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Inside Hokie Sports
In 2000, Warner Brothers released The
Perfect Storm, a movie starring George
Clooney and Mark Wahlberg and based on a
real-life storm that devastated the East Coast
in 1991.
For Dave Cianelli, the perfect storm
occurred last spring and was a much more
pleasant experience.
Cianelli, the director of Virginia Tech’s track
and field programs, saw his and his staff’s
recent recruiting efforts pay off in a big way, as
both the men’s and women’s teams combined
to win three ACC championships, with both
of them winning ACC outdoor crowns. On the
national level, Irena Sediva won her second
national title and the program’s 16th overall.
The men’s team finished seventh at the NCAA
indoor meet—the program’s highest finish
ever at the national indoor meet—and the
women’s team came in 11th at the NCAA
outdoor meet, which was the program’s
second-best finish at that meet.
Cianelli wound up winning his 12th and
13th ACC Coach of the Year honors.
“Well yeah, it was sort of a perfect storm,
the way everything came together with indoors
and outdoors for the men and outdoors for
the women,” Cianelli admitted. “And then the
cross country team had an excellent fall as
well [the men were second at the ACC meet
this past October, the women third]. So it was
a very, very good year for us, and now it is sort
of time to turn the page.”
The Tech men and women hope to repeat
their success on the track this winter and
spring, as the two squads opened the 2018
indoor season at the Nittany Lion Challenge
held Jan. 13 in State College, Pennsylvania.
Both teams lost key contributors from last
season, with the women seeing both Sediva
and two-time NCAA silver medalist Hanna
Green depart and the men bidding farewell to
two-time All-American Drew Piazza.
Yet of the 12 Hokies who earned All-
America honors during the outdoor season,
eight of them return. Of the 10 who earned
All-America honors during the indoor season,
seven return.
So the Hokies certainly have the goods to
add to their ACC title collection this winter
and spring.
“I think, collectively, I’m excited for all of
the groups because, looking at our men’s and
women’s teams, I believe this collection of
student-athletes is probably as talented as we
have ever had since I’ve been here,” Cianelli
said. “That doesn’t guarantee anything, but
it gives you the opportunity to have a lot of
success. If we keep them healthy and develop
them, we really have a good collection of
returnees and newcomers that I think will
keep both the men’s and women’s teams at a
high level.
“I think both teams will be in the mix at the
ACC meets, and also I think we have a very
good chance to place very high at the NCAA
Championships. I’m very excited to get things
going and see what we can do. I’m ready to go.”
Here is a look at each of the disciplines,
as the Hokies start the 2018 track and field
seasons:
MEN’S
DISTANCE
TOP RETURNERS
Daniel Jaskowak, Patrick Joseph, Neil Gourley,
Peter Seufer, Vincent Ciattei, Diego Zarate,
Jack Joyce
NEWCOMERS
Ben Fleming, Osman Humeida, Bashir
Mosavel-Lo, Dave Whitfield, Will Griffen,
Thierry Siewe Yanga
OVERVIEW
The men’s distance and mid-distance crew
represents arguably the strongest part of the
men’s team and led the way for the Hokies
to claim both the ACC’s indoor and outdoor
team titles in 2017. Tech lost Piazza, an indoor
and outdoor All-American, to graduation, but
much of the talent returns.
Gourley (1,500) and Seufer (10,000) both
won ACC crowns during the outdoor season,
while Ciattei (mile) and Joseph (800) claimed
ACC gold during the indoor campaign. They
continued their success at the NCAA level,
too, as Jaskowak and Ciattei, along with Greg
Chiles and Kevin Cianfarini, nearly guided
the Hokies to an indoor national title in the
distance medley relay, finishing second.
Gourley and Joseph earned All-America
honors during both the indoor season and
outdoor seasons, while Ciattei and Seufer
earned second-team All-America honors
during the outdoor season.
Unfortunately, Jaskowak, Gourley and
Joseph only have indoor eligibility remaining,
but Seufer and Ciattei provide plenty of
experience and talent, and a group of talented
newcomers should help the squad overcome
those losses.
DISTANCE COACH
BEN THOMAS’
TAKE
“We had a talk with our seniors, kind of the
beginning of the last with such a great group
of seniors. We started with cross country, and
it was like you didn’t want the season to end
because they have just been so clutch. They
have been such great ambassadors for our
program and school. So I’m going to enjoy it.
Yes, I’m going to take, not just the meets, but
enjoying the last hard cycle of practices with
these guys, and hopefully we get them to the
[starting] line about to run the best races of
their lives. That would be something pretty
special if we could do that.”
OUT
OF
THE
BLOCKS
With a lot
of talent
returning
on both the
men’s and
women’s sides,
Virginia Tech
is looking to
win more ACC
championships,
while making a
name for itself at
the national level
as well
by
Jimmy Robertson
Torben Laidig
