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

A s a redshirt freshman on the Virginia Tech wrestling team in 2014-15, Jared Haught had a losing record, dropping 18 matches and leaving some to question his future impact. Well, he certainly quieted the doubters, losing just 17 matches the rest of his career. Haught capped an incredible career by winning an ACC title, advancing to the championship match at his weight class at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, and earning All-America honors for the third time. As a result of all his accomplishments this past season, the young man is Inside Hokie Sports’ 2017-18 Athlete of the Year. Haught became just the second Tech wrestler (Devin Carter) to be named the magazine’s Athlete of the Year since the publication started doing this in 1995. The complete list of winners includes Cornell Brown (football), Jim Druckenmiller (football), Katie Ollendick (women’s track and field), Corey Moore (football), André Davis (football), Lee Suggs (football), Bryant Matthews (men’s basketball), Kevin Jones (football), Queen Harrison (women’s track and field), Dorotea Habazin (women’s track and field), Marcel Lomnicky (men’s track and field), Spyridon Jullien (men’s track and field), Angela Tincher (softball), Alexander Ziegler (men’s track and field), Erick Green (men’s basketball), Devin Carter (wrestling), Irena Sediva (women’s track and field), Tommy Curtin (men’s track and field) and Hanna Green (women’s track and field). Haught beat out strong crop of athletes for this recognition, including Taylor Emery (women’s basketball), Rachel Pocratsky (women’s track and field), Marcelo Acuna (men’s soccer), Greg Stroman (football) and Vincent Ciattei (men’s track and field). That contingent enjoyed phenomenal seasons in their respective sports, for sure, but Haught’s accomplishments on the mat were too many to overlook. Haught won his second ACC championship at 197 pounds when he knocked off NC State’s Michael Macchiavello 6-4 in five overtimes at the ACC Championship held March 3 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. That win—it was the next-to-last match of the Championship—secured the Hokies’ victory in the team race for the fourth time in program history. He carried that momentum into theNCAAWrestling Championships. The No. 3 seed at 197, Haught rolled to four consecutive wins, including a pin of Cornell’s Ben Darmstadt in the semifinals. He became just the second NCAA finalist in program history, joining Carter, who made it to the finals in 2014. Haught dropped a heartbreaking 3-1 decision in the national title match in what was the third bout with Macchiavello this season. The Wolfpack wrestler won by taking down Haught with just 10 seconds left in the match. Still, Haught concluded his career as an All-American, becoming the fourth three-time All- American in program history. Haught finished the season with a career-best 30 wins, and he departed from Tech with 97 wins in his career. He also took care of things in the classroom, earning a spot on the All-ACC Academic team four times and graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering. Haught set the program standard for work ethic, leadership and discipline during his five years in Blacksburg. His production will be missed, but in the short term, his legacy will be felt for years to come. HAUGHT R-SR • PARKERSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA WRESTLING Jared inside.hokiesports.com 19