Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 12 No. 3 | January 2020

inside.hokiesports.com 35 qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials. Bolen finished third at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas. Four out of the eight Hokies who competed placed in the top eight of their weight class. Bolenwent 5-1 to claimthird in the 184-poundweight class. Four of Bolen’s five victories were over ranked opponents, including the third-place match win over Taylor Lujan of Northern Iowa. Bolen avenged his only loss of the season after Lujan defeated Bolen in the quarterfinals Friday night. The Hokies finished 12th with 54 total team points. Prata finished fourth, Borst seventh (at heavyweight) and Mitch Moore eighth (at 141). The Tech wrestling team will compete at the Moss Arts Center again this season, playing host to Duke on Saturday, February 8 at 6 p.m. Match tickets can be purchased for $10 online, or $15 the day of the match, if available. TRACK & FIELD The Tech track and field program will be playing host to a 2020 Track & Field Alumni Reunion on the weekend of January 24-25. All alumni are invited to return to campus and enjoy the fellowship of former teammates and interact with current athletes and staff. This will coincide with the two-day Hokie Invitational indoor track meet at Rector Field House, providing an opportunity to see our current student-athletes in action. The meet is also Senior Night. Weekend activities include a Friday evening social, a Saturday evening dinner at Lane Stadium, and an alumni 4x400 relay (start training now!). The reunion weekend also provides an opportunity to see the newly completed entrance into Rector Field House, which is a showcase displaying the history of the program and many of the championship trophies and awards the program has accumulated over the years. It’s not too early to start planning for next cross country season! The program is planning its annual reunion when it plays host to the Virginia Tech Alumni Cross Country Meet on Friday, Sept. 4, which is the same weekend as the Tech-Liberty football game. Be sure to connect with the Virginia Tech track and field alumni group on Facebook to stay in touch with your teammates and hear about updates to upcoming events. FALL TAILGATES Monogram Club —The 2019 football season was an exciting one for Monogram Club members, with the club sponsoring tailgates at every home game. New this season was the addition of our Lot 1 tailgate, which was conveniently located near Lane Stadium and Hokie Village. Each week, one of our Monogram Club board members put on the tailgate, providing drinks and snack foods. Throughout the season, the popularity of the tailgate grew, with a surge in attendance during homecoming weekend. Homecoming weekend also provided the opportunity for club members to participate in the Enter Sandman Tunnel event in which more than 100 members enjoyed the pregame, on-field tradition. The tailgate was open to all club members and student-athlete alumni, as well as any of their friends or family members who wanted to join in the fun and festivities. The addition of this tailgate not only provided a great opportunity for members to reconnect with former team and classmates, but it also allowed members to meet new friends with the shared experience of being a former Virginia Tech student-athlete. Thanks to all our tailgate hosts who made these tailgates possible, and to the members who attended. We plan on continuing these tailgates and the Enter Sandman tradition in the future, so make plans to attend during the 2020 football season! Football —The 2019 football season was a great one for many reasons. It was a season when we got to witness the maturation of a team, as each game passed. We witnessed a celebration of the 1999 team that played for the national championship. Hokie Nation also celebrated the career of the best defensive coordinator in college football in Bud Foster . From a former players’ perspective, perhaps one of the biggest reasons it was a great season was we were afforded the opportunity to tailgate together. Through the Hokie Club and Monogram Club, football alumni were able to be the hosts for tailgates at each home game. For each tailgate, two former players were the hosts to football alumni and their guests who made the return trip “home.” There were more than 60 alumni in attendance for several tailgates. This tailgate location allowed football alumni across six decades to network and share stories of their time wearing the orange and maroon. We will continue to build upon this tradition in 2020, so get plugged in! A special thanks to the hosts and hostesses who made each tailgate a HUGE success! For those with any questions on football tailgates or any former football letterwinner questions, please contact Chad Beasley (beasleychad@yahoo.com ). LETTER JACKET CEREMONY The Monogram Club played host to our fall Letter Jacket Ceremony on Nov. 5. Taking place twice a year, this event is a celebration honoring each student-athlete who earned his/her first varsity letter during the previous semester. Coaches, administrative staff, and club members came to support the more than 120 student-athletes who earned their first letters during the 2019 spring semester. Letterwinners enjoyed a reception with light refreshments during which they received their varsity letter jackets from the Student- Athlete Development staff. The athletics department recognized each student-athlete individually during a short program highlighting the importance of what they had achieved and of Tech athletics as a whole. Immediately following the program, student-athletes were led onto the court at Cassell Coliseum, and they received a standing ovation from the crowd during a timeout at the women’s basketball game against Saint Francis. This was the first time that a group of student- athletes was publicly recognized during a Letter Jacket Ceremony. Congratulations to all our new student-athlete letterwinners and thanks to all Tech staff and Monogram Club members who were able to attend the ceremony. First-time letterwinners were awarded their letter jackets on Nov. 5 and were recognized during a timeout at the Tech women’s basketball season opener against Saint Francis.