Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 11 No. 3 | January 2019

44 Inside Hokie Sports Before the game or after , Preston’s Restaurant is a delicious place for a new game-day tradition. Start with our fresh breakfast buffet. Order lunch or dinner from our mouth-watering a la carte menu of seasonal cuisine. And don’t forget the Valley’s best brunch, every Sunday at Preston’s. Make Preston’s Restaurant your game-day tradition. @PrestonsRestaurant @PrestonsIVTSCC 540.231.0120 | www.InnatVirginiaTech.com 901 Prices Fork Rd, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (inside The Inn at Virginia Tech) Reservations recommended. A delicious game-day tradition. SPRINTS/HURDLES MEN RETURNERS Joseph Tay, Michael Davenport NEWCOMERS Cole Beck, Hans Gallagher, Miles Green, Tahjere Lewis, Donovan Louis, Jacory Patterson, Noah Ramsey, Derek Tay OVERVIEW The men’s sprints/hurdles group includes just two returning athletes – Michael Davenport and Joseph Tay. That duo needs to step forward and replace the production lost by the departure of Chiles, a three-time All-American. Davenport, a junior, runs mostly in the 100- and 200-meter events, and the 2016 ACC Men’s Track and Field Freshman of the Year ran the anchor leg on the 4x100-meter relay team that came in third at the ACC Outdoor Championships last May. Tay also ran on that relay team, and both he and Davenport will be expected to contribute points at both ACC Championships this season. Beck, a Blacksburg native, dominated Virginia track and field during his high school career. His personal best in the 100 – 10.37 seconds – currently ranks as the sixth-fastest 100 time ever run by a high school athlete in Virginia. A nine-time state champion, Beck should be fun to watch. The rest of the freshmen/newcomers bring impressive credentials as well. Patterson’s time in the 200 ranked as the fastest in South Carolina last year, while Green was a four-time All-American at Saint Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, specializing in the 400 and 400-meter hurdles. Chiles carried this group last year. Hopefully, this year’s bunch makes up for his departure – and then some. WOMEN RETURNERS Arlicia Bush, Kennedy Dennis, Caitlan Tate NEWCOMERS Kanajzae Brown, Kayla Copeland, Kaylah Duke, Imagine Patterson, Maya Pighet, Zanelle Richie, Nykah Smith OVERVIEW The Hokies lost school record holder Courtney Blanden (200 and 400), but Bush, Dennis and Tate – three talented athletes – lead the way heading into this season. Bush, a junior, holds the fourth-fastest outdoor time in the 400 (53.29) and the fourth-fastest indoor time in the 500 (1:14.09) in school history. She ran a leg of the Hokies’ distance medley relay team that won a gold medal at the ACC Indoor Championships, and she’s been on multiple relay teams that rank among the fastest in program history. Dennis and Tate enjoyed impressive freshman campaigns last season. Both hold 60 times that rank in the top six at Tech, while their 200 indoor times are among the fastest as well. Dennis ran 11.56 in the 100 during the outdoor season – a time that is the third-fastest in program history. The newcomers will be expected to contribute immediately. Keep an eye on Patterson, a four-time All-American and the 2018 Gatorade Track Athlete of the Year in South Carolina who is the state record holder in the 400-meter hurdles. If Bush, Dennis and Tate take the next step in their developments and the newcomers contribute, this could be the Hokies’ best sprints/ hurdles group in recent memory. SPRINTS/HURDLES COACH TIM VAUGHT’S TAKE “We’ve got a lot of young guys and a lot of young women as well. Great talent. Every day at practice, there is a different young one who might do something to catch my attention. Throughout this whole semester, I’ve seen a lot of talent on this team.”