Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 10 No. 6 | June 2018

inside.hokiesports.com 15 IT ’S HOW HOKI ES TRAVEL . Whether you’re planning a family vacation, a romantic getaway, or hitting the road to cheer the Hokies to victory, Martin Travel has you covered. Ensure your place in the stands or in the sand with one of our travel packages. For more information, stop by your local store: Blacksburg | 1344 S. Main Street, Suite 3 | 540-951-7854 Martinsville | 156 East Market Street | 276-632-6126 Roanoke | 3615 Franklin Road | 540-343-5400 www.MartinTravel.com | Info@MartinTravel.com the collegiate record holder at the line [Kerr], but then someone comes from outside and steals the national title from you. “It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with Vince. He’s been a national champion [in the distance medley relay during the indoor season]. He’s been an NCAA runner-up on three occasions between the relay, mile and 1,500. He’s a Hokie Hall of Famer in my book.” Fellow teammate Diego Zarate collected second-team All-America honors after finishing in 10th place with a time of 3:46.55 in the 1,500 as well. It marked the junior’s first time in collecting All-America status. Tech’s pole vaulters scored the rest of the points for the Tech men, as the trio of Torben Laidig, Deakin Volz and Joel Leon Benitez combined for nine points. Laidig earned a bronze medal with a top vault of 5.55 meters (18 feet, 2.5 inches), while Volz came in seventh (5.45 meters; 17 feet, 10.5 inches) and Benitez claimed eighth, clearing the same height as Volz and equaling a personal best. The three of them became the first trio of teammates to become first-team All- Americans in the pole vault event at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships since 1985. Laidig, a redshirt senior from Schwabish Hall, Germany, departs Tech as a six-time All- American. Volz, a junior from Bloomington, Indiana, earned All-America honors for the fourth time in his career, while Benitez, a freshman from Nottingham, United Kingdom, is an All-American for the first time. “I’mproud of how all five vaulters competed at this championship and am excited for future things to come,” pole vault coach Bob Phillips said. Also competing on the men’s side was sprinter/hurdler Greg Chiles, who finished third in his heat in the 400-meter hurdles and missed out on advancing to the finals by two- hundredths of a second. Chiles ran a time of 50.87 seconds, while the final qualifier, Jacob Smith of Northern Iowa, ran his heat in 50.85. Despite that, Chiles earned second-team All-America honors by virtue of his 10th-place overall finish. He departs as a three-time All- American, with one of those coming during the indoor season when he was part of the distance medley relay team that won the national title at the NCAA indoor meet. The meet marked the conclusion of the track and field season and competition for Virginia Tech student-athletes overall. It also left the head of the track and field programs feeling optimistic about his programs’ futures. “Any time you can finish in the top 10, it’s a great accomplishment,” Cianelli said. “The quality in this meet is so high, but I felt good about our chances coming in. We just had to come out and perform solidly—and we did that. I’m really proud of how our kids stepped up, and I’m proud of our coaches, too. “This gives us a lot of momentum heading into next year.” Vincent Ciattei