The Grounds

UVa Announces Spring Football Award Winners/Captains

Charlottesville, VA – Following Saturday’s annual Orange & Blue Spring Football Game, Virginia head coach Mike London announced the recipients of the team’s spring football awards and the team captains for the 2012 season.

Senior defensive tackle Will Hill (Williamsburg, Va.) and sophomore wide receiver Dominique Terrell (Manassas, Va.) were named the Rock Weir Award winners as the most improved players during spring drills.

Hill appeared in all 13 games last year and made his first collegiate start against Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. He had 36 total tackles, seven tackles for loss and one sack. Hill enters his senior season with 42 tackles during his career. He has played in a total of 36 games.

Terrell played in all 13 games in 2011 as a true freshman. He caught a total of eight passes for 59 yards. He had a 27-yard touchdown catch in overtime to help the Cavaliers defeat Idaho last season. He also returned 14 punts for 61 yards.

Sophomore cornerback Demetrious Nicholson (Virginia Beach, Va.) was the recipient of the Z Society Dudley Award presented to the first-year player for his excellence in the classroom, on the field and in the community. The award is named after the late “Bullet” Bill Dudley, who exemplified those traits and was a two-time All-American at Virginia.

The Cavalier Academic Achievement Award was shared by senior defensive end Billy Schautz (Bloomfield, N.J.) and junior defensive end Jake Snyder (Glen Allen, Va). The award is presented to the UVa student-athletes who represent Uncompromised Excellence in their academic pursuits.

Junior wide receiver Tim Smith (Chesapeake, Va.) won the team’s Iron Cavalier award for his performance and dedication in the weight room.

Smith rebounded from a foot injury that limited him to action in just two games in 2010 by catching 33 passes for 565 yards and three scores last year. He averaged a team-high 17.1 yards per reception.

The team captains for the 2012 season will be senior tailback Perry Jones, senior offensive tackle Oday Aboushi, senior outside linebacker LaRoy Reynolds andWill Hill. Jones was a captain during the 2011 season.