY THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT on the
weekend sports slate is the Saturday afternoon running with
Maryland on the lacrosse field. Not only does the game mean the
ACC championship, but it will also decide the district
representative to the first NCAA playoff tournament. The
Cavaliers have consistently topped the polls throughout the year
although the Terps have been very vocal about their number one
claims — or rather had been until they bumped into a nasty
bunch of Cadets who crushed the gents from College Park.

ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS of the contest will be the return
of former Virginia coach Buddy Beardmore to Charlottesville
where he built a powerful program before defecting to his alma
mater, at which he had been a several time All-everything in the
sport. Being the Cavaliers' only area ACC rival, many of us simply
love to whip on Maryland, and we are certain that Beardmore's
successor, Coach Glenn Thiel will be among this group. Come
early and don't each too much for lunch or you might not be able
to squeeeeeze through the walkway to get a drink.

MERELY AS A SIDELIGHT, successes this weekend could
send Virginia into a favorable spot in the Carmichael Cup
Standings. The Cavaliers have never had the well-rounded athletic
program required to finish high in the race, but a healthy spring
windup may give the University its best finish in years. Currently
holding down the fifth spot, but only five points from third in
the first division logjam, vast improvement is not out of reach
with high lacrosse, baseball, and tennis placings. Two
championships are a possibility but, it is, perhaps, better not to
begin counting the proverbial chickens quite yet.