Hokies dominate state awards
Virginia Tech grabbed seven spots on the first team and all three major awards on the 2018 Virginia Sports Information Directors All-State Wrestling Team. Jared Haught was named Wrestler of the Year following his NCAA runner-up finish, while Hunter Bolen grabbed Rookie of the Year honors. Tony Robie earned Coach of the Year to complete the sweep of this year’s major hardware.
Joining Haught and Bolen on the All-State first team from Virginia Tech were Dennis Gustafson (133), Brent Moore (141), Ryan Blees (149), David McFadden (165) and Zack Zavatsky (184). B.C. LaPrade (157) and Andrew Dunn (285) were named to the second team.
Major Award Winners: Wrestler of the Year, Jared Haught; Rookie of the Year, Hunter Bolen; and Coach of the Year: Tony Robie.
ACC matchups set
The Atlantic Coast Conference announced today the 18 conference matchups for each of its 15 men’s basketball teams for the 2018-19 season.
In addition to the Virginia Tech’s traditional rival yearly home-and-home meetings with Virginia and Miami, the Hokies will play home-and-homes with Notre Dame and Georgia Tech in the 2018-19 season. Last season, the Hokies had home-and-home games with Duke and Louisville.
The matchups released today designate the 18-game home and away opponents for the upcoming season. Specific dates and times for each game will be announced later this summer after the conference’s league schedule matrix is finalized.
The 2019 New York Life ACC Tournament is scheduled for March 12-16 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Big South honors Highlander
Freshman attacker Jennifer Shield has become an impact player for the Radford women’s lacrosse team and the conference has taken notice, awarding her the Big South Freshman of the Week award Tuesday afternoon.
It took some time for Shield to break out of her shell this season, but she has officially arrived on the collegiate scene. The Milton, Ga. native scored two goals and picked up two ground balls in Radford’s 15-10 win over Longwood on Wednesday before scoring a career-high four goals and grabbing two more ground balls against Winthrop.
Huffman pitcher of week
For her performance in the circle last week, Kayla Huffman has been recognized as the Big South Conference Pitcher of the Week, the conference announced on Monday.
Huffman made three appearances last week, all against Campbell, including earning the win in the series-clincher over Campbell. The junior pitched 10 innings and struck out 14 batters including eight in the series finale with the Fighting Camels. She only allowed two runs on six hits all week.
Evans outduels Manziel
Former Virginia Tech quarterback Jerod Evans still has high hopes to play one day in the National Football League. Last week, he made the most of a game in the Spring League as his North team beat former Texas A&M signal caller Johnny Manziel’s South team.
Evans finished seven of 15 for 96 yards and was named the player of the game. The Spring League is a new developmental and scouting league for non-drafted players who are looking to jump into the NFL.
Gallo named to honor roll
The National Football Foundation announced Wednesday that Virginia Tech’s Eric Gallo has been named to the 2018 NFF Hampshire Honor Society. This academic honor is presented to key contributors to a team’s success who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers. Gallo graduated from Tech with a degree in finance and completed his academic career with a 3.36 cumulative GPA.
A 2017 honorable mention All-ACC selection as a center, Gallo played in 42 games (38 starts) for the Hokies. The Richboro, Pennsylvania native anchored Tech’s offensive line, helping the squad extend both its bowl streak to 25 consecutive seasons and its victory string over Virginia to 14 consecutive years.
