Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 11 No. 2 | October 2018

38 Inside Hokie Sports The Virginia Tech Monogram Club seeks continually to represent and reconnect with all letterwinners in all past and present sports and support areas at Virginia Tech and have each of these letterwinners become a connected and engaged member of the Monogram Club. Virginia Tech monograms currently are awarded to student-athletes in baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, HighTechs, HokieBirds, lacrosse, managers, soccer, softball, sports medicine, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field (indoor and outdoor), video, volleyball and wrestling. The Monogram Club has a Board of Directors that includes 17 directors, each of whom represents a current Virginia Tech sport or sport group, and four officer positions. Directors stand for election on a three-year cycle and officers on a two-year cycle. The past issue highlighted six recently elected directors, and biographies on an additional five directors and the president of the Club’s Board of Directors are presented below. All letterwinners in past and current sports who wish to become active in the Club are encouraged to communicate with the Club either via phone (540-231-6070) or email (vtmonogramclub@vt.edu ). All past letterwinners also are encouraged to reach out to the director of their respective sports and provide input as to activities and celebrations desired and new programs for alumni that might be implemented. More on the Club can be found at the Club’s media sites: website (http://monogram.hokiesports.com/ ); Twitter (@VTMonogramClub) and Facebook (VT Monogram Club). WOMEN’S SOCCER Blair Nelson (2004; marketing) Fun facts: Played women’s soccer from 2000-04; was junior leader for Athletes In Action; assisted on the first goal ever scored in the inaugural game at Thompson Field; was on the All-Academic team all four years; currently resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia, working in pharmaceutical sales and owning a consulting business focusing on life coaching, professional development, and training. Nelson said: “Once a Hokie Athlete, Always a Hokie Athlete! My goal is to connect with all generations of alumni from the women’s soccer program and build a network of communication and support for our alumni, our program and this athletics department. I desire to extend those friendships grounded in hard work and grit beyond graduation and connect with other fellow athletes. This is the inaugural year of the Golden Goal Club, and we encourage our alumni to join along with becoming an active member of the Monogram Club. I am requesting that all women’s soccer alumni reach out to me at VTWomensSoccerAlumni@gmail.com to discover all the exciting benefits these opportunities have to offer.” SPIRIT (Cheerleaders, HighTechs & HokieBirds) Nancy Brittle (1972; mathematics) Fun facts: Was a cheerleader for four years (1968-72); she and husband Coleman have retired in Blacksburg; following a 31-year marketing career with IBMCorp., she worked as a part-time consultant in Alumni Relations at Virginia Tech; can be reached at nbrittle@ vt.edu , or by phone at 540-553-1013. Brittle said: “I’m anxious to expand the database of spirit squad alumni and encourage them to participate in Monogram Club activities, including reunions, tailgates, and special events. Coming ‘HOME’ to Blacksburg and renewing friendships with former teammates and current athletes is such an enjoyable experience. Getting back on the field after many years to yell an ‘Ole Hokie’ is exciting. I hope all former cheerleaders, HighTechs and Hokie Birds will contact us and join the fun!” VOLLEYBALL Michelle Ames Schafer (1992; elementary education) Fun facts: Joined the Virginia Tech volleyball team in the fall of 1988; redshirted her first year and then played various roles on the team through the 1991-92 season; played outside hitter, as well as defensive specialist during her time at Tech; is a fourth grade teacher at Belle Heth Elementary in nearby Radford; information can be found on the VTVB Alumni Central Facebook page, or contact her at 540-577- 0964 or mmschafer14@yahoo.com. Schafer said: “I look forward to growing the Virginia Tech volleyball alumni base and encourage participation in the yearly alumni events. If you’re not already connected, please join the VTVB Alumni Central Facebook page for updates relating to Virginia Tech volleyball and alumni events. Make plans now to join with present and past teammates for our second Virginia Tech volleyball alumni weekend on Nov. 2-4. Go Hokies!” SOFTBALL Whitney Davis Showalter (2010, psychology/sociology; master’s in education, curriculum and instruction; currently in Virginia Tech’s MBA program) Fun facts: Was a four-time letterwinner with the Virginia Tech softball team from 2007-10 when she was a back-to-back ACC champion in 2007 and 2008 and competed in the Women’s College World Series (WCWS) on a team that finished eighth in the country in 2008; during the WCWS run, Showalter had a diving catch against Texas A&M that landed her the No. 10 spot on SportsCenter’s “Top 10 plays of the day;” during the 2008 season, the Virginia Tech softball team defeated TeamUSA 1-0 in an exhibition on the “Bound for Beijing Tour,” as Team USA was preparing for the Olympics; currently lives in Blacksburg and is in her fifth year as the director of operations for softball at Virginia Tech; contact her at whitd@vt.edu . Showalter said: “My goal is to have an event every year that softball alumni can come home for, and every five years, we will have a weekend during the spring season of nothing but Hokie softball reminiscing. To enhance this experience for everyone involved, we’d like to have everyone make sure they’re signed up for the Monogram Club so that they’re ‘in the know’ with everything we have going and can help provide me with feedback for what they’d like to see in an Alumni Weekend.” SWIMMING AND DIVING Morgan Latimer (2014, history; 2015, master’s in education) Fun facts: Competed in swimming from 2011-15 and was an assistant coach on Tech swimming and diving team in 2016 and 2017; resides in Virginia Beach and is teaching history at Ocean Lakes High School; contact him at morgan11@vt.edu. Latimer said: “With a past career in coaching at Virginia Tech, I appreciate the immense importance that an alumni base has on a program. This importance isn’t always felt by alumni, and coaches don’t have time to dedicate huge energy to their alumni. I’d love to help our alumni understand this. I also want our alumni to understand how far their efforts truly do go. I want to help build our program’s alumni support into one that rivals any ACC competitor and any NCAA competitor.” PRESIDENT–MONOGRAM CLUB F. Michael “Mike” Saunders (1966; BSCE and MS in CE) Fun facts: Played football under then-head coach Jerry Claiborne in 1962-65 and was a graduate assistant coach in 1966; on the football teams of 1963-65; played in both Miles Stadium and Lane Stadium; was a guard (both offense and defense); was a member of 1963 Southern Conference champs; was honored to be named a tri-captain by his teammates following the first-in-Lane season of 1965; was the 1965 Williams Award winner; was President of the Monogram Club his senior year; leader of the German Club; inducted into ODK; and honored as a member of Virginia Tech’s “Who’s Who In American Colleges and Universities?”; following Virginia Tech, continued his education in environmental engineering at the University of Illinois (PhD, 1975) and was employed at Wiley & Wilson (Lynchburg) in 1974; is retired as Professor Emeritus at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, where he was a professor of civil & environmental engineering for more than 34 years (1974-2008) as well as 2.5 years (2007-09) at National University of Singapore as professor, division head and research institute director; lives in Atlanta with his lovely wife Kay; has three