ACC championships record could be beaten

During the 2003-04 academic year, University of Virginia teams captured a school-record six ACC championships - men's soccer, men's swimming, women's swimming, women's rowing, men's tennis and women's lacrosse.

U.Va. could tie or break that mark this weekend. The ACC will crown champions in men's and women's lacrosse Sunday in Charlottesville, and the Cavaliers are title contenders in both.

Virginia already has won ACC titles in men's cross country, men's swimming, women's swimming, women's rowing and men's tennis. Florida State and North Carolina are tied for second with four ACC championships apiece in 2007-08, and Virginia Tech is fourth with three.

The ACC has four tournaments left: Sunday's lacrosse tournaments, softball (May 8-11 at College Park, Md.) and baseball (May 21-25 at Jacksonville, Fla.).

In 2004-05 and again in'05-06, U.Va. won five ACC championships.

U.S. Sports Academy competition heating up

U.Va., which finished 13th in the U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup competition in 2006-07, is 23rd in the latest standings. But Virginia figures to fare well in the spring, its strongest season, and a top-10 finish is a realistic goal.

The Directors' Cup competition reflects schools' performances in NCAA championships. U.Va.'s best finish was eighth, in 1999. It has been 13th four times: in 1998, 2000, 2005 and 2007.

Basketball assistant could be fit for Bucknell

Pat Flannery's decision to step down as Bucknell's basketball coach could have implications for U.Va. One of Dave Leitao's assistants, Bill Courtney, is a former Bucknell guard who in October was inducted into his alma mater's athletic hall of fame.

Courtney said yesterday that he has not been contacted by Bucknell, but Leitao won't be surprised if Courtney emerges as a candidate to replace Flannery.

"Any time you're in your university's hall of a fame and a favorite son, that's going to be talked about," Leitao said.

Courtney, who grew up in Northern Virginia, spent eight years as an assistant at George Mason - the final three as Jim Larranaga's associate head coach - before leaving for Providence. After one season with the Friars, Courtney joined Leitao's staff at U.Va. in 2006.

Another former aide to Leitao Toledo-bound

Leitao's first staff at U.Va. included Gene Cross, whom Toledo recently hired as head coach. Cross spent three seasons with Leitao at DePaul before following him to U.Va.

Cross, who has strong family ties to the Midwest, left U.Va. after the 2005-06 season to join Mike Brey's staff at Notre Dame.

Asked about his two most recent bosses, Cross told the Toledo Blade newspaper: "I'd put it like this: Dave hates to lose. Mike loves to win. I think I've learned a balance in both of those."

2 draft first-rounders likely, matching '97

Only once - in 1997 - have two players from U.Va. been selected in the first round of an NFL draft. Linebacker James Farrior, a Matoaca High graduate, went to the Jets with the eighth pick, and the Eagles drafted defensive end Jon Harris 25th overall.

Farrior and Harris figure to have company Saturday, when the Cavaliers' all-ACC first-team picks from 2007 - defensive end Chris Long and offensive lineman Branden Albert - are expected to be among the first 20 players taken in the draft. Long could go as high as No. 2, to the St. Louis Rams.

Others from U.Va. who might be drafted include tight end Tom Santi. The first two rounds will be held on Saturday, the final five on Sunday. - Jeff White