CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In the summer of 2003, a car wreck mangled Ben Rubeor's left arm and imperiled his lacrosse career. There was no guarantee the attackman from Towson, Md., would play again for his high school, Loyola Blakefield, let alone suit up for the University of Virginia, whose scholarship offer he'd accepted.

Five years later, though, Rubeor's story is one of triumph. In 2004, he was named the best high school player in Maryland, and he's become a star at U.Va., a three-time all-ACC selection whose work ethic and drive set a standard few can match.

Would that have happened had Rubeor not rolled the Ford Explorer he was driving on that July night in Towson? Maybe so. But Rubeor, 22, and his family don't curse the wreck - or the four operations or the bacterial infection that followed.

"I think he and I and his mother will agree it's the best thing that ever happened to him," said Rubeor's father, Bob. "Which may sound surprising, because it was something that initially looked so devastating and so life-changing. But I think he realized sooner than most the vulnerability that we, as humans, have. He wasn't going to live forever. I think for many, those lessons don't come ever, and for him, they came very early."

Rubeor said: "I think it gave me some humility that I didn't have before. I think I thought I was a little invincible before that accident, and it just kind of brought things into perspective."

In today's first round of the NCAA tournament, second-seeded Virginia (12-3) hosts Maryland-Baltimore County (12-3) at 5 p.m. It will be Rubeor's final game at Klockner Stadium.

"He's on a very short list of the best attackmen I've ever coached," said Dom Starsia, who's in his 16th season at U.Va., "and he gets higher up on that list for his effort and consistency and his toughness than for his physical gifts. . . . He's fast - that's his one physical trait - but he's not a big, strong kid."

Rubeor, 5-11 and 177 pounds, says his speed comes from his mother, Linda, who ran track at Trenton State. His father played lacrosse with Starsia at Brown.

Rubeor, who chose U.Va. over Princeton and Georgetown, started as a freshman on a team that reached the NCAA semifinals. A season later, he helped the Cavaliers win the NCAA title and was named a second-team All-American. Rubeor rose to the first team in 2007 and was a finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy, given annually to the top player in college lacrosse. He was named one of the five Tewaaraton finalists for 2008 last week.

"I think that's a testament for how lucky I've been upon my return," Rubeor said.

On the eve of his senior season, you see, Rubeor encountered still more adversity. He had twice dislocated his right kneecap late last season, and he suffered the same injury again in February. It appeared Rubeor might need an operation that would force him to redshirt this season, but he didn't rush into a decision.

"I was able to give it a few weeks and just kind of see how it progressed," recalled Rubeor, who sat out Virginia's first three games and still wears a brace on his right knee.

"At first it didn't feel good. . . . But after about a couple weeks, it started coming back . . . Now, I really don't think about it when I play."

Of his legacy at U.Va., Rubeor said, "I don't think I'm necessarily on a level with some of those other guys that [have played there] in terms of talent and in terms of ability. But I've shown that consistency and hard work can take you places."