2 Inside Hokie Sports Dear Hokie Nation, On behalf of Virginia Tech Athletics, we would like to wish you a happy and safe New Year! 2022 was an incredibly eventful and impactful year for Hokie sports, and we anticipate 2023 to be the same for our 22 varsity teams in Blacksburg. Currently, the winter athletics season is in full swing. Coaches Mike Young and Kenny Brooks have built our basketball programs into strong contenders for ACC titles, and we are very encouraged by the solid starts they have had to their respective seasons. The same can be said for our wrestling program. Tony Robie and his talented lineup of student-athletes are in an extremely competitive race for ACC and national titles, and they have the potential to bring home trophies to Blacksburg at the conclusion of the season. Swimming and diving is striving for top 25 finishes yet again in 2023, and coach Sergio Lopez Miro has our Hokies in position to ascend to new heights. Finally, Dave Cianelli has built an incredible standard of excellence in track & field, and our indoor team is more than capable of defending both the men’s and women’s ACC championships. We are encouraged by the progress our football program has made throughout this past season. We knew this was going to be a challenging process, but Coach Pry and his staff have made strides in our recruiting footprint throughout the Commonwealth and continue to show positive signs of growth. The seeds of a winning culture have been planted by this staff and our student-athletes, and you can already see the progress of this cultural shift. This is the right staff to reestablish our program as a contender in the ACC and nationally, and they’re working tirelessly to make this happen. Hokie Nation demonstrated they are the most passionate group of supporters in the country this past fall. We finished in the top three in the ACC in football attendance by percentage of capacity, and ticket revenue also increased by five percent from the previous season. Even through a challenging season, Hokie Nation showed that it will back our football program with an unabashed commitment to making Lane Stadium an incredible atmosphere for our student-athletes. As we turn the page to a new year in 2023, it is time to once again emphasize the need of providing the resources for our student-athletes to reach for excellence. Through the Hokie Scholarship Fund (HSF), we are able to afford over 600 Hokies the opportunity to receive a first class education and a premier student-athlete experience that only Virginia Tech can provide. By making a contribution to the Hokie Scholarship Fund, you are helping our athletics department take crucial steps towards the promising future of Virginia Tech athletics. We encourage our dedicated supporters to make an impact on the Hokie Scholarship Fund before the new March 1, 2023 deadline. March 1 is also the deadline to renew all 2023 season tickets for Football, Men’s Basketball, and Women’s Basketball. In order to lock in your seats and secure all exclusive benefits like seating, parking, and postseason ticket opportunities, be sure to complete your HSF giving and ticket orders by this date. Thank you for all your support of our student-athletes. We couldn’t do this without you, and hope to see you in Blacksburg soon! Go Hokies! Whit Babcock Director of Athletics A WORD FROM WHIT
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