Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 12 No. 4 | March 2020

30 Inside Hokie Sports SPORT UPDATES MEN’S SOCCER Virginia Tech head coach Mike Brizendine is inviting all former soccer players back to campus on April 17-18 for an alumni weekend and reunion. More details will follow from the coaching staff, but it is shaping up to be a fantastic program in addition to being the football squad’s Spring Game weekend. Here is a tentative schedule: • Friday, April 17—evening social at Top of the Stairs • Saturday, April 18—The 15th annual Virginia Tech World Cup and Tournament , co-hosted by the men’s soccer program and the Cranwell International Center. Alumni are encouraged to put together a team and play. If interested, please contact Coach Brizendine (mbriz@vt.edu) . The tournament is seven a side and played on a half of a field with 25-minute games. Participation will include students, faculty, staff and alumni from Virginia Tech and neighboring universities. The event continues to function as part tournament and part mini conference, examining the cultural and historical formation of national and regional identities through public and civic engagement in the global sport of soccer. • Saturday, April 18— The Virginia Tech Men’s Soccer Banquet will be held on this day. Join in celebrating the current Hokies team on their success during the 2019 season. Please RSVP by contacting Coach Brizendine (mbriz@vt.edu ). To connect with your former soccer alumni, please look for us on Facebook, as we continue to grow our network and share past pictures and memories. Please search for “Virginia Tech Men’s Soccer Players, Alumni, and Friends of the Program.” Charlie Howe (Class of 2006) and Kevin Finn (’87) continue to spearhead an initiative to connect with every men’s soccer captain in the program’s history. If you’ve heard from them to date, that’s fantastic, but please connect with Howe, who also serves as your Monogram Club men’s soccer representative and can be reached at charlieh.howe@gmail.com. WOMEN’S SOCCER The women’s soccer team will be playing host to the 2020 Spring Alumni Event on April 18 (Spring Game weekend) in Blacksburg. Location and times are to be announced soon. Women’s soccer alumnae who wish to be included on this event’s distribution list are asked to email Macaulay Soto, the program’s director of operations (macas17@vt.edu) . Keep up with all women’s soccer activities through Blair Nelson (VTWomensSoccerAlumni@gmail.com ). TRACK & FIELD The Virginia Tech track and field programs played host to the annual alumni reunion on weekend of January 24-25 held in conjunction with the 2020 Hokie Invitational indoor track meet. Throughout the course of the weekend, alumni connected at Rector Field House during the meet, at a social that Friday night sponsored by the Monogram Club, and at a Saturday evening dinner put on by the Tech track and field programs at Lane Stadium. The weekend also provided a handful of alumni the chance to compete at Rector once more. Women’s alumni pole vaulters Kelly Phillips , Leigh Allin , and Erinn Schaal competed in the women’s pole vault, Rachel Pocratsky ran in the women’s 600- and 800-meter races, Julie Wiemerslage ran in the women’s 3,000, and Abigail Motley and Natalie Hall ran the women’s mile. The meet ended with 10 alumni competing in a 5x400-meter relay race. In addition, the weekend provided the opportunity to recognize track and field alum Chris Quillen (‘98, marketing) for making a generous contribution to the program that funded a weight room facility inside of Rector Field House. Special thanks go out to the Dave Cianelli and the entire Tech coaching staff for providing a great opportunity to engage with the current program and visit with former teammates. To keep up to date on the track and field program, please contact Monogram Club track and field representative Brian Walter (bwalter@vt.edu ). MEN’S BASKETBALL The Virginia Tech men’s basketball team and the Monogram Club held a men’s basketball reunion Feb. 7-8 surrounding the team’s game against Boston College. There were 23 former men’s basketball players in attendance who graduated between 1963-2018. It was nice to have some of the younger players attend the reunion this year. A group of Virginia Tech track and field alumni came back for the Hokie Invitational in mid-January, including (bottom, left to right) Abigail Motley, Brian Welch, Hunter Hall, Andrew Eason, Eugene Meyers; (second row, left to right) Kelly Phillips, Kyra Lopez, Danny Rau, Darren Barlow, Julie Wiemerslage, Katie Kennedy; (back row, left to right) Natalie Hall, Jason Cusack, Stuart Robertson, and Daniel Jaskowak. Virginia Tech All-America goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn was selected by Sky Blue FC with the No. 20 pick in the NWSL Draft held in mid-January. Two Virginia Techwomen’s soccer alumnae recently have committed to playing professionally. Here is more on the two: • Mandy McGlynn was selected by Sky Blue FC with the No. 20 pick in the recent National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Draft. McGlynn became the highest drafted women’s soccer player ever from Tech. She will begin her journey in New Jersey this spring. • Jaylyn Thompson signed a professional contract with a first-division Spanish club team and will play this spring for Zaragoza Club de Fútbol Femenino (CFF), a women’s football team in Primera División B. Good luck to both Jaylyn and Mandy!