Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 11 No. 5 | May 2019

12 Inside Hokie Sports Each year, one male and one female student-athlete are selected to receive the Skelton Award for Academic Excellence in Athletics. This award, recognized by the Department of Athletics as the “highest honor of its kind awarded by the department” honors those student-athletes who distinguish themselves by their academic performances, their leadership both on and off the playing surface, and their character. The Skelton Award and scholarship were created by the late Dr. Bill and Peggy Skelton, longtime supporters of Virginia Tech athletics and dedicated community members with a passion for service. Since the award’s creation in 1997, 47 Virginia Tech student-athletes have been honored with this prestigious recognition, but only 46 different last names have been etched into the award. One last name, “Wilding,” has been etched into the Hokie stone awards given to the student-athlete recipients in each of the past two years. In March of 2018, wrestler Brooks Wilding received the Skelton Award for Academic Excellence in Athletics. A year later, in March of 2019, a junior on the women’s swimming and diving team earned the award, a young woman named Hannah Wilding, Brooks’ younger sister. This marked the first time in the history of the award that siblings had received the honor. (For more on this year’s Skelton Award winners and those recognized at the AD Honors Celebration, please read pgs. 20-21.) Brooks, anaerospace engineeringmajor recognized for his leadership on and off the mat, said, “The Skelton family is a great representation of what is so awesome about the Virginia Tech athletics community. They care deeply about giving generously to student-athletes as a reward for hard work. To be honored with this award was one of my proudest moments as a Virginia Tech wrestler, and I’m super proud of Hannah for all that she has accomplished in athletics and academics as well.” A year later, when it came time for the Skelton Award selection committee to choose the female recipient, Hannah’s dedication to service and her community made the clinical neuroscience major a unanimous selection for the award. When asked what being selected for the honor meant to her, she replied, “Winning the Skelton Award was a huge honor, and I am extremely grateful to Virginia Tech Athletics and the Skelton family for making it possible. Being the first set of siblings to win the award is really exciting and humbling. It’s a special thing to share. I look up to Brooks a lot, and he’s a big inspiration to me, so I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without him.” After Dr. Bill and Peggy Skelton’s passing, their children, John (Class of 1971) and Jean (Class of 1969) became involved in the award selection process to represent their late parents and to ensure that the values of leadership, academic achievement, and service remained key factors in selecting recipients for the award. John said, “Both Dad and Peggy came from humble beginnings on rural farms, learning the values of strong work ethics and high personal ethical standards. They carried it forward in their dedication and service to Virginia Tech and the lives of others. Since the commencement of the Skelton Awards for Academic Excellence in Athletics in 1997, never before have there been two siblings who have been selected as recipients. It is a tribute not only to Hannah and Brooks Wilding, but also to their family." The Virginia Tech Department of Athletics remains grateful to the Skelton family for their contributions and allowing department officials to recognize those student-athletes who go above and beyond in their community and serve as leaders for their peers. Both Brooks and Hannah have utilized their time at Virginia Tech to represent their teams, the athletics department, and this university in a way that embodies the values set forth by the Skeltons, making the Wilding name very deserving of this prestigious honor. BROOKS WILDING HANNAH WILDING