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

inside.hokiesports.com 7 Willis learns in workout with Mahomes Virginia Tech quarterback Ryan Willis returned home to Overland Park, Kansas for a brief period this summer, and while there, he squeezed in a round of golf and a workout with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes, the NFL’s Most Valuable Player this past season, and Willis share the same out-of-season quarterback instructor in Jeff Christensen, a former NFL quarterback in the mid-1980s who owns Throw It Deep—a training facility in Chicago. Mahomes and Willis often visit the facility, but on this occasion, the two connected in Kansas City. They also know each other from their Big 12 playing days. Mahomes played at Texas Tech, while Willis played two seasons at Kansas before transferring to Virginia Tech. The two faced off on two occasions while in the Big 12, with Mahomes’ Red Raiders winning both games. The opportunity this summer allowed Willis to pick the mind of Mahomes and draw from Mahomes’ experience. “It’s cool to work around guys of that caliber and see just how they handle themselves and how they go about things working out,” Willis said. “He’s a down-to-earth guy. He’s just one of the guys, and he does great things on the field. It’s kind of cool to see.” Former Tech track athlete earns spot at World Championships Former Virginia Tech track and field great Hanna Green won a silver medal in the 800-meter run at the USA Track and Field Championships by Jimmy Robertson held in late July in Des Moines, Iowa, and by doing so, clinched a spot at the IAAF World Athletics Championships held in Doha, Qatar starting Sept. 27. Green ran the 800 in a personal-best time of 1 minute, 58.19 seconds, finishing behind Ajee Wilson (1:57.72), who holds the U.S. record in the event. If Green finishes in the top three at the IAAF World Athletics Championships, she will qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials held next June in Eugene, Oregon. Green ran at Tech during a career that spanned from 2013-17. She was a three-time NCAA silver medalist in the 800, and she won six individual ACC gold medals during her career. Big summer for incoming Tech women’s golfer Incoming women’s golf freshman Becca DiNunzio enjoyed a big summer on the links, winning the Virginia State Golf Association Junior Girls Championship and finishing second in the VSGAWomen’s Stroke Play Championship in separate events spanning three months. DiNunzio won the VSGA junior title after shooting a two-round 6-under-par at the Broad Bay Country Club in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She entered the final round tied for the lead after shooting a first-round 69 and then shot 65 in the final round to win by four strokes. The Norfolk, Virginia product came in second at the VSGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship held at Willow Oaks Country Club in Richmond on June 18-20. She fired rounds of 75, 77 and 69—the best round of the tournament—and came in six shots behind the winner. DiNunzio was one of two golfers to sign with Virginia Tech last fall, as both she and Alyssa Montgomery from Knoxville, Tennessee will be enrolling for the fall semester. H O W C A N I B R I N G M Y HOKIE, HOKIE, HOKIE, HI! CHANT A L L T H E W A Y I N T O ENEMY TERRITORY? Martin Travel I MartinTravel.com I 800-414-9275 I Human travel from real-live humans, courtesy of Martin Travel. ©2019 AAA Club Alliance Inc. 19_546839 FOOTBALL AWAY GAME PACKAGES Martin Travel has all of the official game packages! For more information, visit MartinTravel.com/Hokies TR_AD_19_546839_August Martin Travel Hokies Ad_pd02_01.indd 1 7/30/19 3:16 PM