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

42 Inside Hokie Sports With a combined 14 ACC team championships in the Hokies’ 15 years in the ACC, the student-athletes in the Virginia Tech track and field programs now go into every track and field season with only the loftiest of expectations. In simpler terms, they expect to win championships—and this season will be no different. The 2019 campaign turned out to be a banner one for both squads, but especially for the Tech men’s team. The Hokies shared the ACC title with Florida State during the indoor season and then won the league title outright during the outdoor season at the league meet held in Charlottesville, Virginia. The women’s team lacked depth at certain spots, and injuries came up at the worst possible time, but the Hokies still registered top-four team finishes at both ACC meets. Both teams look primed for greatness this winter and spring. Yes, the Tech men’s team lost Deakin Volz, a three-time ACC gold medalist and a six-time All-American in the pole vault. And yes, the Tech women’s squad lost middle distance dominator Rachel Pocratsky, an eight-time ACC gold medalist and a four-time All-American. But both squads return the bulk of the scoring from last season’s ACC Championships, and both feature veteran rosters, with 12 seniors on the women’s team and nine on the men’s. Both squads expect similar results to last year—and more on the women’s side—as the Hokies simply reload for this 2020 campaign. Tech started the indoor season in mid-January with a home meet at Rector Field House. Here are 10 student-athletes to watch, as the starter’s gun has cracked, signifying the start of the 2020 season: MEN JOEL LEON BENITEZ Class: Junior Hometown: Nottingham, United Kingdom Specialty: Pole Vault Outlook: Tech lost one of its all-time greats in Volz, but the Hokies return Benitez, who missed all of the outdoor season this past spring with an injury. In fact, Benitez missed much of the indoor season, too, though he competed at the ACC Indoor Championships and won a silver medal, finishing behind Volz. Benitez has never finished worse than fourth at any ACC meet in which he has competed, and he owns two ACC medals, winning a bronze medal during the 2018 indoor season to go with last year’s silver. He earned All-America honors during the 2018 outdoor season after finishing eighth at the NCAA Championships, and his personal-best vault during the outdoor season—5.52 meters, or 18 feet, 1.25 inches—stands fourth in program history. All of this leads one to believe that a healthy Benitez could become the next great pole vaulter at Tech. BASHIR MOSAVEL-LO Class: Junior Hometown: Richmond, Virginia Specialty: 800 Outlook: The Tech men’s program has a rich tradition of excellent middle-distance runners—Patrick Joseph, Neil Gourley, Vince Ciattei, Drew Piazza, Michael Hammond, Grant Pollock and Jason Cusack all ON YOUR MARKS With several ACCmedalists and All-Americans returning, the Virginia Techmen’s and women’s track and field teams are anxious to take on the ACC’s—and the nation’s—best by Jimmy Robertson Jacory Patterson Sarah Edwards Rachel Baxter Isaiah Rogers