Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 12 No. 1 | August 2019

34 Inside Hokie Sports NEW MONOGRAM CLUB DIRECTOR Meet the new director for women’s tennis below, as she takes the reins from departing director Anne Jones. Directors for individual sports serve on the Monogram Club Board and are elected on a three-year rotating basis. Find all members of the Board at: http://monogram.hokiesports.com/ WOMEN’S TENNIS Elissa Hill (2004, B.S. in sociology; 2005, M.S.Ed. in health promotions) Fun facts: Hill was a member of the Virginia Tech women’s tennis team from 2002-04. A transfer from the University of Nebraska, Hill joined the team following a freshman year (2001) at Nebraska that saw her finish with a 16-5 record and a second-place individual finish in the Big 12 Conference. After being named the Tech women’s tennis Rookie of the Year in 2003, Hill teamed with doubles partner Felice Lam to advance to the ITA Eastern Region final. Hill currently resides in Orlando, Florida with her husband, Bryan. After coaching college tennis for seven years, she began working for the United States Tennis Association (USTA). She currently serves as the senior director, events and collegiate tennis. She can be reached at: hill@usta.com and at 561- 908-4634. Hill said: “Being a member of the Hokie family is something truly special—an honor and a privilege. It is my wish for my fellow women’s tennis alumni to stay involved with the tennis program and help support the next generation of wonderful women, as they pursue their dreams both on the court and in the classroom.” SPORT NEWS MEN’S GOLF On July 1, the Virginia Techmen’s golf teamwelcomed Brian Sharp as the head coach. A Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame inductee and a longtime assistant coach at Tech, Sharp follows Jay Hardwick’s more than 35 years of dedicated service. Sharp inherits a young, talented group that was led by rising junior Connor Burgess (Lynchburg, Virginia) during the 2018-19 season. Best of luck to Coach Sharp in his new role and to Coach Hardwick in this new chapter of life. After taking a redshirt year last season, all-time leading scorer for Tech men’s golf, Mark Lawrence Jr. (Richmond, Virginia), returns to action this fall to provide talent and experience to the lineup. Lawrence, who received individual bids to an NCAA regional following both of his previous two seasons of competition, was a semifinalist at the U.S. Amateur in 2017. Daniel Azallion (Hilton Head, South Carolina) is the lone freshman joining the squad this fall. Among other accomplishments, Azallion was the 2018 South Carolina junior champion. The team’s fall schedule includes one new event—the inaugural Battle at Briar’s Creek, sponsored by the College of Charleston at St. John’s Island, South Carolina. Other fall stops include the VCU Invitational in Richmond; the Old Town Club Collegiate Invitational in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate in Jonesborough, Tennessee; and the Grandover Collegiate in Greensboro, North Carolina. Also, this fall, the Tech men’s golf alumni will gather for a reunion on Oct. 26-27. More than 60 former players are expected to attend—the largest gathering in the history of the event. Contact Mike Ligon for more information (ligonm01@verizon.net ). MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS The men’s and women’s tennis programs are thrilled to be playing host to a Tennis Alumni Weekend this fall. Taking place Sept. 27- 29, the weekend will kick off with a Friday afternoon tailgate and the football game against Duke; a Saturday cookout and play opportunity followed by a campus/athletic facilities tour; and then a Sunday alumni breakfast. We look forward to seeing everyone then! (For more information, contact Elissa Hill at hill@usta.com, or Preston Lemon at prestonlemon@gmail.com) . TRACK & FIELD AND CROSS COUNTRY All former track and field and cross country alumni are invited to the annual Alumni Meet and reunion on Friday, Sept. 20! The evening starts out with a 4K alumni run/race followed by both the men’s and women’s varsity races. After the races, we will hold a post-race barbecue in Rector Field House for all former athletes and families. This is a great opportunity to run Virginia Tech’s home course and then engage with the current team, coaching staff and old teammates! Contact Brian Walter for more information (bwalter@vt.edu) . Along with the Alumni Meet, the 2019 cross country program is looking forward to a great season, with four home meets. The home season culminates with the program playing host to the 2019 ACC Championships, so mark your calendar for Friday, Nov. 1! The last time Virginia Tech played host to the ACC Championships was 2012, when the Hokies brought home the men’s championship trophy. This year, the team is looking forward to defending our home course, as well as Peter Seufer defending his 2018 individual ACC title. The 2019 home cross country meets are all on Fridays and include: Virginia Tech Invitational (Sept. 6); Virginia Tech Alumni Meet (Sept. 20); ACC Championships at Virginia Tech (Nov. 1) and Hokie Open (Nov. 8). FOOTBALL As the opening kickoff of the 2019 football season draws near, Hokie Nation’s excitement is reaching a fevered pitch. We are excited to watch our belovedHokies take the field against BostonCollege onAug. 31! Below is a list of events scheduled for former Virginia Tech football players: 2019 Home Game Events for Football Alumni Sept. 6 and 7— ODU: Hall of Fame Game; 1969 team 50th reunion; Monogram Club All-Sports Tailgate Sept. 27 (Fri.)—Duke: 1999 national championship game team recognition; 20-year reunion Oct. 18 and 19—UNC: “ Enter Sandman Tunnel Experience ”—club members help to make the tunnel on the field at Homecoming for college football’s most electrifying entrance! We always are looking to reconnect with former football players. If you know of anyone who played football for the Hokies and is not currently receiving our email updates, but would like to, please have them reach out to Chad Beasley (beasleychad@yahoo.com ), so we can connect them with the former players group. WOMEN’S SOCCER Coming off a Sweet 16 run in 2018, fans are excited to see what the 2019 season holds for the Virginia Tech women’s soccer team. The Hokies feature an experienced senior class that has helped pave the way and also some eager underclassmen who appear ready to make an immediate impact.