Bruins second team all-state
Blacksburg High School was knocked out of the 4A playoffs earlier this month by eventual champion, Salem. Wednesday, three Bruins were named to the second team all-state football team. Cole Beck received running back honors, while Tiquest Terry was a receiver second team. Gideon Driscoll was second team defensive lineman.
Motuapuaka joins Teller, Gallo in NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
Virginia Tech Senior LB Andrew Motuapuaka, a 2017 third-team All-ACC selection, has accepted an invitation to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on Jan. 20, 2018.
Motuapuaka has been a key and steady component for the Hokies’ defense this past season. He finished the regular season ranked second on Tech’s defense and tied for 13th in the ACC with 85 total tackles. The Virginia Beach, Virginia native trails only CB Greg Stroman for the team lead in passes defended with seven and has racked up 10.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, six quarterback hurries, an interception, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. Motuapuaka will leave Virginia Tech with his name in the top 10 in career tackles since 1987.
Motuapuaka joins G Wyatt Teller and C Eric Gallo who have accepted postseason all-star game invitations. Teller, a 2017 first-team All-ACC selection, has accepted an invitation to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl held in Mobile, Alabama on Jan. 27, 2018. Gallo is set to play in the Spiral Tropical Bowl held in Daytona Beach, Florida on Jan. 14, 2018.
Facyson, Phillips to East-West
Virginia Tech CB Brandon Facyson and WR Cam Phillips have accepted invitations to play in the 93rd East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 20, 2018 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Facyson has racked up five pass breakups and 2.0 tackles for loss this season while helping lead a defensive back group that ranks first in the nation with a 46.9 opponent completion percentage. This season, Facyson passed Brandon Flowers and Antone Exum in career passes defended since 1987. He now has 44 career PDs. Thanks in part to Facyson and the Tech secondary, the Hokies are second in the nation on third downs (25.1%) and have permitted an FBS-low 16 Red Zone scores.
Phillips, a first-team All-ACC selection, ranks fourth in the ACC in both receptions (71) and receiving yards (964). And Tech’s all-time leader in receptions (236) and receiving yards (3,027).
Wollman all-region
Adding to the long list of awards she’s already accrued this year, Radford University women’s soccer junior forward Jessica Wollmann has been voted onto the United Soccer Coaches Division I All-South Region Third Team, the organization announced.
Wollmann from Blacksburg is the first Highlander in program history to be named to a USC (formerly the NSCAA) Scholar All-Region team. Megan Horan (2006), Corin O’Donnell (2008), Caitlin Roan (2008) and Laura Culver (2008) were all garnered Honorable Mention merits.
Wollmann put together a stellar year in every way, earning First Team All-Big South, Big South All-Academic Team and Big South Attacking Player of the Week honors (twice) all while maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade point average as an Anthropological Studies major. She also minors in Biology.
She tallied career highs with seven goals, eight assists and 22 points across 1,421 minutes. She ranked second in the Big South in shots and assists, third in points, points per game and goals and even led the conference in game-winning goals with four.
Hokies preseason All-Americans
The 2018 Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-Americans were announced today and features a remarkable mix of talented NCAA Division I baseball players from across the USA and includes a pair of Virginia Tech Hokies as redshirt-seniors Tom Stoffel and Sam Fragale both made the Third Team. This is the first preseason All-American selection for either player, while the last time a Hokie earned such a nod was when Mark Zagunis made a pair of teams just before the 2014 season.
Stoffel, from Dayton, Ohio, has been selected to the team as a utility player, as his arm and bat will be key assets for the Hokies this upcoming year. Last season, he had one of the best ever years for a Tech player at the plate during ACC play.
Fragale, who was a Second Team All-ACC first baseman last season, will move over to third base for the 2018 season, and is where he’s made the preseason All-American list. The native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, finished third on the team last year in average at .310, but led the Hokies with a .615 slugging percentage, 15 home runs, 63 RBI and 12 sacrifice flies – which also led the NCAA. Among the nation’s leaders, he also finished 17th in RBI per game (1.15), 32nd in total RBI, 55th in home runs, 58th in HRs per game (0.27), 65th in slugging percentage and 82nd in total bases (131).
Highlanders honored
Haley Kleespies and Maddie Palmer earned VaSID All-State honors on Tuesday afternoon as Kleespies was named Second Team and Palmer was slated with First Team status and Player of the Year.
Palmer became the sixth Highlander in the last five years to earn First Team honors. The two have now won back-to-back VaSID respects as Kleespies was named Second Team in 2016 and Palmer repeated First Team. However, Palmer became the first player in school history to earn Player of the Year standing.
The senior outside hitter is no stranger to success as she holds the record for most kills in the rally-scoring era at Radford finishing with 1,545 kills.
Junior setter, Kleespies, is versed in winning back-to-back postseason recognition as she has won postseason Big South honors in each of her three years as a Highlander and now has consecutive VaSID honors. She has reached 1,000 assists every season of her career as well.
