Here are the top 10 moments of this past school year as compiled by the magazine staff, with help from several in the athletics communications office:
1. HOKIES STUN NO. 1 DUKE
February 26 might be the greatest day in Tech basketball history. For starters, ESPN’s College GameDay made its first visit to Blacksburg for a hoops game. Then that night, in a packed Cassell Coliseum and with millions watching on ESPN, the Hokies triumphed over No. 1 Duke by a score of 64-60.
Tech trailed by six with 7:44 remaining, but a Jeff Allen 3-pointer sparked a game-ending 17-7 run. Terrell Bell’s 3-pointer tied the game at 55 with 4:40 left, and a huge Malcolm Delaney 3-pointer gave the Hokies a five-point lead with 2:01 to go. Duke got no closer than three points the remainder of the game.
Allen led Tech with 18 points and 15 rebounds. The victory marked Tech’s third over a No. 1 team under Seth Greenberg.
2. ZIEGLER AND HABAZIN WIN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Alexander Ziegler and Dorotea Habazin continued Tech’s track and field dominance in the throwing events, as both won national titles in the hammer throw at the NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships.
Ziegler beat teammate Marcel Lomnicky on his final attempt. He threw a career-best 72.69 meters (238 feet, 6 inches) to edge Lomnicky, whose best throw was 72.35 meters (237 feet, 4 inches).
Habazin tossed the hammer 68.15 meters (223 feet, 7 inches) on her third throw and made it stand. She claimed the title after finishing second in 2010.
The two become the fourth and fifth athletes at Tech to win national championships, joining Lomnicky, who won the hammer throw title in 2009, Queen Harrison, who won three national titles in 2010, and Spyridon Juillien, a four-time national champion (twice each in the hammer throw and the weight throw).
3. TAYLOR LEADS TECH TO ACC TITLE OVER FSU
Tyrod Taylor enjoyed a magnificent career, but the ACC player of the year saved the best performance of his career for the ACC championship game. The senior from Hampton, Va., threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns, and he also rushed for a score, as Tech scored on its first four possessions of the second half en route to a 44-33 win over Florida State on a chilly night in Charlotte.
The victory marked Tech’s 11th straight and sent the Hokies to the Orange Bowl for the fourth time (third as an ACC member). The Hokies won their fourth ACC title since joining the league.
4. WILLIAMS RUNS WILD AT MIAMI
Tech tailback Ryan Williams missed a big chunk of the season because of a hamstring injury, but his big game at Miami enabled the Hokies not only to beat the ’Canes, but also claim the Coastal Division crown in the process.
Williams rushed for 142 yards on 14 carries and scored two touchdowns in the 31-17 win. His 84-yard touchdown run was the longest touchdown run by a Tech player in an ACC game and the fifth-longest TD run in school history.
5. WOMEN’S SOCCER BEATS NO. 7 AND NO. 4 IN BACK-TO-BACK MATCHES
In a seven-day span in early October, the Hokies’ quietly successful women’s soccer program notched victories over the then No. 7 and No. 4 teams in the country.
On Oct. 3, the Hokies got an unlikely goal from Ashley Manning and five saves from Dayle Colpitts to stun Maryland by a score of 1-0, handing the Terps their first loss of the season.
Seven days later, the Hokies shocked BC by a count of 2-1 in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Manning again was the hero, scoring a goal with less than 18 minutes left in the match to lift Tech to the upset.
Interestingly, Manning scored just three goals all season.
6. VOLLEYBALL SQUAD WINS AN NCAA MATCH
The Virginia Tech volleyball team put together a terrific season, winning 19 matches overall, including 10 in the ACC. For their efforts, the Hokies earned the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth.
Tech not only made the tournament, but also won a match. The Hokies downed Delaware, which won 26 matches this past season, by scores of 25-17, 25-23, and 25-18. Senior Felicia Willoughby had a night to remember, smashing 11 kills in just 14 attempts for a career-high and team season-best .786 hitting percentage, while adding five blocks, two digs and an assist.
7. GRABER LIFTS MEN’S TENNIS TEAM IN NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Virginia Tech men’s tennis team trailed after losing the doubles point in its first-round match against Vanderbilt at the NCAA Championships, but the Hokies rallied by winning four of the five completed singles matches to seal the victory.
Tech led 3-2 before Pedro Graber, a redshirt senior from Santiago, Chile, finished things off. After losing the first set 7-5, Graber took the next two sets 6-3 and 6-4 to clinch the win for Tech.
With the victory, the Hokies advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships for the fourth straight time.
8. MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD TEAM CLAIMS ACC INDOOR CROWN
Behind three individual titles, the Tech men’s track and field team won its first ACC championship by claiming the league’s indoor crown at Rector Field House in late February. Tech scored 140 points, outdistancing Florida State, which had won eight straight ACC indoor titles.
Alexander Ziegler (weight throw), Stephan Munz (pole vault) and Michael Hammond (mile run) won the individual titles for the Hokies.
9. WRESTLERS BEAT NO. 2 AND NO. 4 AT NATIONAL DUALS
The Tech wrestling team had the two biggest wins in program history just a day apart, knocking off then-No. 2 Oklahoma State and then-No. 4 Wisconsin at the National Duals held in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in early January.
David Marone, a heavyweight, recorded a 10-4 decision over Blake Rosholt in the final match to lift Tech to an 18-16 win over the Cowboys. Against Wisconsin, Matt Epperly played a pivotal role. He scored a technical fall over Shawn Perry, winning 19-4. That turned out to be the difference, as the Hokies edged the Badgers 20-19.
10. GALE SAVES LACROSSE TEAM IN WIN OVER NO. 16 BC
After a dismal season a year ago, the Virginia Tech lacrosse team bounced back under the guidance of new coach Megan Burker. The turnaround started when the Hokies held on to beat then-No. 16 BC by a score of 12-11.
Sophomore Alex Gale played well in the cage for the Hokies, recording a season-high 12 saves. BC cut a 12-9 deficit to 12-11 in the final two minutes, but Tech held on for the win. Ryan Rotanz, Jessica Nonn and Allie Emala scored three goals each for the Hokies.
