Griffin Kology Finds New Home With UVA Lacrosse

The Cavaliers misplaced solely 4 of their 16 video games in what was one other profitable season for the Virginia males’s lacrosse program. UVA captured its nineteenth ACC title and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Match. 

Of these 4 losses, two of them got here towards the unstoppable and eventual nationwide champion Maryland Terrapins and one was towards the Duke Blue Devils, who defeated Virginia for the Fifteenth-consecutive time within the common season. 

None of these three losses had been significantly stunning. The fourth actually was. 

On April 2nd, the Cavaliers traveled to Richmond to tackle a Spiders crew that had by no means crushed UVA within the seven instances the groups had met because the inception of Richmond’s lacrosse program in 2014. Richmond used a 7-0 run that spanned the second and third quarters to stun Virginia 17-13. It was solely the second time that UVA had ever misplaced to an opponent from the Commonwealth of Virginia in 136 whole video games. 

One of many key elements within the final result of the sport was the efficiency of Richmond freshman defender Griffin Kology, who was given the powerful task of guarding Connor Shellenberger, Virginia’s finest participant and one of many prime attackmen in all of school lacrosse. Shellenberger recorded three assists, however Kology largely gained the matchup, holding Shellenberger to only one aim on ten pictures. Kology brought on a turnover and picked up a career-high six floor balls as a part of a smothering effort from the Richmond protection, who held Virginia to only 4 objectives in your entire second half. 

Two months later, Griffin Kology is now a Cavalier. 

Shortly after the conclusion of Richmond’s season, which ended with a heartbreaking time beyond regulation loss at No. 3 Penn within the first spherical of the NCAA Match, Kology entered the switch portal. That call had much less to do with lacrosse and extra to do along with his scholar expertise at Richmond and its campus. 

“Clearly it was a very profitable season in Richmond together with the crew. The lacrosse was nice, that was my favourite half,” Kology mentioned in an interview final week. “However the campus was not what I believed it was. Once I first got here there, it was smaller than I believed so I simply needed one thing larger and that is what sort of drove me to place myself within the switch portal.”

Kology made the powerful resolution to enter his identify within the portal with no assure that any program would supply him a scholarship. After a stellar freshman season at Richmond that noticed him earn Second-Crew All-Southern Convention honors, Kology was assured that there can be some curiosity. 

“Yeah I used to be type of simply banking on myself,” mentioned Kology. “I imply I knew there’d be some curiosity simply because I believed I performed rather well this season, however no I had no concept that any faculties had been going to speak to me. So it was undoubtedly nerve wracking – placing myself in. However as soon as I noticed all of the individuals reaching out, I used to be like ‘okay, I am good. I really feel good.”

Along with Lars Tiffany and the Cavaliers, Kology heard from a number of big-time lacrosse applications, together with North Carolina, Cornell, and Brown. Clearly, there was some excessive demand for the defensive companies of Kology, who ranked No. 44 in all of school lacrosse with 1.31 brought on turnovers per sport final season. The 6’2, 189-pound defenseman appeared in all 16 of Richmond’s video games as a real freshman, beginning in 15 of these contests. 

With a bidding conflict breaking out for Griffin Kology, Virginia had a person on the within who actually gave the Cavaliers a leg up within the recruiting battle. Kyle Kology, Griffin’s older brother, performed on the UVA males’s lacrosse crew for 4 seasons, showing in 62 video games, together with 59 begins. Typically referred to as the “Dean of the Protection” by Lars Tiffany, Kyle Kology was named a Third-Crew All-American in his senior season in 2021 as he helped lead the Cavaliers to their second-consecutive nationwide championship. 

Being a two-time nationwide champion and a proud alum of the College of Virginia, it might have been simple for Kyle Kology to push his youthful brother to decide on UVA. Nonetheless, Griffin says his older brother was a useful useful resource for answering questions in regards to the faculty and the lacrosse program, however didn’t stress him to decide to Virginia. 

“I requested him extra about private questions once I was trying [at Virginia] by way of my switch course of like – what is the enterprise faculty like? What are the practices like at Virginia? Simply easy questions, not nearly lacrosse however nearly dwelling and the place I can get meals on campus, simply stuff like that,” mentioned Griffin Kology. 

“As soon as I dedicated he [Kyle] was like, “Man I needed you to go there so unhealthy, however I additionally needed to maintain type of a impartial stance on it as a result of I did not need myself to hinder your resolution so I attempted to maintain every little thing open and never sway you by some means.”

His older brother’s enter was helpful, however Griffin was actually offered on UVA when he took a go to to Grounds the day after Memorial Day. 

“Coach Tiffany and coach [Sean] Kirwan took me round on a go to and it felt nice once I was there,” mentioned Kology, who additionally took a go to to Brown after Virginia. “I did some considering trying again on all the faculties that I visited and attempting to determine what finest suited me, not simply lacrosse-wise, but in addition living-wise, academically… and yeah, I selected Virginia.” 

Kology joins a Virginia defensive unit that’s set to return all of its starters subsequent spring, together with All-People Cole Kastner and Cade Saustad, in addition to a number of key function gamers. Kology acknowledges the work he should do to be able to earn taking part in time on the UVA protection and he is able to embrace that problem. 

“Understanding all of the returners are coming again – it is undoubtedly made me keep longer on the gymnasium, keep longer on the discipline once I’m coaching there,” Kology mentioned. “I simply know what I am about – an especially arduous employee. I have been doing it since eighth grade, so I do know what I can do…. It is not likely nerves. It is simply extra able to show myself to everybody.”

The UVA teaching workers is aware of firsthand what Griffin is able to after seeing him guard Connor Shellenberger in Richmond’s upset win over Virginia again in April. 

“They largely talked about how I guarded Connor Shellenberger and so they mentioned I did a fairly okay job,” Kology mentioned. “So yeah that took me again just a little bit as a result of he is such a superb participant.” 

Kology should get used to guarding Shellenberger and the UVA assault day by day in apply, however he’s thrilled to be becoming a member of a program that has been the category of school lacrosse, each lately and traditionally, profitable its sixth and seventh NCAA nationwide championships in 2019 and 2021. 

“I am tremendous excited to go to a spot the place should you do not make it to championship weekend… it is such as you did not attain your aim,” mentioned Kology. “And I simply can’t wait to be taking part in approach into the playoffs and probably to the championship.”

As for any trash discuss Kology would possibly bestow upon his new teammates for beating them through the 2022 season, he says he possible will not be rubbing that victory in anytime quickly. 

“Perhaps as soon as I construct the relationships, perhaps down the street.”

Within the meantime, Griffin Kology will look ahead to serving to the Cavaliers make a run at yet one more nationwide championship subsequent spring. 

See extra Virginia males’s lacrosse information and content material: Virginia Males’s Lacrosse on Sports activities Illustrated

See extra Virginia sports activities information and content material: Virginia Cavaliers on Sports activities Illustrated

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