Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 13 No. 1 | August 2020

32 Inside Hokie Sports The Monogram Club is a long-standing organization of student- athlete alumni and letterwinners at Virginia Tech. Monograms are currently awarded to student-athletes and support staff in baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, HighTechs, HokieBird, lacrosse, managers, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field (indoor and outdoor), trainers, video, volleyball, and wrestling. Contact data for representatives for each sport category and officers can be found on the Monogram Club website: (http:// monogram.hokiesports.com/about/ ). STUDENT-ATHLETE ALUMNI CHALLENGE—IDENTIFY! In June of 2020, the Club presented itself and all past Tech sports alumni with a challenge—to use an online survey to identify all past student-athletes who played a sport or participated in sport-related activities as a student at Virginia Tech. The survey response has been great and served to identify more than 400 alumni, but this is perceived to be just a fraction of the alumni who participated in collegiate sports at Virginia Tech. So, the challenge continues throughout this coming 2020-21 academic year. Hokie Club members and fans of ALL Tech sports can assist the Club by reaching out to those they know who played a sport at Tech and encourage them all to complete the survey. Encourage all to IDENTIFY! The identify survey is available on the Club website — it’s under the subhead “ Are you a VT former Student-Athlete? ” below the “Welcome” on the Monogram Club webpage (http://monogram. hokiesports.com/) . All Tech alumni on any sport team of the past are challenged to reach out and identify themselves, as the Club seeks to continue to build and expand the current base and network of sport alumni. FALL 2020 UPDATE Hokie Nation is definitely experiencing odd and difficult situations, as we work through ever-evolving uncertainties. As former student- athletes, we know what it’s like to go through adversity and overcome, but this year is hopefully nothing like any of us has ever experienced. Fortunately, our Hokie Spirit helps us not only cope and persevere, but also serve others in the midst of it all. We encourage you all to reach out to your former classmates and teammates to stay connected with one another, as well as connecting with your sport representative on the Board. As of mid-August, student-athletes in fall sports had arrived on campus, and fall sports among schools in the ACC were scheduled to start play in September. The pre-class schedule for students included wellness-commitments, enhanced hygiene practices, COVID-19 testing and online innovations for some classes and all final exams. As an organization, the Monogram Club exists to recognize and serve the university’s former student-athletes and current sports programs and looks to the future of continuing to support and build upon the solid foundations that make former letterwinners proud to wear orange and maroon. As we are keenly aware of uncertainties that lie ahead, we continue to press on, as though this setback will only be temporary, and that Virginia Tech will soon resume new-normal operations as a university and athletics department. In the meantime, we continue to look for ways to engage and connect our alumni with the university. The Monogram Club Board of Directors consists of 20 sport representatives and officers who work closely with all varsity sports and the athletics department to create and facilitate opportunities for our alumni to reconnect with teammates and remain close to the programs in which we competed. We are an energetic, volunteer-based board, motivated by the desire to bring Hokies together. A lot of exciting things have been in the works for the Club lately, and we are looking forward to seeing many of those things come to fruition in the future. Our plans continue to evolve as more information is released and known. Stay tuned for updates as they emerge! MONOGRAM CLUB STAFF The Club is supported by the staff within the Hokie Club. The Monogram Club’s Executive Director is Shelbylynn Adair , who is the annual giving coordinator for the Hokie Club, as well as the Monogram Club program coordinator (adairsm@vt.edu ). Her insights and perspectives as a past student-athlete (volleyball and women’s basketball) and experience as an assistant volleyball coach at many universities (including Tech from 2006-16) are of great benefit to the Board, as we continually pursue and support student-athlete alumni and interface with current programs at Tech. For the past year of 2019-20, Zack Treser was program assistant. Zack, a Blacksburg native, graduated with a degree in biological science (Class of 2019) and was a member of the Tech football team (2015-18). His insights and perspectives have been exceptional, and, among many initiatives, he spearheaded our challenge initiative to identify all past student-athletes. In July, Zack departed his position with the Club and enrolled at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in pursuit of his medical doctorate (M.D.). We have appreciated his contributions to the Club and will look for him at Club events throughout the coming years! Good luck to Zack! MEN’S GOLF The Tech men’s golf team has two freshmen for the 2020-21 season. Kobe Valociek arrives from Peoria, Arizona, while Charlie Hanson hails from Richmond. For fun, head coach Brian Sharp and Mike Ligon (ligonm01@verizon.net ) held a short Q&A exercise with each in an effort to “get to know” our newest Hokies. Both Kobe and Charlie have a terrific work ethics, which was one of the reasons Coach Sharp was so impressed with each of them. When asked one thing that they wished they could do better, “putting” was the first word for both, so it sounds like there will be plenty of time spent around the practice green this fall. Like with most successful teams, player relationship with the coaches is vital, and each cited that as one of their top reasons for selecting Tech. Facilities, a beautiful campus, and engaging teammates also factored into their decisions. Another commonality of these star freshmen is their inclusion of Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus in their dream foursomes, with Kobe adding Brooks Koepka and Charlie favoring Arnold Palmer. On the serious side, when asked about the impact of COVID-19 on their preparations for coming to Blacksburg, both players discussed the additional practice time they have been afforded with schools out and social distancing in place. Not only are the additions to the Tech men’s golf team excellent competitors with proven tournament records, they also bring the Hokie spirit of hard work, while enjoying the process. The Monogram Club, the Hackin’ Hokies, and Hokie Nation welcome Kobe and Charlie. Golf Note: With his recent State Open of Virginia victory, Tech golfer Mark Lawrence, Jr. (’20) joined Lanny Wadkins as the only