April 22, 2003

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Virginia's Chris Rotelli was selected as the 2002 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in a vote by the league's four head coaches. Maryland's Joe Walters (Rochester, N.Y.) earns the league's Rookie of the Year Award while Cavalier head coach Dom Starsia was chosen as Coach of the Year.

Rotelli, a senior midfielder from Rumford, R.I., led the Cavaliers to the 2003 ACC Championship. Rotelli is All-ACC for the third year in a row and is just the 11th Cavalier in history to be a three-time selection. He is the team's leading scorer with 35 points and ranks second in the ACC in that same category.

Walters has enjoyed an excellent freshman season for the Terrapins. The Rochester, N.Y., native has started all 10 games and currently leads the ACC in goals scored at 2.50 per game. He has 31 points this season (25 goals, six assists), placing him first on his team and second in the league in scoring at 3.10 points per game. He is the first Terp to claim the honor since Michael Howley (Wantagh, N.Y.) in 2000.

Starsia earns Coach of the Year honors for the sixth time in his career and fourth time in five seasons. He previously won the award in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2002. Starsia has led Virginia into the NCAA Tournament in each of his previous ten seasons, including 1999 when the Cavaliers won the national title.