2017 Virginia Tech Athletics Points of Pride

April 25, 2017

It’s already been a record-setting year in Hokie Nation – and the school year isn’t over yet! Please enjoy HokieVision’s compilation of some of this season’s best moments as we celebrate the accomplishments of all our teams, our student-athletes and staff. Go Hokies!

Hokie Club

• Annual fund giving up 65 percent, total giving to exceed $30 million for first time
• Overall giving to the Hokie Club approached $33 million
• Approximately $16.2 million was designated to the Hokie Scholarship Fund – a dramatic 65 percent increase in giving from last’s year’s $9.8 million total
• Hokie Club membership at an all-time record of 13,000 members

Baseball

• Brooks Wallace Award Watch List (nation’s top SS) – Ryan Tufts
• National Pitcher of the Year Watch List – Connor Coward
• John Olerud Award Watch List (top two-way player) – Nick Anderson
• Sam Fragale and Rahiem Cooper, were each named a Collegiate Baseball’s National Players of the Week (two different weeks)

Cross Country

• Eight individuals named to ACC All-Academic Team

Men’s Basketball

• Tech was 22-11 overall and 10-8 in ACC play, earning NCAA Tournament berth
• Second straight 20-win season with double-digit ACC wins
• The 10 ACC wins tied the school record for most ACC victories
• The 22 wins were the most by Tech since the 2010-11 season
• The Hokies advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007
• Zach LeDay was named ACC Sixth Man of the Year by the media
• Seth Allen was named ACC Sixth Man of the Year by the blue ribbon panel
• Allen and LeDay each earned honorable mention All-ACC

Women’s Basketball

• Kenny Brooks guided the Hokies to their first 20-win season since 2005-06
• Set single-season record in 3-pointers made (247) & points scored (2,405).
• Recorded 29 double-doubles, marking the second-most in a season.
• Multiple wins in postseason for first time since 2002.
• Regan Magarity, Vanessa Panousis and Sami Hill earned All-ACC Academic Team honors. It marked the most Hokies on the academic team since 2008
• Regan Magarity and Chanette Hicks were named VaSID First Team All-State

Football

• Justin Fuente was named the consensus 2016 ACC Coach of the Year
• Tech finished the 2016 season ranked No. 16 in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, marking the highest final mark for the Hokies since 2010
• Tech’s 10 wins were the team’s most since 2011 and the most ever by a first-year Virginia Tech head coach,
• Fuente led Tech to its sixth ACC Coastal Division Title and its first since 2010, sending the Hokies to the ACC Championship Game where Tech lost a narrow 42-35 decision to eventual national champion Clemson
• In 2016 the Hokies extended the nation’s longest active bowl streak with their 24th straight appearance

Men’s Golf

• Hokies won the Janney Invitational in the fall
• Joey Lane won medalist honors at the Janney Invitational this fall
• Four Hokies recorded top ten individual finishes in events this season

Women’s Golf

• Elizabeth Bose named the Skelton Award winner
• Tech recorded six top 10 finishes this season

Lacrosse

• Tied program record for wins in a season with 11
• Reached highest ever ranking at No. 12 in the country
• Tristan McGinley named to Tewaaraton Award watch list

Men’s Soccer

• Finished 13-5-4 record with a program-high nine shutouts.
• Finished No. 8 in the NSCAA Poll and No. 11 in the RPI
• Advanced to Elite Eight – first NCAA Tournament bid since 2007
• Brizendine named VaSID Coach of the Year
• Marcelo Acuna led the team in goals (11), points (25), shots (94) and game-winning goals (5), earning a spot on the All-ACC Second Team

Women’s Soccer

• Murielle Tiernan – All-ACC First Team
• Candace Cephers – All-ACC Third Team
• Murielle Tiernan & Candace Cephers – ACC All-Academic Team
• Murielle Tiernan – CoSIDA Academic All-District III First Team
• NCAA/NSCAA All-Southeast Team
• Candace Cephers, Second Team
• Murielle Tiernan, Third Team
• VaSID All-State Selections
• Murielle Tiernan, First Team
• Candace Cephers, Second Team

Softball

• Aysha Richardson: no-hitter vs. Seton Hall (Feb. 24)
• Breanna Davenport: tied the school record, third player in program history to have five hits in a game (5-for-5 vs. Louisville, April 14)
• 46 team home runs: 3rd in the ACC, 13th in the NCAA
• .469 slugging percentage: 3rd in the ACC, 33rd in the NCAA

Swimming and Diving

• ACC Champions
• Robert Owen (400 IM)
• Brandon Fiala (100 breast, 200 breast)
• Reka Gyorgy (400 IM)
• Ashlynn Peters (3-meter dive)
• NCAA All-Americans
• 800 Free Relay, Honorable Mention (Jessica Hespeler, Fiona Donnelly, Klaudia Nazieblo, Reka Gyorgy)
• Reka Gyorgy, 8th (400 IM)
• Jessica Hespeler, Honorable Mention (200 free)
• Klaudia Nazieblo, Honorable Mention (200 fly)
• Brandon Fiala, Honorable Mention (200 IM)
• Robert Owen, 8th (400 IM)
• Robert Owen, Honorable Mention (200 back)
• Brandon Fiala, 6th (100 breast)
• Brandon Fiala, 4th (200 breast)
• All-ACC Academic Team
• Caroline Buscaglia
• Maggie Gruber
• Jessica Hespeler
• Ashlynn Peters
• Mauro Castro Silva
• Brandon Fiala
• Ian Ho
• Benjamin Schiesl
• Caroline Buscaglia – ACC Postgraduate Scholarship: Weaver-James-Corrigan Award
• CSCAA Scholar All-America Team (Fall 2016)

Men’s Tennis

• Knocked off No. 18 Georgia Tech, 4-3, in the 2017 home finale. The deciding match came down to the final one on court when sophomore Jason Kros battled past the Yellow Jackets’ player in three sets

Women’s Tennis

• Defeated Clemson for the first time in 16 years on Jan. 28 at the ITA Kickoff Weekend
• Tech also topped its first top-25 opponent of the season, winning a 4-3 victory over No. 25 N.C. State
• Two Hokies currently ranked in the ITA Singles Top-125 Poll – Natalie Novotna sits at No. 84, while Francesca Fusinato check in at No. 102
• Fusinato and Caroline Daxhelet also are ranked in the ITA doubles rankings (No. 61).

Indoor Track and Field

• ACC Indoor Track and Field Champion (Men)
• The men’s squad set six indoor track and field record this season, while the set five new program records and tied one
• Drew Piazza and Hanna Green also set new Rector Field House records in the 600 meters this season
• Hanna Green and Torben Laidig were named the Women’s and Men’s ACC Indoor Scholar-Athlete of the Year, respectively
• Dave Cianelli was named the ACC Men’s Indoor Coach of the Year
• Michael Davenport was named the ACC Men’s Indoor Freshman of the Year
• USTFCCCA Southeast Region Men’s Coach of the Year – Dave Cianelli
• USTFCCCA Southeast Region Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year – Ben Thomas
• USTFCCCA Southeast Region Men’s Track Athlete of the Year – Patrick Joseph
• USTFCCCA Southeast Region Men’s Field Athlete of the Year – Deakin Volz
• First Team All-ACC Indoor (Men)
• Deakin Volz - pole vault
• Torben Laidig - pole vault (champion)
• Vincent Ciattei - mile (champion)
• Diego Zarate - mile
• Patrick Joseph - 800 meters (champion)
• Drew Piazza - 800 meters
• Greg Chiles - 200 meters
• Daniel Jaskowak - 3,000 and DMR
• Brandon Thomas - DMR
• Kevin Cianfarini - DMR
• Neil Gourley – DMR
• Second Team All-ACC Indoor (Men)
• Brad Johnson - pole vault
• James Steck - pole vault
• Aaron Simpson - 60 hurdles
• Michael Davenport - 200 meters
• Peter Seufer - 3,000 meters
• Neil Gourley - 3,000 meters
• First Team All-ACC Indoor (Women)
• Hanna Green - 800 meters (champion)
• Rachel Pocratsky - 800 meters
• Courtney Blanden - 200 meters
• Second Team All-ACC Indoor (Women)
• Eszter Bajnok - triple jump
• Courtney Blanden - 400 meters
• NCAA Indoor All-Americans
• Hanna Green - 800 meters (first team)
• Drew Piazza - 800 meters (first team)
• Patrick Joseph - 800 meters (second team)
• Neil Gourley - mile (first team)
• Daniel Jaskowak - distance medley (first team)
• Vincent Ciattei - distance medley (first team)
• Greg Chiles - distance medley (first team)
• Kevin Cianfarini - distance medley (first team)
• Torben Laidig - pole vault (first team)
• Deakin Volz - pole vault (second team)

Outdoor Track and Field

• Torben Laidig won gold at the Texas Relays, clearing the 5.70-meter bar (18 ft., 8.5 in.) for a new program record on April 1
• He also set a conference- and nation-best mark on the day and he currently holds an ACC all-time record in the outdoor event
• ACC Men’s Field Performer of the Week
• Torben Laidig (April 4)
• The women’s 4x800-meter relay team of Hanna Green, Shannon Morton, Catherine Stone and Sarah Edwards set a new school record with a time of 8:47.24 at the Tennessee Relays on April 8

Volleyball

• Lindsey Owens was named to the All-ACC First Team list, AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention and the VaSID All-State team.
• Amanda McKinzie was also named VaSID All-State
• Rhegan Mitchell & Lindsey Owens each earned spots on the All-ACC Academic team.
• Lindsey Owens was awarded the ACC Postgraduate Scholarship: Weaver-James-Corrigan Award.

Wrestling

• Tony Robie was named Co-ACC Coach of the Year.
• ACC Dual Meet Champions & ACC Tournament Champions
• The Hokies had six ACC Individual Champions
• Joey Dance (125)
• Solomon Chishko (149)
• Zach Epperly (174)
• Zack Zavatsky (184)
• Jared Haught (197)
• Ty Walz (285)
• Tech finished with five NCAA All-Americans
• Joey Dance (125; 5th)
• Solomon Chishko (149; 6th)
• Sal Mastriani (157; 8th)
• Jared Haught (197; 4th)
• Ty Walz (285; 4th)
• Jared Haught earned the ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year award, joined by Solomon Chishko, Zach Epperly, Jared Haught and Zack Zavatsky on the All-ACC Academic Team.
• Jared Haught and Zack Zavatsky also earned NWCA All-Academic honors.

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