Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 13 No. 6 | June 2021

28 Inside Hokie Sports (eight) and points (26) as a junior. The Sewell, NJ native led the ACC in assists, ranked third in points and tied for third in goals. Gray was named to the All-ACC Third Team following the fall portion of the 2020-21 schedule. It was her third postseason honor from the league as she was honored on the 2018 All-ACC Freshman Team and the 2019 ACC All-Academic Team. In addition to her All-ACC accolades, Gray was recognized by the United Soccer Coaches Association with her selection to the All-Atlantic Region Second Team. Gray broke the single-game school record for assists in a match when she dished out four assists in an 8-2 victory over Miami. For the 2020-21 season, she tallied the fifth-most assists ever recorded in a single season for VT; her 16 career assists place her seventh on the VT all-time career list. Ironically, Gray earned her first-ever ACC Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week honor from the league, but it was not for her effort against Miami, but a couple weeks later in the win over Navy. She assisted on both goals in the 2-1 victory and became just the second VT midfielder to earn the award (first was Jennifer Harvey (’10) in 2009). Gray was also named to the College Soccer News—Women’s National Team of the Week, and to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week, as she tallied her third game-winning assist of the year in that contest with Navy and the seventh of her career. In addition to her on-field accomplishments, Emily is active in the community and student body. Gray is involved with Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) at VT and is an on-air analyst and commentator on the ACC Network for men’s soccer programs. When she is not playing or analyzing soccer games, she is involved with Kappa Tau Alpha (National Honor Society in Journalism and Mass Communication). Emily assists with 3304 Sports , the multi- media platform for student sports journalism at VT, and has a summer internship in Public Relations and Communications with the Philadelphia Union. FOOTBALL There has been some exciting news coming out of the football program in 2021. Perhaps one of the biggest was in the form of one of our own, James Mitchell (’22) receiving the 2021 Male Golden Gobbler award. The Golden Gobbler award recognizes Hokie student athletes for their contribution athletically to their respective sports, but more importantly their achievements in the classroom as well as their dedication to living out the VT motto daily. In the 2020 season James led the Hokies with four receiving TDs, scored once rushing and had 26 receptions for 435 yards in 10 contests in 2020. James was selected at TE for the 2020 All-ACC Academic Team, his second such honor. Congratulations to James on these great achievements! Since the calendar flipped from 2020 to 2021, a lot has happened in and around the football program and with respect to alumni, both new and old. One of the critical pieces of this puzzle came with the addition of Samantha “Samm” Stewart at the end of 2020. Samm joined the athletic department in November 2020 as the Assistant AD of Player Engagement for Football. In her new role, Samm is responsible for the personal growth and development of current football student athletes, as well as connecting with alumni athletes. With Samm’s focus and drive, football alumni were fortunate enough to participate in several unique and exclusive events during the spring. The alumni were able to participate in three zoom calls with special guests and hosts with names like Bud Foster , Mike Burnop (’74) and Dwight Vick (’99) and with appearances from some of our very own on the current football staff as well as Coach Justin Fuente taking time out for the Friday Talk with Fu! Also, as spring ball was going on, football alumni were invited back for a tour of the new facilities, as well as having the opportunity to catch a sneak peek at the 2021 Hokies! Samm and the football alumni are always looking to reconnect! If you are not plugged in and want to be, please reach out to Samm Stewart (sammstewart@vt.edu) and Chad Beasley ’02 (beasleychad@yahoo. com). Get connected to find out the details on the upcoming season, alumni tailgates, and ticket opportunities! GO HOKIES! Continued from page 27 PREFERRED EYECARE OF Visit Us at 1440 South Main Street, Blacksburg, Va. 540-953-2020 • WWW.BLACKSBURGEYE.COM