Angela Tincher O’Brien, a record-setting pitcher who led the Virginia Tech softball program to its only Women’s College World Series appearance and was a national player of the year in 2008, is one of six former student-athletes who will be inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame later this fall.
The 2018 class of inductees includes:
Jessica Botzum Cockrill, a five-time All-American as a swimmer and a two-time ACC Swimmer of the Year during her career from 2005-08;
Billy Holsclaw, a three-time letterman as a quarterback and safety in the late 1950s and the first player ever at Tech to throw for more than 1,000 yards in a season on his way to breaking Southern Conference single-season records for passing and total offense;
Patrick Nyarko, the only All-American in Tech men’s soccer history who led the program to a College Cup appearance in 2007 before departing to play professionally; and
Eddie Royal, a receiver and return specialist during his career from 2004-07 who still holds two school records and went on to play nine seasons in the NFL;
Darryl Tapp, a first-team All-America football player as a senior in 2005 who recorded 21.5 sacks and 40 tackles for a loss in his career and later played 12 years in the NFL; and
Tincher O’Brien, a three-time All-American as a pitcher who still holds 57 school records, including those for career wins, career strikeouts and career ERA.
The six new honorees will be inducted during a Hall of Fame dinner on the Tech campus on Friday, Nov. 16, the evening before Tech’s home football game against Miami. The inductees will be introduced to fans at halftime of the football game. The new inductees will bring the total number enshrined to 198. The Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, which is located at the south end of the Cassell Coliseum ambulatory, was established in 1982.
Botzum departed as one of the most decorated women’s swimmers in Virginia Tech history after an outstanding career from 2005-08. The Raleigh, North Carolina product earned All-America honors in three of her four seasons at Tech and finished as a five-time All-American. In addition, she earned honorable mention honors on four other occasions.
Botzum made a splash early in her career, earning All-America honors in the 200-yard breaststroke as a freshman in 2005 when she finished seventh at the NCAA Championships. She placed third in the 200 breaststroke, fourth in the 100 breaststroke and sixth in the 200 individual medley at the ACC Swimming and Diving Championships that season on her way to being named the ACC’s Freshman of the Year.
As a junior and a senior, she was named the ACC’s Swimmer of the Year at the ACC Swimming and Diving Championships after she won the gold medal in both the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events both years.
Botzum earned All-America honors in both her junior and senior seasons as well. As a junior she came in fourth in the 200 breast stroke at the NCAA Championships and eighth in the 100 breaststroke. The following season, she finished fifth in the 100 breaststroke and sixth in the 200 breast stroke.
At the time of her graduation in 2008, Botzum held the school record in both events (1:00.56 in the 100 breaststroke and 2:10.13 in the 200 breaststroke).
Botzum competed in the 2004 and 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials and reached the semifinals in both competitions. At the 2008 Trials, she just missed making the final round of the 200 breast stroke by two-hundredths of a second. Her times in that event routinely ranked among the top 50 in the world.
Botzum also excelled in the classroom at Virginia Tech. She was a two-time Academic All-American, having been to the ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America team as a junior and a senior. In addition, she received postgraduate scholarships from both the NCAA and the ACC.
Botzum graduated from Virginia Tech in 2008 with a degree in biological sciences. She worked as an assistant coach for LSU for two seasons, and she got her master’s degree in kinesiology, with a concentration in exercise physiology while there.
Today, she and her family live in Rhode Island.
Holsclaw played football at Virginia Tech from 1956-58 under longtime and legendary head coach Frank Moseley, and he earned letters all three seasons (freshmen were ineligible during that era), while playing both quarterback and safety.
The Charleston, West Virginia native’s best season came during his senior year in 1958. He completed 70 of 127 passes for 1,013 yards, with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions, and he also intercepted two passes while playing defense. He became the first quarterback in Tech football history to throw for more than 1,000 yards in a season.
That senior campaign turned out to be a record-setting one, as Holsclaw broke the Southern Conference single-season records for passing yards and for total offense – he amassed 1,227 yards of offense that season. He finished sixth nationally in total offense that year and earned first-team All-Southern Conference honors for his efforts. In addition, Holsclaw earned honorable mention All-America honors.
After the season, Holsclaw was named the most outstanding player in the state by both The Roanoke Touchdown Club and The Norfolk Touchdown Club. He also received a tremendous honor when he was selected to play in the Blue-Gray All-Star Classic – a noted postseason all-star game at the time. He served as the Gray’s starting quarterback and was the only Tech player selected to play in the game.
Holsclaw graduated from Virginia Tech in 1959 with a degree in distributive education. However, he never left the game, as he embarked on a teaching and coaching career at the high school level in Northern Virginia that spanned nearly three decades. He coached and taught at Spotsylvania High and Osbourn Senior High before moving to Woodbridge High, where he spent 16 seasons – three as an assistant and 13 as a head coach, leading the team to an 88-44-2 record as the head of that program.
Holsclaw retired in 1990, but he still helped coach Woodbridge for another decade. Today, he and his wife live in Manassas, Virginia.
Nyarko came to Tech from the West African nation of Ghana in 2005, and he made an immediate impact on the Hokies’ men’s soccer program. In fact, he played the primary role in the program’s rise to prominence.
As a freshman in 2005, Nyarko burst onto the scene, scoring a team-best seven goals and recording a team-best 20 points on his way to becoming the ACC Freshman of the Year. That success continued during his sophomore campaign, as he set a school record with 16 goals and 40 points (eight assists) – records that still stand today. As a result of his output, he was a first-team All-ACC selection.
Nyarko tied for the team lead with seven goals as a junior, and he led the team in assists that season with 10. Behind him, the Hokies won 14 games, including three in the NCAA Championships to advance to the College Cup for the first time in program history. Nyarko earned first-team All-ACC honors again, and he became the program’s first All-American. In addition, he was a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist – an award that goes to the top player in collegiate soccer.
Following that season, Nyarko decided to leave Virginia Tech to pursue professional opportunities. The Chicago Fire selected Nyarko with the seventh overall pick in the 2008 Major League Soccer Draft, and Nyarko spent eight seasons with the Fire, scoring 19 goals in 196 appearances. He spent his final two seasons in MLS with D.C. United before retiring from the sport last season.
Today, Nyarko resides in Washington, D.C.
Royal made a name for himself as a playmaker both from his receiver position and as a return specialist during his playing days from 2004-07. The Alexandria, Virginia native scored touchdowns in four different ways during his career – via reception, rushing, passing and punt return.
Royal jumped into the starting lineup as a true freshman in 2004 and made one of the biggest plays in Tech history, hauling in a 39-yard touchdown pass from Bryan Randall in the fourth quarter to help the Hokies beat Miami and clinch their first ACC championship. He caught 28 passes for 470 yards and three touchdowns that season and earned freshman All-America honors from one publication in the process. He also served as the team’s primary punt returner, averaging 11 yards per return on 25 returns.
During his sophomore season, Royal caught 27 passes for 315 yards and two scores, while averaging 8.2 yards per punt return and 20.9 yards per kickoff return. As a junior, he earned second-team All-ACC honors and honorable mention All-America honors as a specialist after leading the ACC and ranking 12th nationally in punt return average (13.2 yards per return, one touchdown). Between his return yardage, rushing yardage and reception yardage, he finished with 1,256 all-purpose yards that year.
Royal led the ACC in punt return average again as a senior, averaging 14.7 yards per return and scoring twice. He also posted career highs in receptions (33 for 496 yards) and touchdowns (four) as a receiver, playing a pivotal role in leading Tech to its second ACC crown. He earned first-team All-ACC honors as a return specialist during his final campaign.
Royal still holds two school records – career punt return yardage (1,296) and career kickoff return average (23.5). His 1,296 punt return yards still rank first in ACC history.
Also, Royal is the only player in Tech history to lead the team in both punt return and kickoff return yardage in each of his four seasons at Tech. In addition, he’s the only Tech player in history to lead the team in kickoff returns and kickoff return yardage all four years of his career and one of just three players in Tech history to lead the team in punt returns and punt return yardage all four seasons of his career. He ranked second at Tech in career kickoff return yardage at the time of his graduation with 1,386, and today, ranks third.
As a receiver, Royal’s 119 career catches ranked third on Tech’s all-time list when he departed and still stands ninth. Today, his 1,778 career receiving yards rank 11th on the all-time list.
Royal, who graduated with a degree in sociology, was selected in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He went on to spend nine seasons in the NFL with three different teams.
Today, Royal lives in Northern Virginia. He retired from pro football in 2017.
Like Royal, Tapp burst onto the scene as a true freshman, and the Chesapeake, Virginia native became one of the football program’s all-time best defensive ends during a career that spanned from 2002-05.
Tapp played in all 14 games as a freshman, recording 21 tackles. He made one of the biggest plays of that season when he scooped up a blocked punt and scored a touchdown in the Hokies’ 21-9 victory over Virginia.23317
As a sophomore, he played in all 13 games, seeing most of his time as a reserve. He still managed 58 tackles, including nine for a loss, and three sacks.
Tapp really made a name for himself as a junior in 2004, helping the Hokies to their first ACC championship. He started all 13 games and finished with 60 tackles, including nine for a loss and 8.5 sacks. Following the regular season, he earned first-team All-ACC honors as a defensive end.
Tapp capped his career with an outstanding senior campaign, earning All-America honors after registering 48 tackles, including 14.5 for a loss, and 10 sacks. He also became a first-team All-ACC choice for the second consecutive season.
He finished his career with 187 tackles (94 solo), including 40 for a loss, and 21.5 sacks. He also registered 78 quarterback hurries in his career, including 35 his senior season.
Tapp, who graduated with a degree in marketing, was selected in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. He went on to spend 12 seasons in the NFL with six different teams. He retired in 2017.
Today, Tapp, who lives with his wife and children in Northern Virginia, is pursuing a career in coaching.
Tincher dominated in the pitcher’s circle like no other in the relatively brief history of the Tech softball program and ranks as not just one of the best softball players in program history, but one of the best athletes in Virginia Tech history.
Tincher, a relatively lightly recruited player out of James River High School in Buchanan, Virginia, became the Hokies’ ace as a freshman in 2005. Despite missing three weeks with an injury, she still finished 21-9 overall, with an ACC-leading 1.06 ERA. She struck out 349 batters in 204.1 innings, leading the ACC and coming in third in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings (12.0).
As a sophomore, Tincher went 26-9, with a 1.01 ERA. She struck out 504 batters – a school and ACC record at the time – in 256.1 innings on her way to becoming the first softball All-American in Virginia Tech history. Despite being a sophomore, she was the ACC Pitcher of the Year and Player of the Year, and she was one of 10 finalists for the USA Softball National Player of the Year award.
In 2007 as a junior, Tincher earned All-America honors again and was the ACC Pitcher of the Year for the second straight season. She went 38-7, with a 0.56 ERA – a number that led the nation. She also struck out 617 batters in 311.2 innings, ranking second nationally in strikeouts. She went 4-0 at the ACC tournament, pitching a tournament-record 25.1 consecutive scoreless innings en route to leading the Hokies to their first ACC title.
Tincher closed her career in grand fashion, going 38-10, with a 0.63 ERA in 2008. She struck out 679 batters in 344 innings, but more importantly, she led the Hokies to a second straight ACC title and to the Women’s College World Series – the program’s first and only appearance.
Midway through her senior season, she and the Hokies received national attention when they beat the U.S. Olympic team in an exhibition, snapping the U.S. team’s 185-game winning streak. Tincher pitched a no-hitter, striking out 10 in Tech’s 1-0 victory.
Tincher was USA Collegiate Player of the Year and the Honda Softball Player of the Year in 2008 in addition to being named the ACC Player of the Year. She still holds nearly every pitching record at Tech, including career wins (123), career ERA (0.78), career strikeouts (2,149), career shutouts (54), career no-hitters (14), career opponent batting average (.116), career starts (150), career appearances (186), and career innings pitched (1,116.1).
In addition to excelling on the field, Tincher performed tremendously in the classroom, earning academic All-America honors on three occasions. She graduated in 2008 with a degree in finance.
In 2008, Tincher was the third overall selection in the National Pro Fastpitch senior draft by the Akron Racers. She played two seasons for the Racers and she also played a season in Japan before embarking on a coaching career. Her coaching stops have taken her to Syracuse and Maryland before she returned to her alma matter as the pitching coach of the Hokies, a position she held for five seasons.
Tincher and her husband, former Tech baseball player, Sean O’Brien, live in Blacksburg with their children.
–VT Athletics
