As we turn the calendar over to a new year, let’s look at athletes, coaches, and moments that made 2025 successful for Virginia athletics. Here are our fourth annual Streaking the Lawn UVA awards and superlatives:
Men’s Athlete of the Year: Chandler Morris
2025 saw a complete transformation of Virginia football. Chandler Morris, who had grown accustomed to playing for winning teams in the state of Texas, was tasked with turning around the trajectory of a program that had not participated in a bowl game since 2019.
Ultimately, it was Morris
that instilled a quiet confidence in the locker room, and that belief manifested into a school-record 11 win season.
On the field, he finished with exactly 3,000 yards on 64.7% passing with 21 total touchdowns and nine interceptions. He was far from perfect but made the difficult, timely plays and willed the team across the finish line on several occasions.
Whether or not Morris gets that final year of eligibility in order to secure another shot at an ACC title, the program is in a substantially better spot than a year ago, and he is one of the main reasons for that.
Honorable Mention:
- J’Mari Taylor: All-ACC running back and UVA football’s first 1,000 yard rusher in seven years
Women’s Athlete of the Year: Gretchen Walsh
Walsh was named the Honda Cup (Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year) winner, becoming the ninth swimmer and joining Dawn Staley (1991) as just the second Wahoo to do so. She finished atop the leaderboard in all five of her Short Course Worlds individual events and both of her relays. Walsh also broke her own world record in the 100-meter butterfly twice, which now stands at 54.60 seconds. Oh, and the Cavaliers cruised to their fifth consecutive national title, adding their 35th to the school’s trophy case.
Honorable Mentions:
- Kymora Johnson: Women’s basketball phenom who has averaged 17.9 points and 6.4 assists to begin the current season
- Lia Godfrey: ACC soccer Midfielder of the Year and first-team all-American
Dominant Defender: Kam Robinson
Robinson only played in seven games, before a season-ending injury against Duke, but that was enough to earn ACC football Linebacker of the Week three times and finish second in the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year voting. Simply put, he was a game-changer, and a great example of why great things happen when UVA keeps the top talent in the Commonwealth home. Robinson ended up with 64 total tackles, a pair of sacks, a fumble recovery, and two pick sixes.
Honorable Mention:
- Nilou Lempers: ACC field hockey Goalkeeper of the Year
Freshman of the Year: Nicholas Simmonds
Simmonds will only spend that singular 2025 season on Grounds, but he was greatly impactful in bringing the Cavaliers back to the NCAA Tournament, finishing with a 12-2-5 overall record. Individually, he compiled 10 goals (no other Wahoo had more than four) and five assists en route to ACC Freshman of the Year, national all-American, and all-ACC Tournament team honors. Simmonds was selected third overall by FC Dallas in the MLS SuperDraft in December.
Honorable Mention:
- Chance Mallory: Averaged 11.1 points on 44.1% three point shooting to go along with 3.6 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.3 steals for men’s basketball in the 2025 portion of the season
Coach of the Year: Tony Elliott
This award goes out to the entire leadership group of Virginia football. Athletic director Carla Williams maintained her utmost belief in the coaching staff, and her tireless efforts to upgrade facilities and bring in large donations were rewarded. With the groundwork established, general manager Tyler Jones had to tools to meticulously build a roster that ultimately turned the tide of the program.
Of course, no love is lost for Tony Elliott himself. From hot seat rumblings to ACC Coach of the Year, it was quite a ride in 2025. Elliott did his own behind the scenes foundational work, establishing a culture that allowed talented transfers to blend in seamlessly with seasoned veterans. Then, on the field, he had the humility to learn from previous mistakes, and the results simply followed suit.
Honorable Mentions:
- George Gelnovatch: He still has it after all! Won his third ACC Coach of the Year award for men’s soccer
- Joanna Hardin: Improved UVA softball’s record for the fourth consecutive season, clocking in at 38-19
Alumnus of the Year: Ernie Clement
The Toronto Blue Jays made a run to the World Series for the first time since 1993, and Ernie Clement was the glue guy behind the cause. The former Cavaliers standout posted a 4.3 bWAR (4.0 is the approximate baseline for an all-star caliber player) and graded as the third most valuable American League infielder, per Baseball Savant’s Fielding Run Value. He proceeded to set the MLB record for most hits in a single postseason with 30.
Honorable Mentions:
- Emma Navarro: Won the second Tour singles title of her career, and qualified for her third straight quarterfinals in the Australian Open
- Ty Jerome: Averaged a career-high 12.5 points on 43.9% three-point shooting for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and began the playoffs with a 28 point effort versus the Miami Heat
Moment of the Year: Ja’Son Prevard’s game-sealing interception vs Florida State
While the Seminoles amounted to a mediocre-at-best football team, Virginia’s victory then No. 8 Florida State was the turning point of the program, at least from a national media perspective. In a back-and-forth, jam-packed contest in front of over 50,000 fans, Florida State found themselves in a do-or-die fourth and 12, down by eight points in double overtime. Quarterback Tommy Castellanos’ desperation throw was tracked down by UVA’s Jason Prevard, and within seconds, students from the Hill filled the field in jubilation.
Honorable Mention:
Video Game Box Score of the Year: Kymora Johnson’s takes over vs Winthrop
While the women’s basketball program as a whole has not quite elevated to the status many would have hoped by now, Charlottesville native Kymora Johnson has done her part and a whole lot more. In a blowout win over Winthrop in late December, the junior point guard dropped 41 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists. Her ten three-pointers that afternoon set an overall Virginia basketball record, including both the men’s and women’s programs. Perhaps even more impressively, she accomplished that on just 13 attempts.
Honorable Mentions:
- Eden Bigham tosses UVA softball’s first perfect game in over 30 years, striking out nine Seton Hall Pirates
- Nicholas Simmonds records UVA men’s soccer’s first hat trick since 2012 in a 4-0 win over Clemson
