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

inside.hokiesports.com 21 300 Technology Drive Christiansburg, Virginia 24073 www.inorganicventures.com Makers of the world’s most accurate Certified Reference Materials Two of our PhDs as well as eleven key members of our service, production, and business teams hold degrees from Virginia Tech. When you’ve got the right talent in place, there’s no limit to how far you can go. Proud to support the Hokies’ teams. Because the Hokies are such a big part of ours. Wilding, a junior from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, swims on the Virginia Tech women’s swimming and diving team, but her most impressive accomplishments have occurred outside the swimming pool. Last June, she spent a month in Kolkata, India as part of a mission trip, working with and caring for impoverished and homeless people. She said the heart-wrenching experience taught her a lesson in humility. After returning to the United States, she spent the rest of the summer volunteering in a research lab at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Center as part of a study on addiction. While doing that, she realized that neuroscience and medicine meshed nicely. She worked an internship this past fall at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), helping coordinators prepare international outreach trips for medical school students and gaining a perspective on potential career plans. “As of right now, I hope to attend medical school and eventually train to be a pediatric neurosurgeon,” Wilding said. “However, I’m well aware that medical school is a long path, and that my career goals could change. At the end of the day, I believe that my college experiences in academics and athletics have equipped me to help people, especially those on the margins who don’t have people to advocate for them or can’t advocate for themselves.” Okuda, a sophomore from Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, is a left-handed pitcher and a valued member of the Hokies’ bullpen. This season, he is 3-1 and has allowed just four earned runs in 25.1 innings. In the classroom, he chose to pursue mechanical engineering because the field encompasses a variety of topics. He plans to conduct research within the engineering department. “I’m still trying to figure out exactly what I would like to do in the future, but I really enjoy my green engineering classes, as well as my fluids class,” Okuda said. “At this point, I think I would pursue one of those options, most likely still focusing on green engineering.” Both student-athletes quickly learned to manage their time after declaring their majors last year. Their majors demand the most out of them, as both must participate in classes and labs, which is not easy considering the practice schedules of their respective sports. “The best way that I have found to balance my baseball schedule with my classes is to plan out my day so that I can get all of my work done,” Okuda said. “I will do homework and study early in the morning before classes, between classes, and even right before practices. I cannot control my baseball schedule, so I have to adapt my schoolwork to whatever the schedule is for that day.” “I’m also learning not to sweat the little things and to go with the flow—both can be especially difficult for me,” Wilding said. “But I think it boils down to controlling the things I can—working hard in the pool and in the classroom– and trying not to think too much about the things I can’t change or influence.” In addition to naming Wilding and Okuda as the Skelton Award winners, the athletics department also named its ACC Scholar- Athletes of the Year at the Athletics Director Honors Celebration. Those honors went to women’s golfer Elizabeth Bose and men’s swimmer Ian Ho. Bose is pursuing degrees in both clinical neuroscience and biochemistry, while Ho graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. The department also recognized student- athletes who earned a 4.0 grade-point average during the 2018 calendar year. The group of honorees included Bose, Kayla Richardson (women’s cross country), Sarah Spicer (women’s golf), Jessica Spicer (women’s golf), Jennifer Boyles (women’s soccer), Eleanor Matheson (women’s swimming and diving), Regan Westwood (women’s swimming and diving), Emma Thor (women’s track and field), Delaney Peterson (HighTechs), and Senah Stephens (HighTechs). Finally, the department recognized its 2018 All-Academic Team, which included the top student-athlete academically in his/ her sport. The list for this all-academic team includes Jennifer Giese (athletic training), Caitlin Lorch (cheerleading), Connor Coward (baseball), Kerry Blackshear Jr. (men’s basketball), Kaela Kinder (women’s basketball), Logan Sheppard (men’s cross country), Robert Parcell (football), Joey Jordan (men’s golf), Mary Claire Byrne (lacrosse), Megan Stevenson (student managers), Hayden Kickbush (men’s soccer), Caitlyn Nolan (softball), Michael Craddock (men’s swimming and diving), Jason Kros (men’s tennis), Dorothy Mesmer (women’s tennis), James Carver (men’s track and field), Kameron Kopecky (video), Jaila Tolbert (volleyball), and Ryan Haskett (wrestling). In all, 515 student-athletes were recognized at the Athletics Director Honors Celebration, along with an additional 100 athletics support students (trainers, managers, HokieVision). All of those recognized achieved at least a GPA of 3.0 or better during one or both semesters in 2018. IHS extra