Virginia Tech MenÕs Track and Field

VIRGINIA TECH 1 TRACK & FIELD

Virginia TechMen’s Track and Field

Virginia TechMen’s Track and Field

HOKIE QUICK FACTSUNIVERSITY INFORMATIONLocation ................................................................Blacksburg, Va.Founded ................................................................................ 1872Enrollment .......................................................................... 25,000Conference ................................................................... BIG EASTNickname ........................................................................... HokiesColors ............................................ Chicago maroon, burnt orangePresident ............................................................... Charles StegerDirector of Athletics .....................................................Jim WeaverSenior Associate Athletics Director ................. Sharon McCloskeyTrack and Field Administrator .................................. Tom Gabbard

TRACK & FIELD INFORMATIONMen’s Track Coach ............................................. Russ WhitenackMen’s Cross Country/Distance Coach ....................... Steve TaylorMen’s Assistant Coach - Throws ............................. David DumbleMen’s Assistant Coach - Pole Vault ............................ Bob PhillipsMeet Managers ............................... Joyce Wynn, Howard NippertSecretary ..................................................................... Diane PriceMen’s Track Office ................................................ (540) 231-5037

Media Guide Credits

On the CoversFeatured on the front cover (clockwise from top left) are Ali

Najjar, Adam Bowser, Chris Seaton, Kevin Walker and DarrylMcCoy (center) each of whom won conference championshipslast year.

On the back cover is Paul Hayes winning the conferencetitle in the 1,500-meter run. The background is a montage ofimages depicting the excitement of Virginia Tech sports.

SPORTS INFORMATIONSports Information Office Phone .................... (540) 231-6726Sports Information Fax ................................... (540) 231-6984Virginia Tech Sports on the Internet ..... www.hokiesports.comSports Information Director .................................. Dave SmithAssociate SID.................................................... Anne PanellaAssistant SIDs .......................... Bryan Johnston, Dave Knachel,

Bill Dyer, Torye HurstSports Information Intern .............................................. Jed HurtTrack and Field Contact ........................................ Jason DowdySports Information Secretary .................................Donna Smith

CONTENTSSchedule & Media Information .................................................... 2Outlook ........................................................................................3Coach Russ Whitenack & Coach Steve Taylor ........................... 4Assistant Coaches ...................................................................... 5Roster/Championship Team Photos ............................................ 6Profiles .................................................................................. 7-12School Records .........................................................................13Indoor Year in Review ................................................................. 14Top Indoor Marks ...................................................................... 15Outdoor Year in Review ................................................................. 16Top Outdoor Marks ...................................................................17Awards & Honors ...................................................................... 18History .......................................................................................19Qualifying Standards ................................................................. 20Track Facilities ..........................................................................21Administration ...........................................................................22Academics/Strength & Conditioning .........................................23BIG EAST & IC4A Conference .................................................. 24

The 2001 Virginia Tech men’s track and field media guide isa publication of the Virginia Tech Sports Information Office,written to assist the working media and designed to aid mediamembers in their coverage of Virginia Tech men’s track and field.The guide was written by sports information graduate studentassistant Jason Dowdy and was edited by Dowdy and associateSID Anne Panella. Design and layout out were done by Dowdyand Panella. Actions shots were provided by David Knachel andWoody Veasey; head shots by Knachel. Other contributions weremade by Bryan Johnston. This guide was printed by SouthernPrinting Company of Blacksburg, Va. Special thanks go to theTech track and field staff for its assistance.

Giff Hummel is the veteran thrower on a youngHokie throws squad.


Indoor ScheduleDATE MEET SITE HOSTJan. 13 New Year’s Invitational Blacksburg, Va. Virginia Tech

19-20 Kroger Invitational Blacksburg, Va. Virginia Tech26-27 US Airways Invitational Johnson City, Tenn. East Tennessee

Feb. 2 VT Pentathlon Invitational Blacksburg, Va. Virginia Tech3 Virginia Tech Challenge Blacksburg, Va. Virginia Tech

9-10 Pepsi Valentine’s Invitational Blacksburg, Va. Virginia Tech16-17 BIG EAST Championships Syracuse, N.Y. Syracuse23-24 Last Chance Invitational Blacksburg, Va. Virginia Tech

March 2-4 IC4A Championships Boston, Mass. Boston University8-10 NCAA Championships Fayetteville, Ark. Arkansas

Outdoor ScheduleDATE MEET SITE HOSTMarch 30-31 Raleigh Relays Raleigh, N.C. N.C. StateApril 7 Gatorade Meet Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessee

14 Charlotte Invitational Charlotte, N.C. UNC Charlotte21 Spring Gobbler Invitational Blacksburg, Va. Virginia Tech

25-28 Penn Relays Philadelphia, Pa. PennsylvaniaMay 4-6 BIG EAST Championships Piscataway, N.J. Rutgers

12 JMU Invitational Harrisonburg, Va. James Madison18-20 IC4A Championships Princeton, N.J. Princeton

June 1-2 NCAA Championships Eugene, Ore. Oregon

TRACK & FIELD CONTACTJason Dowdy,Graduate Student Assistant

MAILING ADDRESS460 Jamerson Athletic CenterBlacksburg, VA 24061-0502

2001 Schedule2001 Schedule

A news release will be sent to the following media outlets whichcover Virginia Tech track and field. Results will be posted onhokiesportsinfo.com after each event.

Outlet Phone FaxThe Associated Press, Richmond .......... (804) 643-6646 ...... (804) 643-6223Roanoke Times ...................................... (540) 981-3221 ...... (540) 981-3392Richmond Times-Dispatch ..................... (804) 649-6554 ...... (804) 775-8085Bristol Herald-Courier ............................ (540) 669-2181 ...... (540) 669-3696Blacksburg Sentinel ............................... (540) 382-6171 ...... (540) 382-3009The News Messenger, Christiansburg ... (540) 382-6171 ...... (540) 382-3009Collegiate Times, Blacksburg ................. (540) 231-9867 ...... (540) 231-5057The News & Advance, Lynchburg .......... (804) 385-5554 ...... (804) 385-5538Bluefield Daily Telegraph ........................ (304) 327-2811 ...... (304) 327-6179Virginian Pilot, Norfolk ............................ (800) 446-2012 ...... (804) 533-9004Daily Press, Newport News ................... (804) 247-4600 ...... (804) 247-9420WDBJ-TV, Roanoke ............................... (540) 985-3623 ...... (540) 343-7269WSLS-TV, Roanoke ............................... (540) 981-9126 ...... (540) 343-2059WSET-TV, Lynchburg ............................. (804) 528-1315 ...... (804) 847-8800

Please schedule all interviews through the Virginia Tech SportsInformation Office.

For interviews with head coaches or any of the Hokie track athletes,contact Jason Dowdy at the Sports Information Office (540) 231-2228,at home (540) 961-1274 or by email [email protected].

Media Outlets

Media Information

ClintonEdwards

sprints for thefinish line in

the 400-meterdash.

Home Meets in Bold


Season Outlook

After dominatingthe Atlantic 10Conference for fouryears the VirginiaTech track and fieldteam is ready for anew and greaterchallenge. TheHokies need look nofurther because inthe 2001 seasonthey will begin a newera in the prestigiousBIG EASTConference. Techhopes to add itsname to the list oftrack and fieldnationalpowerhouses andwill get started onthat journey thisseason.

“We’ve neverfaced this kind ofcompetition before,”said head coachRuss Whitenack. “Itwill elevate our levelof competition because wewill have to. I think ourathletes will rise to that levelbecause they have before.”

The new season alsomarks somewhat of arebuilding year for Tech. Afterthe graduation of five seniorthrowers, the Hokies will haveto look elsewhere for thosemuch needed points. Thesprinters, jumpers anddistance crew return everyonefrom last year and will beasked to step into the leadingrole. If Tech hopes to make animpact in its first year as aBIG EAST squad, it will taketop efforts from eachindividual and the Hokies planto do just that.

“This is a year that isgoing to challenge us morethan ever,” Whitenack said.“We are moving to a newconference and that makesthis a real rebuilding year.”

Sprinters & HurdlersOnce again Coach

Whitenack will look to thefootball team for much of thisgroup and André Davis leadsthe list. Davis is a multi-timeconference and IC4Achampion and will be joinedby Larry Austin and LeeSuggs to create a powerfulsprint group. The quarter-milers are led by sophomoreBuck Grant and juniorClinton Edwards . These twohave big meet experience andwill be asked to guide transferFrank DiPadova andfreshmen Anthony Jenkinsand Jemmel Pursoo in theirquest for respect.

Kevin Walker is the topman in the hurdles and willstrive for the same role in thenew conference afterdominating the hurdle events

in the A-10 last year.He is joined byfreshman JasonWilliams .

Middle DistanceProbably the

deepest group on thisyear’s team, themiddle distancerunners include someof the best youngtalent on the team.Paul Hayes , MattTaylor and Ali Najjareach won conferencetitles last year and willlead the way again thisyear. Todd Grignonand Brian Coffieldbring added depth tothe 800 and the relays.Last year’s top milerKevin Rhue returnsfor his second seasonand is joined bynewcomer JosiahOliver .

DistanceThe distance runners will

face the toughest challengefrom the conference rivals butredshirt juniors Chris Seatonand Ben Dowdy are up for thechallenge. Seaton has wonthe past two conferenceindoor 5,000-meter titles andwill bid for a third in February.Jason Hettenbaugh is thebest steeplechaser Tech hasseen in several years and hasplans to become much better.Pete Lindner , JasonGriscom and newcomersJosh Davis and CaseyFrazier make up the rest ofthe distance runners to keepan eye on.

Jumpers & VaultersThis high-flying group has

talent in every event. DarrylMcCoy and Mike Donahueare both past conference

champions in the long jump.Donahue , who comes fromfootball, will bring with him twoother conference championfootball players. ErnestWilford and JarrettFerguson are impressiveathletes who should impressthe BIG EAST. FreshmanJason Fludd will also be acontributor in his first season.

In the pole vault MarcusTepaske’s hard work has puthim in the top spot in thisevent. Nathan Bath isanother veteran of the eventand will be asked to guideredshirt freshman JohnMajeski and newcomersJimmy Tran and David Fritzin their first seasons.

Genesis Ridley leadsthe way in the high jump onceagain for the Hokies.

ThrowersAfter losing five seniors

from this group the throwingcorps is on the rebound.However, new throws coachDave Dumble has plans toreturn this group toprominence very soon. GiffHummel is the only one backfrom last season and is thetop man in the javelin. MattMaynard and Eric Hesslerredshirted their first seasonsat Tech but come into the BIGEAST as promising youngcompetitors in the shot put,hammer and weight events.Adding to the mix is MattSielski as he enters his firstseason at Tech.

Multi-eventsThis group of work

horses is led by conferencechampion Adam Bowser whoshould also play into the mixof the BIG EAST’s best.Joining him is newcomerRobbie Hearn .

Tech Enters Millennium in a New ConferenceWith Hopes of Continued Success

Senior Kevin Walker leads the track teaminto the BIG EAST after an outstanding

2000 season.

Season Outlook


Meet the CoachesRUSS WHITENACK • Head Coach

It is an exciting time to bea part of Virginia Techathletics today. There havebeen many positive changesincluding entry into the BIGEAST and the constuction oftwo relatively new state-of-the-art track facilities. With allthe changes taking place,there has been one constant– and that is the man incharge of Tech track and field.

For 28 years, RussWhitenack has held the reinsof the men’s track program,guiding it to conference titlesand national recognition.

Since taking over in1974, Whitenack has built theTech program into acompetitive one through hisleadership and perseverance.

After a successful fiveyears in the Atlantic 10, SteveTaylor is ready to move to theBIG EAST Conference. Duringjust a handful of seasons in theconference, his Hokies earnedtwo league cross country titlesand two individual championswere crowned. The Tech coach

STEVE TAYLOR • Men’s Cross Country Coach

The 2001 season willmark Whitenack’s 30th yearwith the Hokie men’s team.He served two years as anassistant coach before beingelevated to the head job priorto the 1974 season.In addition to beingthe men’s coach,he also guided thewomen’s team for10 years prior tothe arrival of formerwomen’s coachLori Taylor.

A 1969graduate of theUniversity ofTennessee,Whitenack was amember of theVolunteers’ All-America 440-yardrelay team. UT wonthree SoutheasternConference teamchampionshipsduring his fouryears on the squad.He served for oneseason as agraduate assistantat Tennessee andthree years as

coach at Palmetto Junior Highin Miami before coming toTech in 1972.

During Whitenack’stenure, the Tech program hasproduced 20 All-Americans,

including current coachSteve Taylor and recentgraduate Erick Kingston. Heled the Hokies to two MetroConference indoorchampionships, one in 1993and one in 1994, and he waschosen by his peers asMetro Coach of the Yearduring the 1992 outdoorseason and again followingTech’s 1993 indoorchampionship. For the pastfour years, the Hokiesdominated the Atlantic 10Conference, capturing boththe indoor and outdoor titleseach year. Whitenack wasnamed the A-10 indoor andoutdoor coach of the year foreach of those victories. Healso received the WaltComrack Award forexcellence in coaching fromthe Virginia Military Institutein 1997.

Whitenack and his wife,Judy, have one son, Jon,who is 20 years old and asophomore at Tech. In hisspare time, Whitenackenjoys outdoor activities,especially kayaking, boatingand jet-skiing.

also cornered the market onA-10 Coach of the Yearhonors, winning two.

Taylor’s distance runnershad their way with theconference foes during thetrack seasons. In just fouryears the distance crewpicked up eight victories in the5,000 and 10,000 at theconference championships. Inaddition to several more all-conference performers at themiddle distance ranks,Taylor’s men led the trackteams to an undefeated 8-0record at A-10 track and fieldchampionships.

Taylor was an All-American in both crosscountry and track while an

undergraduate at Tech. Hepaced the 1987 cross countryteam to a fourth-place finish atthe NCAA Championships,placing ninth in the individualcompetition. Taylor wasinducted into the Virginia TechSports Hall of Fame in 1999for his accomplishments as anathlete.

Taylor also was involvedin professional road racing.He participated in the 1991World Championship mara-thon in Tokyo and the 1995World Marathon Cup inAthens, Greece. He wasnamed an alternate to the1992 U.S. Olympic team afterplacing sixth at the ‘92Olympic Trials.

In 1988, Taylor graduatedfrom Virginia Tech with adegree in education with asport management option. Hecoached at Cave Spring HighSchool in Roanoke for twoyears and at Lord BotetourtHigh School in nearby Dalevillefor one year before returning toBlacksburg in 1991.

A native of St. Mary’s,W.Va., Taylor was WestVirginia’s Track Athlete of theYear for three consecutiveseasons during his highschool days. He is married toLori McKee Taylor, the headcoach of the women’s crosscountry team. In his sparetime, he enjoys hunting,fishing and mountain biking.

Meet the Coaches

Russ Whitenack (right) waspresented his eighth straight A-10

Coach of the Year honor at theoutdoor championships last season.


Bob Phillips, a native ofBaltimore, Md, is a Hokie inthe truest sense of the word.He received three degreesfrom Virginia Tech, was amember of the track and fieldteam and now coaches theathletes competing in the polevault event.

Phillips received hisbachelor’s in physical

BOB PHILLIPS • Volunteer Coach - Pole Vault

Heather Slivka is in herfifth season and her third full-time as the track and fieldprogram’s trainer. Slivka playsa vital “behind the scenes”role, keeping the athletes outof the training room and onthe track. Her duties includeinjury prevention, treatmentand rehabilitation.

Slivka became a Hokieafter receiving herundergraduate degree inexercise physiology with aspecialization in athletictraining from West Virginia in1996. She received her

master’s in community healtheducation from Tech in 1997and is currently working on aPh.D., in curriculum andinstruction specializing inhealth. She received her

Track and Field Support StaffDAVID DUMBLE • Assistant Coach - Throws

HEATHER SLIVKA • Trainer

education at Tech and thenwent on to receive hismaster’s and Ph.D., inaccounting.

Phillips, a 1980 All-American in the pole vault, willcontinue his tenure as a Hokiethis season. In the fall of 1999Phillips was honored at aceremony for his induction tothe Virginia Tech Hall of Fame.

He joins Keith Neff as Tech’stwo outstanding pole vaultersin the Hall of Fame.

Last season Phillipsguided Brian Hunter to All-America honors and two newschool records. This seasonPhillips will face the challengeof molding a young vaultsquad into high-levelcompetitors.

Tom GabbardAssociate Athletics Director

(Track Administrator)

Howard NippertMeet Manager

Joyce WynnMeet Manager

Diane PriceTrack Secretary

Denny MarieFacilities Manager

(Rector Field House)

official certification as anathletic trainer in 1996.Slivka and her staff of studenttrainers are located in thetraining room inside of RectorField House. The facility

Track and Field Support StaffDavid Dumble joins the

Virginia Tech coaching staff asa first-year assistant forthrows. This marks his firstyear of coaching, but what helacks in coaching experience,he makes up for withcompetition experience.

Prior to coming to Tech,the Bakersfield, Calif., nativecompeted for Reebok forthree years. His

accomplishments include atrip to the 2000 Olympic trialsfor the discus. Dumbold alsocompeted at USA Nationalstwo times and has a personalrecord of 207'00" in the discus.

Dumble received hisbachelor’s from UCLA inenvironmental studies. Whileat UCLA he placed third atNCAAs in the discus. Prior tohis tenure at UCLA Dumble

was enrolled in junior collegeat Bakersfield College wherehe was the junior college statechampion in the discus.

This is the first time infour seasons the men’s teamhas had a throws coach.Dumble’s goal is to developthe throwers’ work ethic andoffer them the opportunity tolearn everything they canabout their sport and events.

provides a more convenientlocation for the track team byhaving the training staff and thestate-of-the-art equipment in thesame building where the teammeets for practice.

The Rector FieldHouse Training

Room


NAME CL. EVENT(S) HOMETOWNLarry Austin Sr. Sprints Norfolk, Va.Wes Barger Fr. Middle Distance Catawba, Va.Nathan Bath Sr. Pole Vault York, Pa.Adam Bowser Jr. Multi-Events Scotch Plains, N.J.Adam Breslin So. Hurdles West Chester, Pa.Duane Caines So. Sprints Great Falls, Va.Eric Callender Fr. Middle Distance Springfield, Va.Brian Coffield So. Distance Norcross, Ga.Ryan Crabbe Fr. Sprints Chantilly, Va.André Davis Sr. Sprints Niskayuna, N.Y.Josh Davis Fr. Distance Chambersburg, Pa.Frank DiPadova Jr. Sprints Point Pleasant, N.J.Mike Donahue r-Jr. Long Jump Barrington, R.I.Ben Dowdy r-Jr. Distance Roanoke, Va.Clinton Edwards Jr. Sprints Richmond, Va.Chris Eicholtz So. Sprints Centreville, Va.Jarrett Ferguson r-Jr. Jumps Goodview, Va.Liam Fleming Fr. Middle Distance Richmond Hills, N.Y.Jason Fludd Fr. Jumps Stafford, Va.Casey Frazier Fr. Distance Woodbridge, Va.David Fritz Fr. Pole Vault Conesus, N.Y.Larry Gooss Fr. Distance Glen Allen, Va.Buck Grant So. Sprints Centerville, Va.Todd Grignon Sr. Middle Distance Burke, Va.Jason Griscom So. Distance Swedesboro, N.J.Paul Hayes Jr. Middle Distance Dillsburg, Pa.

NAME CL. EVENT(S) HOMETOWNRobbie Hearn Fr. Multi-Events Staunton, Va.Joe Hembrook So. Middle Distance Leesburg, Va.Eric Hessler r-Fr. Throws Montvale, N.J.Jason Hettenbaugh So. Distance Lima, N.Y.Phillip Hicks Jr. Hurdles Chesapeake, Va.Giff Hummel Jr. Throws Lewisburg, Pa.Anthony Jenkins Fr. Sprints Baltimore, Md.Peter Lindner So. Distance Williston Park, N.Y.Darryl McCoy Jr. Jumps/Sprints Roanoke, Va.John Majeski So. Pole Vault Middletown, N.J.Matt Maynard r-Fr. Throws Pawcatuck, Conn.Ali Najjar So. Middle Distance Hyattsville, Md.Eric Necciai Jr. Middle Distance Mt. Airy, Md.Josiah Oliver Fr. Distance Richmond, Va.Jemmel Pursoo Fr. Sprints Barboursville, W.Va.Kevin Rhue So. Middle Distance Virginia Beach, Va.Genesis Ridley Jr. High Jump Petersburg, Va.Chris Seaton Sr. Distance Richmond, Va.Matt Sielski Fr. Throws Millersville, Pa.John Spivey So. Hurdles Raleigh, N.C.Matt Taylor Sr. Middle Distance Colonial Heights, Va.Marcus Tepaske Jr. Pole Vault Freehold, N.J.Matthew Thomas So. Distance Sewickley, Pa.Jimmy Tran Fr. Pole Vault Great Bridge, Va.Kevin Walker r-Sr. Hurdles Pamplin, Va.Ernest Wilford So. Jumps Richmond, Va.Jason Williams Fr. Hurdles Annandale, Va.

The RosterThe Roster

Tech celebrated its finalAtlantic 10 championship

last May, making it a perfecteight for eight at A-10

Conference meets.

The Hokies paused for ateam picture after taking

the Atlantic 10 indoor titlein record fashion at

Rhode Island.


Meet the Hokies

Adam BowserJuniorFanwood H.S.Scotch Plains, N.J.

Personal Bests:Pentathlon – 3,683 pointsDecathlon – 6,305 points

Conference Champion - Decathlon

Will be counted on toprovide depth in numerousevents including his specialty,the decathlon.

1999-2000: Broke thefive-year old school record inthe pentathlon during indooron his way to finishing fourthat the IC4A championships …Also took second in the longjump and fifth in the high jumpat the indoor conferencechampionships … Took first inthe decathlon at A-10s andeighth at IC4As in outdoor …Finished third in the longjump, sixth in the high jumpand eighth in the 110 hurdlesat the outdoor A-10s inaddition to his decathlonvictory.

1998-99: A jack-of-all-trades who proved himself byqualifying for IC4As in thedecathlon and pentathlon …Took fourth at A-10s and thirdat Lynchburg College in thedecathlon … Scored asecond-place finish in thehigh jump, fifth in the longjump and sixth in the discusand 110 hurdles atChristopher Newport.

High School/Other:Fanwood High School teamcaptain for coach Rich McGriff… All-area performer withpersonal records of 6'2" in thehigh jump 21'9" in the long

jump and 2:00.03 in the 800… Enrolled in computerengineering.

André DavisSeniorNiskayuna H.S.Niskayuna, N.Y.

Personal Bests:60 – 6.72, 100 – 10.24200 – 20.78

12-Time Conference Champion

Led the BIG EAST in puntreturns during football and willstrive to lead the conferenceas a sprinter.

1999-2000: Continued togrow into one of the nation’stop sprinters … Captured thesprint double at the IC4Achampionships, winning boththe 60- and 200-meter dashes… Set school records andqualified for NCAAs during theindoor season in both the 60(6.72) and 200 (21.16) …Ended the indoor season asthe 24th-ranked 60 runner inthe nation … Also won thesprint double at the Atlantic 10indoor and outdoorconference championships …Repeated in the 100, 200 and4x100 at the outdoorcompetition … NamedPerformer of the Meet duringA-10s indoor.

1998-99: Displayed hisoutstanding speed whileproving a valuable asset tothe track and field program …Named the Atlantic 10Outdoor ChampionshipsPerformer of the Meet for hisA-10 record-setting wins inthe 100 and 200 in times of10.24 and 21.02 respectively

… Provisionally qualified forNCAAs in the 100 (10.24) and200 (20.78) outdoors …Winner of the IC4A titles in the100 and 200 at the outdoorchampionships … Picked upvictories in the 55 in 6.35 and200 in 21.58 at the indoor A-10 Championships.

1997-98: Set the indoorschool record in the 200-meterdash with a clocking of 21.43… Finished second in the 55-meter dash and third in the200 at the Atlantic 10 IndoorChampionships … Won A-10Rookie of the Year honorsoutdoors after finishing first inthe 100- and 200-meterdashes and running a leg onthe winning 4x100 relay team… Time in the 200 was thesecond-fastest in the world forjuniors (18 and under) prior toJunior Nationals … Finished insixth-place in the 200 andeighth-place in the 100 at theJunior National Championships.

High School/Other:Played soccer, football andran track at Niskayuna HighSchool … State champion inthe 200 … Majoring incomputer science.

Mike DonahueSeniorBarrington H.S.Barrington, R.I.

Personal Bests:Long Jump – 24'03.5"/7.40

Conference Champion - LJ

Joins the track team aftercompleting his tenure onTech’s football team.

1999-2000: Redshirtedthe track and field seasons …Contributed to the nationallyrenowned special teams infootball.

1998-99: Set an A-10record while winning theoutdoor long jump title with a

Meet the Hokies

Continued

MikeDonahue


leap of 24'03.5" … Runner upat the indoor conferencechampionships in the longjump … Qualified for IC4As inoutdoor in the long jump.

1997-98: Runner up inthe long jump at A-10s duringindoor with a leap of 22'10.5"… Also claimed second in thelong jump at the conferencechampionships in outdoor.

High School/Other:First team all-state and all-New England in the long jumpin 1997 … Four-time letterwinner for coaches JohnSignore and Ralph Carusowhile at Barrington HighSchool … All-division firstteam long and triple jumperand second team in the 200… Top high school marksinclude a 11.0 in the 100 anda 23'6" in the long jump …Enrolled in finance.

Ben Dowdyr-JuniorCave Spring H.S.Roanoke, Va.

Personal Bests:3,000 – 8:30.095,000 – 15:04.1410,000 – 31:28.73

Three-Time Conference Medalist

Is a fourth-year distancerunner with a lot of experience.

1999-2000: Placed thirdin the 5,000 at A-10s indoor …Nearly qualified for IC4As witha seventh-place 8:30.09 finishat the Last Chance Meet …Redshirted the outdoor season… Took second at the AlumniMeet in cross country with atime of 20:06 for the four miledistance … Ended the fallseason as Tech’s number tworunner at the district meet,finishing 46th overall with a

10k time of 31:36 … Entersthe season with personalrecords of 31:25 for 10k and25:00 for 8k after a strongsummer 2000 on the roads.

1998-99: Earned a bronzemedal at the Atlantic 10Championships indoors in the5,000 … Was one of theconference’s top 10,000runners in outdoor with a timeof 31:28.73 … Placed seventhat the outdoor conferencechampionships in the 10kevent.

1997-98: Earned a third-place finish at the Atlantic 10Outdoor Championships in the10,000-meter race with a timeof 32:12.10 … Ran well as afreshman for Steve Taylor’scross country team … Postedfour top 20 finishes as afreshman … Named theteam’s Rookie of the Year.

High School/Other:Earned All-Northwest Regionand All-State honors and wasa district champ as a juniorand senior at Cave SpringHigh School … Broke a 14-year-old 1,600-meter record atthe Cosmopolitan Track Meetas a senior… Majoring infinance.

Clinton EdwardsJuniorMonacan H.S.Richmond, Va.

Personal Bests:400 – 48.88200 – 21.56

All-Conference - 400

Is one of the leaders ofthe team as a veteran 400-meter runner.

1999-2000: Atlantic 10champion in the 400 and fifthin the 200 during the indoorseason … Qualified for IC4Asin the 400 during indoor andthe 200 outdoors … Ran apersonal record in the 200while placing sixth at theSpring Gobbler Invitational …

Placed sixth in the 200 duringA-10s outdoors.

1998-99: Ran a leg on theOutdoor Atlantic 10 champion4x400 relay team … Tookfourth-place in the 400 at theSpring Gobbler Invitational aswell as the 400 and 200 atChristopher Newport … Ran apersonal-record 49.48 in the400m at JMU.

High School/Other: Wasa member of the district andregional champion 4x100-meter relay team whileattending Monacan HighSchool … Earned theDominion District runner-uphonor in the 200 in outdoortrack … Majoring in familyfinancial management.

Buck GrantSophomoreCentreville H.S.Centreville, Va.

Personal Bests:400 – 47.95

IC4A Qualifier - 400

Will be counted on tocontinue to improve after asolid freshman season.

1999-2000: Stepped intothe role of a top quarter-miler asa freshman … Took fourth at theconference championships inthe 400 with a time of 47.95during outdoor … Qualified forIC4As during the indoor andoutdoor seasons in the 400 …Earned top honors at the SpringGobbler Invitational in the 400… Also was a key contributor onTech’s 4x400-relay.

High School/Other: AnAll-American as a member ofthe Centreville H.S. 4x400-relay … All-district, all-regionand all-state team member …Part of the second place 4x400at the national championships… Also played soccer …Enrolled in geophysics.

DonahueContinued from page 7

BenDowdy


Todd GrignonSeniorJames Robinson H.S.Burke, Va.

Personal Bests:800 – 1:53.331,000 – 2:29.57

IC4A Qualifier - 800 & 1,000

Has been a staple in themiddle distance events andwill be asked to continue thatrole in his senior year.

1999-2000: Qualified forIC4As in the 800, 1,000 and4x800 during indoor and the4x800 during outdoor …Named to the A-10 academicall-conference team … Tookeighth in the 800 at theconference championships inoutdoor and fifth during indoor… Was fifth at the SpringGobbler Invitational in the 800.

1998-99:Ran the secondleg of the all-conference4x800 relay …Took fourth atoutdoor A-10s inthe 800 and fifthindoors in thesame event …Had team’s thirdbest 1,000 timeof the season …Was a memberof Tech’s topthree 4x800-relays in bothindoor andoutdoor … IC4Aqualifier in the4x800.

1997-98:Claimed fourth atthe April FoolsInvitational in the800.

HighSchool/Other:

Earned five letters for coachJeremy Workman at RobinsonH.S. … Was a NationalScholastic All-American in the4x800 … Two-time state topthree performer on the 4x800… Enrolled in managementscience.

Paul HayesJuniorNorthern H.S.Dillsburg, Pa.

Personal Bests:800 – 1:53.23, 1,000 – 2:25.091,500 – 3:54.22

Three-time conference champion

Will be counted on tohelp carry the team into theBIG EAST Championships asa seasoned junior.

1999-2000: Proved to beone of Tech’s top middledistance runners last year …

Enjoyed his best indoor trackseason by winning theconference title in the 1,000and running on the victorious4x800-relay … Also placedfourth in the 1,000 (2:25.09) atIC4As to help Tech to asecond-place finish … Tooksecond in the 1,000 at theKroger Invitational … Ran a3:54.22 at the DukeInvitational before redshirtingthe outdoor season … Earnedall-conference honors in crosscountry after a 10th-placefinish at the A-10championships.

1998-99: Had anoutstanding track seasonhighlighted by a win in the1,500 at the outdoorconference championshipswith a time of 3:54.29 …Placed third in the 1,000meters at the A-10 indoorchampionships and eighth inthe IC4A finals … Posted theteam’s top time in the 1,000and 1,500 … Anchored theindoor conference champion4x800 relay team.

High School/Other: Mid-Penn Conference champion inthe 800 in outdoor track whileat Northern High School …Earned 10 letters in 10seasons including two as amember of the soccer team …Named Carlisle SentinalRunner of the Year …Majoring in finance.

Jason HettenbaughSophomoreHoneoye Falls-Lima H.S.Lima, N.Y.

Personal Bests:3,000 SC – 9:16.001,000 – 2:29.251,500 – 3:57.99

IC4A Qualifier - 3,000 S.C.

Will certainly be one ofTech’s young runners to keep

an eye on during the 2001season.

1999-2000: Proved hisability during the outdoorseason by placing second atthe A-10 championships in thesteeplechase (9:16.00) andqualifying for IC4As at thesame time … Qualified forIC4As indoor in the 1,000 witha 2:29.25 performance …Held times in the team’s topthree in the steeplechase,mile, 1,500 and 1,000.

High School/Other:Qualified for Junior Nationalswith a 9:39 in 1998 … Two-time section V champion inthe 1,600 and 3,000 steeple… Earned three letters atHoneoye Falls-Lima HighSchool under Coach BernieGardner … Competed inNordic skiing, also known ascross country skiing …Finished fourth at the NewYork state meet his senioryear … Competed for Mid-Atlantic Junior National SkiTeam in Alaska in 1999 …New York state meet runner-up in 1998 in cross country …Majoring in education.

Giff HummelJuniorLewisburg Area H.S.Lewisburg, Pa.

Personal Bests:Javelin – 189'00"/57.60Weight Throw – 47'04.25"/14.43

Will now be looked to asthe veteran thrower on ayoung Hokie throwing corps.

1999-2000: Capturedthird in the javelin and eighthin the hammer at the SpringGobbler Invitational … Earnedsixth-place honors in thejavelin at the A-10 outdoorchampionships … Took eighthin the javelin at the Sea Ray

Continued

ToddGrignon


Invitational with a 177'06"effort … Redshirted the indoorseason.

1998-99: Won the javelinat the Spring GobblerInvitational … Took fifth in thejavelin at the outdoor Atlantic10 Championships with a181'03" throw … Capturedfifth at the April FoolsInvitational in the javelin.

High School/Other:Earned four letters for MarkSundberg while attendingLewisburg Area H.S. …Personal record of 189' in thejavelin … Enrolled inmarketing.

Matt Maynardr-FreshmanStonington H.S.Pawcatuck, Conn.

Personal Bests:Hammer Throw – 171'00"/52.12

Steps into the role asTech’s top hammer throwerwith hopes of following thepath of All-Americans ErickKingston and Mike Sergent.

1999-2000: Redshirtedhis first season at Tech …Best mark of the year came atthe Hammerama where hethrew 171'00".

High School/Other:Was a four-time letter winnerfor coaches Ryan Palmer andDebra Maynard while atStonington High School …Two-time all-ECC and three-time all-state hammer thrower… Captain of the statechampionship team twice …Best throw was 188'2.5" in thehammer … Lettered in footballfour years … Enrolled inmanagement science andfinance.

Darryl McCoyJuniorWilliam Fleming H.S.Roanoke, Va.

Personal Bests:Long Jump – 24'05"/7.44100m – 10.64

Two-Time All-Conference - LJ

Is a talented jumper withthe potential to go muchfurther.

1999-2000: Atlantic 10Champion in the long jumpduring both the indoor andoutdoor seasons … Nailed a24'05" long jump at the JMUInvitational to set a personalrecord and nearly a newschool record … Qualified forIC4As in the long jump duringboth seasons … Ran a leg onthe first-place 4x100 relay atthe A-10s … Took third in thelong jump and fourth in the100 at the Virginia TechIndoor Invitational.

1998-99: Contributedheavily as one of Tech’s topjumpers … Claimed first atChristopher Newport in thelong jump … Brought home A-10 bronze indoors and A-10silver outdoors in the longjump … Qualified for outdoorIC4As in the long jump with a23'10" and 100m in 10.64 …Was a member of theconference champion 4x100-meter relay team.

High School/Other: All-district in long jump, high jumpand 4x400 while competingfor coach Rudy Dillard atWilliam Fleming High School… All-state and fifth in the4x100 relay at the NationalScholastic OutdoorChampionships in addition tofinishing 10th in the long jump… Enrolled in graphic art.

Ali NajjarSophomoreNorthwestern H.S.Hyattsville, Md.

Personal Bests:800 – 1:49.91500 – 1:03.58

A-10 Rookie of the Year - 2000

the A-10 indoor championships… Ran a 1:51.60 in the 800 atthe Last Chance Meet … Wasthe team’s top 800 runnerindoors and outdoors and thetop 500 runner indoors.

High School/Other: Ateam captain for two years forRoberta Leopold whileattending Northwestern HighSchool ... A member of the4x400-meter relay team thatwon the Penn Relays, thenational championships andset a new state record at 3:12... Enrolled in fisheries.

Kevin RhueSophomorePrincess Anne H.S.Virginia Beach, Va.

Personal Bests:Mile – 4:12.381,500 – 3:57.44

IC4A Qualifier - Mile & 1,000

Returns as Tech’s topmiler for the 2001 season.

1999-2000: Had a

HummelContinued from page 9

Brings talent and speedto the Tech squad as one ofthe team’s most promisingyoung runners.

1999-2000: Had anoutstanding track season asone of the Hokies’ top middledistance runners … Seasonhighlight came at the Atlantic10 championships in outdoorwhere he went wire to wirewinning the 800 in 1:49.91and as a result was namedthe meets Outstanding RookiePerformer … Competed atJunior Nationals in the 800 inJune placing fifth … Set anew school indoor record inthe 500 running 1:03.58 …Claimed second in the 500 at

Ali Najjarhands thebaton to

Kevin Rhue.


breakthrough race in the mileat the A-10 championshipsindoors by taking third with a4:12.38 and qualifying forIC4As … Was the team’s topmiler and second best 1,500and 1,000 runner during thetrack seasons … Was seventhat the USA Junior Nationals inthe 1,500 … Captured third atthe Spring Gobbler Invitationalin the 1,500 … Won the firsttrack race of his collegiatecareer in the mile at theVirginia Tech Invitational …Earned A-10 cross countryrookie of the week honorsafter taking third at the OhioInvitational in a personal besttime of 25:33.

High School/Other: Athree-year letterwinner, three-time team MVP and three-time captain for CoachJoseph Panchik at PrincessAnne H.S. … Was district andregional champion and staterunner-up in the 1,000 with apersonal best of 2:29.89 …Two-time state runner-up inthe 1,600 recording apersonal best of 4:14 …Named 1999 Virginia BeachSports Club Athlete of theYear … Won the 1998-99Orval Auhl Memorial Award forexcellence in athletics andcontributions to thecommunity … Enrolled infinance.

Chris SeatonSeniorThomas JeffersonGovernor’s SchoolRichmond, Va.

Personal Bests:3,000 – 8:20.275,000 – 14:40.1810,000 – 30:29.50

Three-Time ConferenceChampion

Is ready to makehis mark on Techhistory in his senioryear.

1999-2000:During the indoortrack season Seatonwon the A-10 5,000-meter title and wassecond in the 3,000… Took fourth in the3,000 at the IC4Achampionships indoor … Alsowon the 5,000-meter races atboth of Tech’s larger indoorinvitationals … Was named A-10 Student Athlete of the yearfor indoor track … Was theteam’s top runner in the 3,000and 5,000 during indoor …Redshirted the outdoorseason … Claimed theAtlantic 10 individual title atlast year’s cross countrychampionships with a run of25:01 … Earned a spot on theall-district team with a 17th-place finish at the District IIIchampionships (30:54).

1998-99: Winner of the5,000-meter title at theAtlantic 10 indoorchampionships with a14:54.13 … Placed third in the10,000 at the outdoorconference championships …Finished second at both theKroger Invitational in the5,000 indoors and the SpringGobbler Invitational in the

3,000 outdoors … WasTech’s fastest runner in the3,000 (8:29.04) and 5,000(14:43.34) indoors and the10,000 (30:49.10) outdoors.

1997-98: Finishedsecond with a time of 8:38.4in the 3,000-meter race atthe Virginia Tech LastChance Meet … Finishedfirst in the 1,500 at theVirginia Tech Open …Placed fifth in the 5,000 atthe Atlantic 10 outdoorchampionships … Ran aseason-best time of 26:54.2to place 23rd at the VirginiaTech Invitational in crosscountry.

High School/Other:Named to the all-city as wellas the all-Colonial Districtteams … Ran a personalbest 9:15 at the VirginiaState Championships in the3,200 … Holds two schoolrecords in the 1,600-meterevents at Thomas Jefferson… Majoring in architecture.

Matt TaylorJuniorThomas Dale H.S.Colonial Heights, Va.

Personal Bests:800 – 1:52.901000 – 2:28.15

All-Conference - 800, 4x800

Is another talentedrunner in the deep middledistance group.

1999-2000: Displayedhis impressive finishing kickat the A-10 indoorchampionships by winningthe 800 and anchoring thevictorious 4x800-relay …Ran a leg on the 4x800-relaythat took third at IC4Asduring indoor … Capturedfifth in the 800 at the VirginiaTech Invitational …Redshirted the outdoorseason.

1998-99: Showedsubstantial improvement inthe middle distances lastseason … Grabbed secondat the Atlantic 10 indoorchampionships in the 1,000… Qualified for IC4As in thesame event with a 2:28.15 …Earned a bronze in the 800at the conferencechampionships outdoor … Amember of Tech’sconference winning 4x800relay team indoors.

1997-98: Had a 2:29.35performance in the 1,000 towin Tech’s Last Chance Meet… Placed fifth at the A-10indoor championships in the800.

High School/Other :Won the Johnson Miller mile,the first race on Tech’s newoutdoor track, whileredshirting his first season …All-state in outdoor while atThomas Dale High School… Majoring in finance.

Nathan Bath willvault for new heights

in 2001.

ChrisSeaton


performer in the pole vaultwhile at Freehold H.S. … Setthe school and district recordat 14'1" in the vault … Tookthird at the Meet ofChampions in the pole vault… Enrolled in mechanicalengineering.

Kevin Walkerr-SeniorAppomattox H.S.Pamplin, Va.

Personal Bests:60H – 7.94, 110H – 13.97400H – 51.47

NCAA Qualifier - 110 Hurdles

Is the veteran of the teamwith potential to reach theNCAA level.

1999-2000: Had anoutstanding track seasonhighlighted by outstandingperformer honors at theoutdoor conference

Marcus TepaskeJuniorFreehold H.S.Freehold, N.J.

Personal Bests:Pole Vault – 15'09"/4.80

Conference runner-up – Pole Vault

Steps into the role ofTech’s top pole vaulter thisseason.

1999-2000: Earned asilver medal at the A-10outdoor championships in thepole vault with a 15'03" leap… Took third at the SpringGobbler Invitational in thevault … Season best of15'03.5" came during an 18th-place finish at the Sea RayInvitational.

1998-99: Took thirdplace in the pole vault at theoutdoor Atlantic 10Championships.

High School/Other: Athree-time all district

championships … Won the110 hurdles in an NCAAqualifying time of 13.97 andtook the 400 hurdles in ameet record of 51.47 at A-10s … Also won the 55hurdles and was fifth in the55 dash at A-10s indoors …Semifinalist in the 60 hurdlesat IC4As during indoor, inaddition to qualifying for bothhurdle events during theoutdoor season … Won the60 hurdles at the VirginiaTech Invitational to help liftthe Hokies to a victory.

1998-99: Proved hishurdling capabilities withsilver medal performances inthe 55H hurdles with a 7.43at the Atlantic 10 IndoorChampionships as well asthe 110H with a 14.08 and400H with a 51.76 at theoutdoor conference meet …Took fifth in the 55 hurdles atIC4As indoor and fourth inthe 110 hurdles IC4Asoutdoors … Was a keymember of Tech’soutstanding 4x400 meterrelay team that went 3:11.50for an indoor school record… Claimed first atChristopher Newport in the400 hurdles.

1997-98: Set a schoolrecord in the 60H with asecond-place finish at Tech’sLast Chance Invitational …Came in second in the 55Hat the indoor A-10championships … Set aschool record in the 110H atthe outdoor Atlantic 10championships with a first-place finish.

High School/Other:Was a district, regional andstate champion four yearsunder coach David Read at

Appomattox High School …Won the 110H race in the1996 and 1997Commonwealth Games …Majoring in human foods andnutrition exercise.

Ernest WilfordSophomoreArmstrong/Franklin H.S.Richmond, Va.

Personal Bests:Triple Jump – 50'07.5"/15.43

Two-Time All-Conference - TJ

Doubles as a widereceiver for the football teamin the fall.

1999-2000: Made quitean impact on the team andthe conference last season inthe triple jump … Set theAtlantic 10 and track record atthe outdoor championships inthe triple jump with a 48'02"leap … Also won the A-10 titlein the triple during indoor inaddition to taking third in thelong jump … Captured sixth atthe IC4A Championshipsindoors in the triple jump witha leap of 50'04.75".

High School/Other:Competed at Armstrong/Franklin High School … Tooksecond in the triple jump atthe state championships …Enrolled in university studies.

MarcusTepaske

Genesis Ridley has been Tech’s top high jumperthe last two years.


School Records

100yd ............................. 9.4 .... André Releford, 74100m .......................... 10.24 .... André Davis, 99110H ........................... 13.89 .... Chris Stokes, 99200 ............................. 20.78 .... André Davis, 99400 ............................. 46.73 .... Hilliard Sumner, 96400H........................... 51.28 .... Justin Davis, 99800 ............................ 1:48.5 .... Tim Crossin, 821,500 ....................... 3:39.35 .... Gary Cobb, 873,000 ....................... 8:03.41 .... Steve Taylor, 873,000 SC ................... 8:47.2 .... Gene Crane, 785,000 ....................... 13:52.0 .... Steve Taylor, 8710,000 ................... 28:45.97 .... Mark Stickley, 824X100 ........................... 40.7 .... Larry Fallen/David Read/

Kenny Lewis/Dennis Scott, 804X400 ........................ 3:10.2 .... Robert Chase/Nuzelle Watson/

Robert Nash/Tim Crossin, 824X800 ........................ 7:32.2 .... Ray McDaniels/Tim Crossin/

Bill Porr/Nuzelle Watson, 824X1,500 ................. 16.06.80 .... Mark King/Mark Rumple/

Gerard Lang-X/Matt Yost, 97DMR .......................... 9:46.2 .... Robert Nash/Nuzelle Watson/

Tim Crossin/Ray McDaniels, 82SMR .......................... 3:20.7 .... Robert Chase/David Read/

Michael Cooper/Tim Crossin, 83High Jump ........... 7-0.5/2.15 .... Steve Whaley, 81Pole Vault ........ 18-1.25/5.52 .... Brian Hunter, 00Long Jump ......... 24-10/7.57 .... Jerry Gaines, 71Triple Jump ..... 53-4.5/16.27 .... Phil Saunders, 86Shot Put ............. 55-8/16.97 .... Barry White, 72Discus .............. 178-6/54.40 .... Steve Mehr, 83Hammer ......... 221-11/67.46 .... Erick Kingston, 99Javelin .............. 219-3/66.82 .... Bill Patrowicz, 89Decathlon ................... 6,951 .... Ed Nuttycombe, 76

55 ................................... 5.9 .... David Read, 8055H................................. 7.1 .... Kenny Lewis, 7860 ................................. 6.72 .... André Davis, 0060H............................... 7.82 .... Chris Stokes, 99200 ............................. 21.16 .... André Davis, 00400 ............................. 48.19 .... Ahmed Sangbana, 99500 .......................... 1:03.58 .... Ali Najjar, 00600 ............................ 1:20.1 .... Brett Matthews, 94800 .......................... 1:49.96 .... Justin Davis, 991,000 ....................... 2:21.92 .... Gary Cobb, 871,500 ......................... 3:45.0 .... Gary Cobb, 87Mile ............................ 4:09.3 .... Tim Covington, 892,000 ......................... 5:24.1 .... Mike Cox, 943,000 ....................... 8:03.41 .... Steve Taylor, 875,000 ....................... 14:02.0 .... Tim Covington, 894x100 ........................... 43.7 .... Maurice Ashford/Kenny Lewis/

Larry Fallen/Dennis Scott, 784x400 ...................... 3:11.50 .... Dettrick Stith/Kevin Walker/

Ahmed Sangbana/Justin Davis, 994x800 ........................ 7:29.2 .... Ray Ackenbom/ Mike Burns/

Ray McDaniels/Bruce Merritt, 80DMR ........................ 9:54.08 .... Jason Dowdy/Dettrick Stith/

Bill Showers/Jay Johns, 98SMR .......................... 3:35.9 .... Vinnie Peters/Jon Nelson/

Dave Hannett/Eric Parlette, 93Pentathlon .................. 3,683 .... Adam Bowser, 00High Jump .............. 7-1/2.16 .... Steve Whaley, 83Long Jump ........... 25-3/7.70 .... Ken Stewart, 84Pole Vault .......... 18-0.5/5.50 .... Brian Hunter, 00Shot Put .......... 56-8.5/17.28 .... Barry White, 73Triple Jump ... 51-9.75/15.79 .... Phil Saunders, 8635-lb Weight ....... 65-0/19.81 .... Erick Kingston, 00-All times prior to 1991 are not fully automated

AdamBowser

erased thefive-year-oldTech record

in thepentathlon

last season.

Ali Najjar set anew school

record in the500 in just hisfirst season.

School RecordsINDOOR TRACK

OUTDOOR TRACK


2000 Indoor Season Review

It was a season unlikeany other for the Virginia Techtrack and field team. In whatcould be called the mostsuccessful indoor track andfield season in Virginia Techhistory the Hokies won theconference title, beatnationally ranked teams, hadits highest finish at the IC4Achampionships and had anAll-American athlete. Headcoach Russ Whitenack nowhas the first-class facilitiesand is working to build histeam into a great one. Lastindoor season is proof that thetrack and field program atTech is moving in the rightdirection.

The Tech men capturedtheir fourth straight indoorAtlantic 10 Conference title inrecord fashion on February19. The team eclipsed WestVirginia’s meet scoring recordby 21 points, posting 246 overthe course of the day. Techwon 11 of the 19 events as 12Hokies were named to the all-conference team. André Davisearned Performer of the Meethonors for his wins in the 55-and 200-meter dashes. RussWhitenack claimed his fourthconsecutive Coach of theYear honor after his team out-distanced second-place by120 points. The other eventwinners for Tech were ClintonEdwards in the 400, MattTaylor in the 800, Paul Hayesin the 1,000, Chris Seaton inthe 5,000, Kevin Walker in the55 hurdles, Ernest Wilford inthe triple jump, Daryl McCoyin the long jump, Eddie Boesin the weight throw and theteam of Hayes, Taylor, BrianCoffield and Todd Grignon inthe 4x800-relay.

Virginia Tech also hostedseveral top quality meets overthe course of the indoorseason. On February 5, theHokies beat nationally rankedSouth Carolina andtraditionally strongGeorgetown and William andMary to win their first scoredmeet of the season. The 13points Dan McGrath and MikeLeslie earned in the finalevent were enough to claimvictory over Trackwire’s No.14 ranked South Carolina bytwo points.

The meet proved to beone of the best overallperformances of the seasonfor the men. Eddie Boes,Kevin Walker and freshmanKevin Rhue each won events,while Edwards, Ali Najjar,Taylor, Tim Ralph, Seaton,Kingston, Wilford, the 4x400-meter relay team and thedistance medley relay teamjoined Boes and Walker asIC4A qualifiers. Rhue was thewinner in the mile, Walkertook the 60-meter hurdles and

2000 Indoor Season Review

Boes had a big personalrecord to win the weight throwwith a 62'09.25" toss, nearlymissing the NCAA qualifyingmark. As a team Tech hasperformed well, however,there are several individualswho stood out above the rest.

Pole vaulter, Brian Huntercleared a height of 18'00.5" inthe pole vault to break theschool record, automaticallyqualify for NCAAs and earn A-10 Athlete of the Week honorsat the Kroger Invitational. Hethen went on to the NCAAChampionships and tookthird-place to earn All-Americahonors. As a result of Hunter’sthird place finish Tech actuallyplaced 24th at NCAAs, whichwas higher that all other BIGEAST teams.

Hunter also won theReno Classic pole vaultcompetition, which featuredmany of the nation’s bestvaulters. Erick Kingston joinedHunter at NCAAs after hethrew 65'00" at the IC4Achampionships. Eddie Boes

also qualified for NCAAs inthe weight throw with hisconference winning toss of64'10.5", but missed the cutfor NCAAs by one spot.

Undoubtedly the bestmeet of the season for theHokies was the IC4Achampionships. For thesecond year in a row Techcould call itself the secondbest track and field team inthe Northeast. The Hokiescompiled 67 points to finishjust 12 behind Georgetown.

Davis was a doublewinner, taking the 60 and 200in NCAA qualifying times. His6.72 in the 60 was a newschool record and was justone one-hundredth off themeet record. Davis also ran a21.22 in the 200-meter dash.Tech’s other event winner wasHunter, who took the polevault with a 17'04.5"performance. Kingstonclaimed second in the weightthrow and broke the schoolrecord while Boes took fourthin the same event. Wilfordscored points for Tech in thetriple jump with a 50'04.75"leap, which was good for sixthplace.

Hayes, Bowser andSeaton all took fourth place intheir events. Hayes went2:25.09 in the 1,000, Bowserscored a school record 3,683points in the pentathlon andChris Seaton finished the3,000 in 8:23.58. The 4x800-meter relay team of Taylor,Grignon, Hayes and Rhuetook third in the finals with a7:34.12 performance. Najjarbroke the school record in the500 trials with a 1:03.58 butpulled his hamstring in thefinals, where he was seededfirst.

The 2000 indoor seasonwas a special one for Tech.Six school records werebroken during the season,numerous titles were won andthe men’s track team was leftwith a true feeling ofaccomplishment when theseason ended.

Darryl McCoy (above)and Ernest Wilford

have become one ofTech’s best long jump/triple jump duos ever.

Hokies EndRemarkable Season

With 24th PlaceFinish at NCAAs


Top Marks of Indoor 2000Top Marks of Indoor 200055-Meter DashAndré Davis 6.30 2/19/00 (1st A-10)Darryl McCoy 6.58 2/19/00 (prelim A-10)Kevin Walker 6.60 2/19/00 (prelim A-10)

55-Meter HurdlesKevin Walker 7.52 2/19/00 (1st A-10)Adam Bowser 8.44 1/21/00 (30th Pepsi)

60-Meter DashAndré Davis 6.72 3/5/00 (1st IC4A)Darryl McCoy 7.06 2/5/00 (4th VT)Kevin Walker 7.13 2/5/00 (36th Kroger)

60-Meter HurdlesKevin Walker 7.94 2/25/00 (prelim LC)Adam Bowser 8.97 1/21/00 (30th Pepsi)

200-Meter DashAndré Davis 21.16 2/26/00 (1st LC)Clinton Edwards 22.36 2/26/00 (17th LC)Brian Hunter 22.50 2/19/00 (6th A-10)

400-Meter DashClinton Edwards 48.96 2/5/00 (5th VT)Buck Grant 49.10 3/4/00 (19th IC4A)Ali Najjar 50.10 1/22/00 (29th Pepsi)

500-Meter DashAli Najjar 1:03.58 3/4/00 (prelim IC4A)Adam Bowser 1:05.05 2/12/00 (5th Kroger)Erik Necciai 1:06.07 2/12/00 (8th Kroger)

800-Meter RunAli Najjar 1:51.60 2/26/00 (8th LC)Todd Grignon 1:53.80 3/4/00 (20th IC4A)Matt Taylor 1:54.44 2/5/00 (5th VT)

1,000-Meter RunPaul Hayes 2:25.09 3/5/00 (4th IC4A)Kevin Rhue 2:28.59 2/12/00 (3rd Kroger)Jason Hettenbaugh 2:29.25 2/25/00 (2nd LC)

One Mile RunKevin Rhue 4:12.38 2/19/00 (3rd A-10)Chris Seaton 4:12.94 2/26/00 (13th LC)Jason Hettenbaugh 4:18.63 2/19/00 (7th A-10))

3,000-Meter RunChris Seaton 8:20.27 3/4/00 (prelim IC4A)Ben Dowdy 8:30.09 2/26/00 (7th LC)Matt Krycinski 8:45.35 2/19/00 (6th A-10)

5,000-Meter RunChris Seaton 14:40.18 2/12/00 (1st Kroger)Ben Dowdy 15:11.88 2/19/00 (4th A-10)

4x400-Meter RelayWalker, Clinton, 3:16.38 2/26/00 (5th LC)Grant, BowserWalker, Edwards, 3:17.24 3/4/00 (13th IC4A)Grant, BowserEdwards, Grant, 3:17.55 2/12/00 (8th Kroger)Walker, Bowser

60 6.56 Shawn Crawford Clemson (2/18/00)

60H 7.53 Terrence Trammell South Carolina (2/12/99)

200 20.43 Shawn Crawford Clemson (2/19/00)

400 46.01 Angelo Taylor Georgia Tech (2/23/98)

500 1:02.05 Marvin Watts South Carolina (1/17/98)

800 1:47.49 Anders Christiansen William &Mary (2/26/99)

1,000 2:25.04 Jason Long JMU (2/12/00)

1 mile 4:00.69 Mike Ryan Reebok Enclave (2/26/00)

3,000 7:53.26 Tim Broe Alabama (1/22/99)

5,000 14:10.59 Chris Mutai Jacksonville St. (2/26/99)

4x400 3:07.08 Baylor (2/5/99)

4x800 7:37.76 North Carolina (2/12/00)

DMR 9:33.73 Arkansas (2/12/99)

Long Jump 8.03 Roland McGhee Unattached (2/14/98)

Triple Jump 16.78 Levar Anderson LSU (2/5/99)

High Jump 2.28 David Furman Florida (2/14/98)

Pole Vault 5.75 Larwence Johnson Adidas (2/26/00)

20lb Wt. 20.60 Ryan Harrison South Carolina (1/22/99)

Shot Put 20.41 Andy Bloom Nike (2/7/98)

4x800-Meter RelayHayes, Grignon, 7:34.12 3/5/00 (3rd IC4A)Taylor, RhueNajjar, Grignon, 7:37.80 3/4/00 (prelim IC4A)Hayes, TaylorCoffield, Grignon, 7:44.63 2/19/00 (1st A-10)Najjar, Taylor

Distance Medley RelayHayes, Najjar, 9:55.36 2/11/00 (7th Kroger)Taylor, RhueHayes, Najjar, 10:02.24 2/26/00 (7th LC)Taylor, SeatonHayes, Najjar, 10:12.74 1/21/00 (5th Pepsi)Taylor, Rhue

Long JumpDarryl McCoy 23’08.25" 2/25/00 (7th LC)Paul Strano 23'02.00" 1/15/00 (5th VT)Adam Bowser 22'05.75" 1/22/00 (14th Pepsi)

Triple JumpErnest Wilford 50’07.50" 2/26/00 (6th LC)Rashad Jenkins 45'11.25" 2/11/00 (17th Kroger)

High JumpGenesis Ridley 6'07.00" 2/26/00 (2nd LC)Adam Bowser 6'06.25" 3/4/00 (pent IC4A)

Pole VaultBrian Hunter 18'00.50" 2/12/00 (3rd Kroger)Marcus Tepaske 14'03.25" 2/26/00 (11th LC)

Shot PutMike Leslie 50'06.00" 3/4/00 (22nd IC4A)Tim Ralph 50’02.75" 2/26/00 (6th LC)Dan McGrath 49’07.75" 2/26/00 (7th LC )

35lb.Weight ThrowErick Kingston 65’00.00" 3/4/00 (2nd IC4A)Eddie Boes 64’10.50" 2/19/00 (1st A-10)Tim Ralph 60'00.50" 2/11/00 (8th Kroger)

PentathlonAdam Bowser 3,683 pts. 3/4/00 (4th IC4A)Justin Griffee 3,411 pts. 2/4/00 (9th VT)

Paul Hayes led the Hokies and thecompetition all season long in the

1,000-meter run.

INDOOR TRACK RECORDS


In its eighth and finalAtlantic 10 championship, theTech men left no doubt whothe best team in theconference was, winning byover 100 points. The victorymarked an end of an era ofdomination by the Hokiesquad, which was unlike anyother the conference hadseen. When it was all said anddone, Tech had taken 12 ofthe 21 spots on the all-conference team, broughthome another outstandingperformer and top rookieperformer award and headcoach Russ Whitenackreceived his fourth outdoorcoach of the year award in asmany seasons.

Kevin Walker led the wayon Tech’s home track bywinning the 110 hurdles and400 hurdles on his wayto the A-10 outstandingperformer award. AliNajjar was namedoutstanding rookieperformer after settinga new track and A-10record in the 800. BrianHunter set a newconference record whilewinning the pole vault.Erick Kingston repeatedas hammer throwchampion. André Davisrepeated as a doublewinner in the sprintevents and combinedwith teammates LarryAustin, Rashad Jenkinsand long jumpchampion DarrylMcCoy for the 4x100-relay’s top spot. ErnestWilford’s victory in thelong jump and AdamBowser’s first-place inthe decathlon roundedout the Tech victories atA-10s.

The greatestindividualaccomplishment of theseason came at theNCAA Championships,which was the finalcompetition of

2000 Outdoor Season ReviewKingston’s collegiate career.The fifth-year senior qualifiedfor finals in the eighth positionand improved on each of hisfinal three throws, ending witha 221'08" effort, to capturesixth and with that his secondAll-America honor. Hunterjoined Kingston as the onlyother Hokie at NCAAs butfailed to clear a height in thecompetition.

Although Hunter had adisappointing close to theseason, he did set a newschool record with an amazing18'01.5" clearance in the polevault at the Spring GobblerInvitational. Other outstandingmarks of the season includedWalker’s 13.97 in the 110hurdles, which provisionallyqualified him for NCAAs,McCoy’s 24'05" near miss of

the long jump school recordand Eddie Boes’ 195'09"hammer throw, which left himonly a few feet short of anNCAA berth.

Tech also had twoathletes compete in theOlympic Trials. A competitionthat takes place only onceevery four years was anoutstanding opportunity forKingston and Hunter, who areup and coming national levelcompetitors. Kingstoncompeted in the hammerthrow and Hunter made his bidin the pole vault.

At the IC4AChampionships unfortunatecircumstances left the Hokieswith only a 17th-place.Kingston took second in thehammer and Najjar claimedfifth in the 800 to highlight the

event for Tech.The Hokies began

their season at theRaleigh Relays whereKingston won thehammer and Boes tooksecond in the discus toget things started well forthe throwers. The 4x800-relay also amassed anearly season IC4Aqualifier with a 10th-placefinish.

Tech then traveled toDuke for a look at thehost site of the NCAAChampionships. PaulHayes and Najjar setpersonal records in the1,500 and 800,respectively. Nathan Bathtook third in the polevault, and Kingstoncaptured second in thehammer throw whilequalifying for NCAAs.

The Sea RayInvitational was the nextstop on the Techschedule as Hunter madehis first outdoorappearance in the polevault this season with anNCAA qualifying leap of17'07", which was goodfor fourth. Boes came up

big in the open section of thehammer throw, winning theevent with a toss of 191'10".The 4x800-meter relay teamalso bettered its time with afifth place, 7:34.54performance. Freshman JasonHettenbaugh took sixth placein the 3,000-metersteeplechase in 9:24.61 andWalker earned eighth in the400 hurdles with a time of51.92.

Tech then remained homefor the Spring GobblerInvitational where Hunter andKingston highlighted the men’sperformances. Hunter cleareda personal record of 18'01.25"and virtually assured himself aspot at NCAAs. Kingstonremained consistent with a216'03" winning mark in thehammer throw. He wasfollowed by teammate Boeswho threw a personal recordof 195'09" in the same event.Freshman Buck Grant claimedvictory in the 400 with an IC4Aqualifier of 48.27 and Boestook home a win in the discuswith a 158'03" throw. OtherIC4A qualifiers were ClintonEdwards who went 21.56 inthe 200 and Walker whoimproved his previous markwith a 14.21 in the 110hurdles. Chris Seaton, whowas redshirting the season,also won the 3,000.

The JMU Invitational fellin May as a tune up for IC4Asand marked the finalopportunity for qualifyingmarks for some. McCoy hadthe best leap of his career inthe long jump, over-comingthe 24-foot barrier with a24'05" effort. Kingston pickedup another victory in thehammer throw, while Najjar’sninth in the 400 andHettenbaugh’s eighth in the3,000 rounded out Tech’s top10 finishers.

The outdoor season hadmany hightlights which addedto the tradition of outstandingtrack and field that is growingin Blacksburg, Va.

2000 Outdoor Season Review

Buck Grant was the top quarter-milerfor the Hokies during the 2000

outdoor season.

Tech Ends Millennium With Conference Blowout


Top Marks of Outdoor 2000100-Meter DashAndré Davis 10.42 5/06/00 (1st A-10)Darryl McCoy 11.28 4/08/00 (8th-h Duke)Adam Bowser 11.52 4/07/00 (Deca. LC)

110-Meter HurdlesKevin Walker 13.97 5/07/00 (1st A-10)Adam Bowser 16.45 5/20/00 (Deca. IC4A)

200-Meter DashAndré Davis 20.95 5/07/00 (1st A-10)Clinton Edwards 21.56 4/22/00 (6th VT)Kevin Walker 22.12 4/22/00 (13th VT)

400-Meter DashBuck Grant 47.95 5/07/00 (4th A-10)Clinton Edwards 48.88 5/07/00 (10th A-10)Kevin Walker 49.10 3/31/00 (38th Raleigh)

400-Meter HurdlesKevin Walker 51.47 5/07/00 (1st A-10)Adam Breslin 56.73 3/31/00 (39th Raleigh)

800-Meter RunAli Najjar 1:49.91 5/07/00 (1st A-10)Todd Grignon 1:53.33 5/07/00 (8th A-10)Erik Necciai 1:54.04 5/07/00 (10th A-10)

1,500-Meter RunPaul Hayes 3:54.22 4/08/00 (28th Duke)Kevin Rhue 3:57.44 4/22/00 (3rd VT)J. Hettenbaugh 3:57.99 4/01/00 (37th Raleigh)

3,000-Meter RunPete Lindner 8:48.43 4/22/00 (3rd VT)J. Hettenbaugh 8:55.48 4/22/00 (5th VT)

3,000-Meter SteeplechaseJ. Hettenbaugh 9:16.00 5/06/00 (2nd A-10)Matt Krycinski 9:52.04 4/14/00 (14th S.R.)

5,000-Meter RunPete Lindner 16:00.61 4/13/00 (27th S.R.)Jason Griscom 16:23.57 4/22/00 (6th VT)Brent Carter 16:30.56 4/22/00 (7th VT)

10,000-Meter RunPete Lindner 33:47.43 5/06/00 (6th A-10)Jason Griscom 34:42.38 5/06/00 (8th A-10)

4x100-Meter RelayAustin, McCoy, 41.16 5/7/00 (1st A-10)Jenkins, DavisEdwards, McCoy, 42.75 4/22/00 (4th VT)Walker, Eicholtz

4x200-Meter RelayWalker, Edwards, 1:27.45 4/15/00 (12th S.R.)McCoy, Grant

4x400-Meter RelayEdwards, Breslin, 3:16.90 5/07/00 (5th A-10)Bowser, Grant

4x800-Meter RelayHayes, Grignon, 7:34.54 4/15/00 (5th S.R.)Taylor, RhueTaylor, Necciai, 7:40.27 4/01/00 (10th Raleigh)Grignon, CoffieldGrignon, Necciai, 7:41.24 5/20/00 (16th IC4A)Rhue, Coffield

4x1,500-Meter RelayHayes, Krycinski, 16:11.07 3/31/00 (13th Raleigh)Hettenbaugh, Lindner

Long JumpDarryl McCoy 24'05.00" 5/13/00 (4th JMU)Adam Bowser 22'04.25" 4/07/00 (Deca. LC)

Triple JumpErnest Wilford 48'02.00" 5/07/00 (1st A-10)Rashad Jenkins 45'07.25" 5/07/00 (2nd A-10)Adam Breslin 42'01.25" 5/07/00 (5th A-10)

High JumpGenesis Ridley 6'09.00" 5/07/00 (1st A-10)Brian Hunter 6'0900" 5/07/00 (2nd A-10)Adam Bowser 6'06.00" 5/06/00 (Deca A-10)

100 10.19 Anthony Jones Ascis (4/17/99)

110H 13.89 Chris Stokes Virginia Tech (5/2/99)

200 20.76 Anthony Jones Asics (4/17/99)

400 46.29 Michael Decker Liberty (4/03/99)

400H 50.09 James Carter MD Elite (4/22/00)

800 1:49.91 Ali Najjar Virginia Tech (5/7/00)

1,500 3:53.26 Karl Savage St. Joseph’s (5/7/00)

3,000 8:24.05 Stephen Githuka Liberty (4/3/99)

3,000SC 9:12.08 Casey Batey Unattached (4/22/00)

5,000 14:51.81 Ryan Carrara UMass (5/3/98)

10,000 31:43.70 Mike Cox Virginia Tech (5/3/98)

4x100 41.03 UNC Charlotte (4/22/00)

4x400 3:10.43 Temple (5/3/98)

4x800 7:30.24 La Salle (5/3/98)

Long Jump 7.40 Mike Donahue Virginia Tech (5//1/99)

Triple Jump 14.68 Ernest Wilford Virginia Tech (5/7/00)

High Jump 2.14 Jason Farr ETSU (4/3/99)

Discus 55.62 Vic Morency UMass (5/7/00)

Hammer 67.64 Erick Kingston Virginia Tech (5/1/99)

Javelin 69.98 Vic Morency UMass (5/1/99)

Pole Vault 5.52 Brian Hunter Virginia Tech (4/22/00)

Shot Put 16.93 Glen Thompson L&S Throwers (4/3/99)

Pole VaultBrian Hunter 18'01.25" 4/22/00 (1st VT)Nathan Bath 15'05.00" 4/08/00 (3rd Duke)Marcus Tepaske 15'03.00" 4/22/00 (3rd VT)

Shot PutMike Leslie 50'08.00" 5/07/00 (3rd A-10)Dan McGrath 48'08.00" 4/07/00 (12th Duke)Tim Ralph 48'06.75" 5/07/00 (6th A-10)

Hammer ThrowErick Kingston 221'08.00" 6/02/00 (6th NCAAs)Eddie Boes 195'09.00" 5/06/00 (2nd A-10)Tim Ralph 189'04.00" 5/06/00 (3rd A-10)

DiscusEddie Boes 173'09.00" 3/31/00 (2nd Raleigh)Marvin Urquhart 143'10.00" 5/07/00 (4th A-10)

JavelinGiff Hummel 177'06.00" 4/15/00 (8th Sea Ray)

DecathlonAdam Bowser 6,275 pts 4/08/00 (6th Liberty)

Top Marks of Outdoor 2000

Jason Hettenbaugh clears the waterbarrier on his way to the team’s top

time in the steeplechase.

JOHNSON-MILLER TRACK RECORDS


Awards and HonorsConference ChampionsThe Virginia Tech Hokies

Coach of the YearRuss Whitenack

Outstanding PerformerAndré Davis

All-ConferenceEddie Boes –– Weight ThrowBrian Coffield –– 4x800André Davis — 55, 200Clinton Edwards –– 400Todd Grignon — 4x800Paul Hayes — 1,000, 4x800Darryl McCoy –– Long JumpAli Najjar –– 4x800Chris Seaton — 5,000Matt Taylor — 800, 4x800Kevin Walker — 55 HurdlesErnest Wilford — Triple Jump

Academic All-ConferenceTodd GrignonErick KingstonChris SeatonMatt Tayor

Student Athlete of the YearChris Seaton

Team AwardsRookie of the YearErnest Wilford

Coach’s AwardBrian Hunter

OutstandingPerformerErick Kingston

Strength andConditioningAthlete of the YearErick Kingston

Conference ChampionsThe Virginia Tech Hokies

Coach of the YearRuss Whitenack

Outstanding PerformerKevin Walker

Rookie of the YearAli Najjar

All-ConferenceLarry Austin — 4x100Adam Bowser — DecathlonAndré Davis — 100, 200, 4x100Brian Hunter — Pole VaultRashad Jenkins — 4x100Erick Kingston — Hammer ThrowDarryl McCoy — Long Jump, 4x100Ali Najjar –– 800Chris Stokes — 110 HurdlesKevin Walker — 110 Hurdles, 400 HurdlesErnest Wilford –– Triple Jump

Team AwardsRookie of the YearBuck Grant

Coach’s AwardKevin Walker

Outstanding PerformerAli Najjar

Blacksburg Sports ClubOutstanding SeniorErick Kingston

Brian Hunter placed third in the polevault at the indoor NCAA

Championships in Arkansas. Thatequaled the highest finish for a Tech

athlete at NCAAs.

Erick Kingston took sixth at theoutdoor NCAA Championships afterputting together the best throwingseries of his career. He is the only

track and field athlete at Tech to earnAll-America honors in the same

event twice.

Awards and HonorsA-10 INDOOR A-10 OUTDOOR

TECH’S A-10 TROPHIESThe Tech men have won the last four indoor and

outdoor Atlantic 10 titles. The 2000 victories were soprofound, Tech nearly doubled second-place pointtotals. With the addition of the cross country team’svictories in 1996 and 1997, the Hokies capturedback-to-back Triple Crowns in each of thoseseasons. As Tech moves into the BIG EAST, thecompetition will be tough, but the men’s track teamwill no doubt be prepared.

NCAAALL-AMERICANS


The History of Track and Field

Virginia Tech, establishedin 1872, is a universitysteeped in tradition, andathletics always has been amajor part of the unfoldingstory.

As of the 2000-01 seasonthe Hokies are members ofthe BIG EAST Conference formost sports, one of thosebeing track and field. Amongbowl games, conferencechampionships and All-American athletes, Tech’strack and field teams have seta standard of success sincethe introduction of the sport atVirginia Tech.

Track and field made itsdebut as a Tech sport in theearly 1900s. The team, madeup only of men at the time,competed in outdoorcompetitions. Indoor track andfield was incorporated intoTech’s program in the late1950s, and the women’s trackand field team was added inthe 1970s.

A host of coachescontributed to the Hokies’success over the years.Coaches like D.J. Woods(1905-06), Doug Divers (1958-

64) and H. Richard Reddinglaid a foundation for thesuccess of Tech’s tracksters.

The Hokies’ first taste ofchampionship victory came in1956, when Redding led Techto its first SouthernConference title.

Martin Pushkin coachedTech to indoor and outdoorstate championships in 1969and 1970. Pushkin also ledTech to the NCAAchampionships during hisdecade of coaching beginningin 1964.

In 1974, Russ Whitenacktook over the reins as Tech’shead coach and began whatwould be an era of victory forthe Hokies. The men’s teamcaptured indoor and outdoorstate championship titles in1977-78 under Whitenack.

The team continued itssuccess by earning MetroConference wins in 1987,1993 and 1994, anddominating the Atlantic 10Conference in 1997, 1998 and1999.

The late 1970s markedthe start of a string of Tech All-Americans. Keith Neff, a

native of Portsmouth, Va.,became Tech’s first All-American in 1976. In Januaryof that year, he had becomethe first Virginian ever to polevault 17 feet, clearing that inthe Pitt Invitational IndoorMeet.

Erick Kingston and BrianHunter were the most recentHokies to garner the honor ofAll-America. Hunter capturedthird-place at the NCAA IndoorChampionships with anoutstanding 18'00.5" schoolrecord-setting effort in the polevault. During last outdoorseason Kingston had a careerday to take sixth with a toss of221'08" in the hammer throwat the NCAA Championships.

Building on their recentsuccess, the Hokies arepreparing for anew era. Thisseason, Techwelcomes a host ofnew talent tocompete on itsstate-of-the-arttrack and fieldfacilities.

Techpurchased an

eight-lane Mondo indoor trackfor the 1996-97 season, andbuilt a new outdoor Mondotrack during the 1997-98academic year. Each isequipped with dash lanes,jump and pole vault pits, areasfor the throw events and ahigh-tech timing system.These world-class facilitiesgive the Hokies places to trainand compete that are as goodas anywhere in the nation.

Since the beginning oftrack and field at Virginia Tech,athletes and coaches alikehave been dedicated to thepursuit of excellence. Thesuccess of the Hokies’ trackand field teams has become atradition that will continue togrow and prosper in comingyears.

Gary Cobb (left)was a two-time All-American duringhis sophomore

year. HilliardSumner (above,left) and Jason

Fullmer led Tech toits first of fouroutdoor A-10

conference titles.

The History of Track and FieldTech Has Created a Tradition of Success in Track and

Field That Will Expand in the BIG EAST

TECH’S ALL-AMERICANSName Event YearKeith Neff .......................Pole vault ........................................... 1976Dennis Scott ................... 60-yard dash ...................................... 1978Ray Ackenbom ............... Two-mile relay ................................... 1980Mike Burns .....................Two-mile relay ................................... 1980John Dyer .......................Decathlon .......................................... 1980Kenny Lewis ................... 55m high hurdles ............................... 1980Ray McDaniels ............... Two-mile relay ................................... 1980Bruce Merritt .................. Two-mile relay ................................... 1980Bob Phillips .................... Pole vault ........................................... 1980Paul Sulik .......................Hammer throw ................................... 1981Steve Hetherington ........Cross country .................................... 1982Phil Saunders ................. Triple jump ......................................... 1984Mark Stickley .................. 10,000-meters ................................... 1985Gary Cobb ...................... 1,000-meters, 1,500-meters .............. 1987Steve Taylor ................... 10,000-meters, cross country ............ 1987Tony Williams ................. 10,000-meters, cross country ............ 1987Brian Walter ...................Cross country .................................... 1989Mike Sergent .................. Hammer throw ................................... 1992Erick Kingston ................ Hammer throw ................................... 1998Brian Hunter ...................Pole Vault .......................................... 2000Erick Kingston ................ Hammer Throw .................................. 2000


Qualifying StandardsAUTO PROV

Event FAT FAT55-Meters 6.16 6.2660-Meters 6.62 6.7255-Meter Hurdles 7.23 7.3960-Meter Hurdles 7.74 7.90200-Meters 20.90 21.25400-Meters 46.32 47.05800-Meters 1:48.30 1:50.20Mile* 4:01.00 4:05.203,000-Meters* 7:58.70 8:10.705,000-Meters* 13:58.15 14:18.151,600-Meter Relay 3:06.90 3:10.40DMR* 9:37.75 9:45.75

Standards are according to Virginia Tech’sbanked 200-meter Mondo track and varydepending on track size and specifications.

Meters MetersHigh Jump 2.25 2.16Pole Vault 5.50 5.25Long Jump 7.85 7.55Triple Jump 16.20 15.60Shot Put 19.00 17.5035-lb.Weight 21.35 19.00

* Altitude adjustment available.

AUTO PROVEvent FAT FAT100-Meters 10.16 10.34200-Meters 20.50 20.85400-Meters 45.40 46.20800-Meters 1:47.50 1:49.001,500-Meters* 3:41.50 3:45.00Mile* 3:59.203,000-Meter SC* 8:43.00 8:54.005,000-Meters* 13:46.00 14:07.0010,000-Meters* 29:00.00 29:45.00110-Meter Hurdles 13.72 13.90400-Meter Hurdles 50.10 51.20400-Meter Relay 39.20 40.00440-Yard Relay 39.40 40.201,600-Meter Relay 3:04.00 3:07.00Mile Relay 3:05.20 3:08.20

Meters MetersHigh Jump 2.25 2.18Pole Vault 5.55 5.30Long Jump 7.95 7.65Triple Jump 16.30 15.70Shot Put 19.20 17.80Discus 60.00 56.00Javelin 72.00 67.30Hammer 68.00 61.00Decathlon 7,500 points 7,150 points

* Altitude adjustment available.

Qualifying Standards

Event FAT55-Meters .......................................... 6.4760-Meters .......................................... 6.97200-Meters ...................................... 22.25400-Meters ...................................... 49.20500-Meters ................................... 1:05.20800-Meters ................................... 1:54.501,000-Meters ................................ 2:30.00Mile ............................................... 4:14.003,000-Meters ................................ 8:29.805,000-Meters .............................. 14:50.3055-Meter Hurdles .............................. 7.7060-Meter Hurdles .............................. 8.204x400 Relay ................................. 3:21.004x800 Relay ................................. 7:52.00DMR ........................................... 10:19.70

Meters FeetHigh Jump 2.06 6'9"Shot Put 15.40 50'6.25"Pole Vault 4.80 15'9"Weight Throw 16.80 55'1.5"Long Jump 7.07 23'2.5"Triple Jump 14.30 46'11"Pentathlon 3,575 points

Event ................................................ FAT100-Meters ...................................... 10.81200-Meters ...................................... 21.70400-Meters ...................................... 48.15800-Meters ................................... 1:51.401,500-Meters ................................ 3:50.805,000-Meters ................................ 14:38.010,000-Meters .............................. 31:00.0110-Meter Hurdles ........................... 14.74400-Meter Hurdles .......................... 53.503,000-Meter Steeplechase ............. 9:16.04x100 Relay .................................... 43.004x400 Relay ................................. 3:17.004x800 Relay ................................. 7:43.50

Meters FeetHigh Jump 2.06 6'9"Shot Put 15.50 50'10.25"Pole Vault 4.80 15'9"Discus 46.40 152'3"Long Jump 7.21 23'8"Hammer 52.50 172'3"Triple Jump 14.50 47'7"Javelin 57.50 188'8"Decathlon 6,130 points

FAT — Fully automated time

NCAA Division I Indoor NCAA Division I Outdoor

André Davis qualified for NCAAs inboth the 60 and 200 last season.

IC4A IndoorIC4A Outdoor

Matt Taylor has earned three trips tothe IC4A meet and hopes to earn one

again this year.


Track and Field FacilitiesTrack and Field FacilitiesThe Hokies’ indoor and

outdoor track facilities areamong the nation’s best.

The latest addition is theJohnson-Miller Outdoor TrackComplex. The outdoor ovaltrack has eight 42-inch lanesand is identical to the track atthe Atlanta stadium on whichOlympic athletes competed in1996. Tech’s school colors,burnt orange and Chicagomaroon, are featured onalternating lanes.

The complex includes apole vault pit, long and triplejump areas, steeplechaselanes and areas for shot put,discus, hammer throw, javelinand high jump events. Forsprints, 10 lanes have beenplaced in one stretch at thesouth side of the track. Inaddition, Tech uses the state-of-the-art Finish Lynx timingsystem for quick and accurateresults.

A nine-foot berm at thesouth end of the trackultimately will be terraced toprovide six rows of seating.

Tech’s Track Combo Is Among the Nation’s Best

The outdoor track,coupled with a similar indoortrack, gives Tech what manybelieve is the finest trackcomplex in America. Theindoor track, one of onlyseveral of its kind in the U.S.,was installed in the RectorField House and used for thefirst time during the 1996-97season.

The indoor track has beenhost to several of the EastCoast’s top invitationals,

attracting many of the nation’sbest teams. Tech has alsobrought in some of thenation’s finest athletes. Over30 Olympians competed inRector Field House last year,including Sydney Olympicsilver medalist pole vaulterLawrence Johnson, 1999 U.S.1,500-meter championSeneca Lassiter and two-timeNCAA champion and 2000Olympian shot putter AndyBloom.

The Johnson-MillerOutdoor Track Complex wasdedicated in honor of StuartJohnson and Jack WilliamMiller, Jr., two former Hokietrack stars from Richmond,Va., whose loyalty andsupport made possible theconstruction of the newtrack.

Johnson, Tech’s Mr.Track in 1952, was the firstman elected to the VirginiaTech Hall of Fame solely onhis records in track and field.Miller was co-captain of the1953 track team. Johnsonran the 440, 220 and milerelay. Miller competed in anumber of events, but hisspecialty was the mile run.

“Thanks to thesegentlemen, we’ve got thebiggest commitment to trackand field in the country,” saidhead men’s track coachRuss Whitenack.

“In the past we’ve hadgreat teams, but when I lookto our future I see evenbetter things,” Whitenacksaid.



The AdministrationThe Administration

Sharon McCloskeySenior Associate

Director of Athletics

David ChambersAssociate AD forExternal Affairs

Tom GabbardAssociate AD forInternal Affairs

John BalleinAssociate AD for

Football Operations

James C.Weaver, whoseinnovative ideasand work as areformer have madehim one of collegeathletics’ mostpopularadministrators, isthe director ofathletics at Virginia Tech.

Weaver, 55, wasappointed on September 24,1997 and has been a tirelessleader in behalf of Techathletics. In his three yearson the job at Tech, Weaverhas taken steps to placeincreased emphasis onprojects benefiting student-athletes. He created acomprehensive awardsprogram for letterwinnersand has initiated and fundedan annual awards banquet.

Weaver’s biggestaccomplishment thus far hasbeen getting Tech admittedinto an all-sports conference.Tech enters competition inthe BIG EAST Conferencefor most sports during the2000-2001 season.

A top personal priority forWeaver is the area of

Item: VirginiaTech applications up15 percent. Enteringstudents havehighest SAT averageever. Virginia Techcompetes fornationalchampionship infootball. Universityannounces two new megabio-tech programs. Thingsare looking pretty rosy forVirginia Tech, right?

Enter Charles W. Steger.His assessment? “We haveto rev the engines evenhigher. If you’re not movingquickly forward, you might as

university. “I would like to seeus ranked among the nation’stop 30 universities before theend of the decade,” saysSteger.

A registered architect andformer dean of Tech’s collegeof architecture and urbanstudies, Steger was thearchitect of a different sort asthe leader of the university’ssuccessful fund raisingcampaign. Under hisleadership as vice presidentfor development anduniversity relations, theCampaign for Virginia Tech,which concluded in 1998,raised $337 million, $87

Jon JaudonAssociate AD forAdministration

approximately 12,000 fans.Weaver is overseeing the

construction of new athleticfields in 2000-2001, whilevideo boards for both LaneStadium and CassellColiseum have already beeninstalled.

A native of Harrisburg,Pa., Weaver came to Techfrom Western MichiganUniversity where he wasdirector of athletics fromJanuary, 1996 until he cameto Blacksburg. Prior to that,

CHARLES STEGER • University President

JIM WEAVER • Director of Athletics

ATHLETICS ADMINISTRATORS

well be standingstill,” says theenergetic 53-year-old president.

Appointedpresident by theuniversity boardeffective January 7,2000, Stegerpossesses the

breadth and depth ofexperience to lead VirginiaTech at the point when highereducation must learn to copewith major technologychanges permeatingeducation.

Steger has lofty goals forVirginia’s leading research

million over its goal.Steger’s ties to Virginia Tech

span four decades as astudent, professor, dean, vicepresident, and now president.While on the faculty, he twicewon teaching excellenceawards. When he became deanof the college in 1981, he wasthe youngest architecture deanin the nation at 33 years of age.

Steger received hisBachelor and Master’s ofArchitecture and a Ph.D. inEnvironmental Science andEngineering from Virginia Tech.He and his wife, Janet, havetwo sons — David andChristopher.

facilities, where hehas major plansfor the expansionof Lane Stadium/Worsham Field.

Alreadycomplete is theexpansion of theNorth end zone,which added over

5,000 permanent seats.South end zone bleacherswill be replaced bypermanent double-deckstands with seating for

he was AD for three and a halfyears at UNLV, where hereconstructed a troubledathletic department.

Prior to landing the athleticdirector’s job at UNLV,Weaver spent nine years atthe University of Florida. Hewas a strong force at Floridain the field of compliance andconcluded his time there asassociate athletic director.

Weaver and his wife Tracihave four sons — Josh, Paul,Cole and Craig James.


Strength and Conditioning

Academic EnrichmentAcademic Enrichment

Strength and ConditioningFor the Virginia

Tech track teams,the strength andconditioningprogram, under thedirection of AssistantAthletic Director forAthletic PerformanceMike Gentry, plays avery important role.

A Durham, N.C.,native, Gentryreceived abachelor’s in physicaleducation from WesternCarolina University in 1979.Gentry received his master’sdegree from the University ofNorth Carolina at Chapel Hillin 1981 where he worked asan assistant strength coach.He then went to East CarolinaUniversity and was elevated

The success of VirginiaTech’s track program restslargely on the academicprogress of each studentathlete. The academicperformance of Tech studentathletes has improved eachyear due in part to theStudent-Athlete Office ofAcademic EnrichmentPrograms (SAOAEP).

Student athletes are themost visible studentcomponent of a university.They delight and entertainthousands of fans, studentsand alumni. Their athleticability and achievement is theprimary focus for nationalmedia attention. Studentathletes devote many hours topractice, conditioning andtraining that are not requiredof all students.

Due to their timecommitment and their highvisibility, it is an obligation andin the best interest of theuniversity to supply thesestudents with services whichwill allow them to maximizetheir academic potential. Theultimate goal is for all studentathletes to successfullycomplete their degree.

Tech has madetremendous strides in recentyears. The 1999 NCAADivision I Graduation Reportstates that for student athleteswho have exhausted theireligibility at Tech, 81 percenthave graduated. Last spring,the Athletic Director’s HonorsBreakfast paid tribute to arecord 358 student-athletes,student trainers, studentmanagers, cheerleaders andHighTechs who posted 3.0 orgreater QCAs in the 1999calendar year.

The Student Athlete Officeof Academic EnrichmentPrograms providesprogramming for studentathletes from their freshmanyear through graduation. Thisincludes a comprehensiveorientation to Tech, study hall,mentoring, tutoring, academicmonitoring, academic

recognition and eligibilityeducation.

Academic facilities forstudent athletes include theMonogram Room, a largeroom used as a study hallarea adjacent to the SAOAEPoffice in Cassell Coliseum.The HEAT (Hokies Engagingin Advanced Technology) Labhouses over 20 computers onthe second floor of CassellColiseum. Room 160 inCassell Coliseum provides anarea for private quiet study forthe athletes’ convenience.Additionally, student athletescan use the Center forAcademic Enrichment andExcellence site offices locatedin Hillcrest and FemoyerHalls.

Together, these spacesprovide the student athletewith a variety of studyenvironments conducive totheir success. Athletes canuse these facilities betweenclasses, after practice, or inthe evenings, with flexiblehours tailored to make themost of a student athlete’slimited time. The Student

Athlete Office ofAcademicEnrichmentPrograms iscomprised of acoordinator, anassociatecoordinator, threeassistantcoordinators and asecretary forming a group ofprofessionals serving theneeds of all student athletes.

The coordinator, ChrisHelms, is responsible for thedevelopment and leadershipof SAOAEP. Helms, in hissecond year at Tech, isresponsible for the wrestlingteam. Helms comes to Techfrom Michigan StateUniversity where he served asthe assistant director of theStudent Athlete SupportServices office. Prior to MSU,Helms served as thecoordinator of academicaffairs for the Florida StateUniversity football program.

Lois Berg is in her 11thyear at Tech. She is also incharge of developing thefreshman orientation program,

to head strengthcoach there in1982. He worked atECU until he cameto Virginia Tech in1987.

Gentryobtained hisdoctorate incurriculum andinstruction, with anemphasis in motorbehavior, from

Virginia Tech in 1999.Assisting Gentry this

year are three full-timeassistant strength andconditioning coaches: SonnySano, director of strengthand conditioning, JayJohnson, strength andconditioning coordinator ofmen's Olympic sports and

which ensures thestudent athlete asmooth transitionfrom high school tothe university.

Colin Howlettenters his third yearwith SAOAEP and isadministrativelyresponsible for the

tutorial program that includeshiring, training and assigningof approximately 60 tutorseach semester.

Katie Ammons, a formerHokie swimmer, is chargedwith the operation of theHEAT lab and othercomputing resourcesavailable for studentathletes.

Terrie Repass begins her25th year of service atVirginia Tech. She serves asthe office receptionist and“first contact” person for theSAOAEP. She is responsiblefor organizing special eventsand meetings for the office.Repass prepares allaccounting, purchasing andtravel transactions for theoffice.

Chris Helms

Michelle Boswell, strengthand conditioning coordinatorfor women's Olympic sports.

Sano is in his fourthseason at Tech after serving asa graduate assistant at ECU.Boswell, in her first year inBlacksburg, handles strengthand conditioning for many ofTech’s women’s sports.

Johnson handles thestrength and conditioningprogram for the track teams.He received his B.A., inphysical education fromEmory & Henry, where heplayed football, in 1995 andhis master’s in physicaleducation from Radford in1998. A native of Radford, Va.,Johnson is working toward hisdoctorate in health promotionsat Tech.

Mike Gentry, Ed.D.Assistant Director

of Athletics forAthletic Performance


The BIG EAST ConferenceThe BIG EAST Conference

The IC4A ConferenceThe IC4A ConferenceVirginia Tech is proud to

have membership inprestigious athleticconferences such as the BIGEAST Conference for most ofits sports. Tech’s membershipin yet another conference addsto the level of competition forthe men’s track team.

The IntercollegiateAssociation of AmateurAthletes of America (IC4A)was founded in 1876. Thispostseason competition, whichwas traditionally a men’sdivision, hosts 101 schools on

the Eastern Seaboard inaddition to Notre Dame, whowas a member dating back towhen the program wasnationwide.

The Hokies had yetanother successful indoorpostseason competition, withthe men finishing in secondplace for the secondconsecutive year at the IC4AChampionships. The Hokiesfinished just 12 points behindthe traditionally strongGeorgetown squad. AndréDavis was selected to be

featured on the cover of theprogram and lived up to hisbilling by winning the 60 and200 titles. Brian Hunter alsoclaimed victory for Tech in thepole vault. The real storycame from the solid teameffort that the Hokies puttogether scoring points inseveral other events rangingfrom the triple jump to the3,000 to the weight throw. Itwas this impressive teamshowing that gave Tech a shotat the title.

In the outdoor competition

the Hokies only managed17th-place with Erick Kingstonleading the team with asecond-place result in thehammer throw.

The Hokies’ success in thepostseason was impressive.Following Atlantic 10 victoriesin both the indoor and outdoorseasons, Tech recorded itsbest finish ever at the indoorIC4A championships. TheHokies certainly made theirmark in 2000 and plan oncontinuing that hot streak intothe next millennium.

The BIG EAST enteredthe 2000-01 academic yearwith a new full conferencemember and a new sport.That’s hardly unusual for theleague. Moving forward andexploring new horizons hasbeen the norm rather than theexception for the conferencethat opened its doors in 1979.

The conferencewelcomed Virginia Tech as its14th member. In the spring of2001, the BIG EAST will addwomen’s lacrosse to itsgrowing list of sports.

When the 1990s began,The BIG EAST Conferencehad just completed its eighthseason with nine members.

The ‘90s was a decade ofenormous change in collegeathletics with conferencesadding new members and newleagues beginning. The BIGEAST was no different thanmost groups. The league hashad four separate expansionsin the past 10 years. The BIGEAST Football Conference,with eight members, became amajor player in college footballimmediately after its inceptionin 1991.

One constant is that TheBIG EAST Conference hasenjoyed tremendous successin the classroom and in theathletic arena. It has built along list of accomplishments.

The BIG EAST became a

reality on May 31, 1979,following a meeting of athleticdirectors from ProvidenceCollege, St. John’s,Georgetown and SyracuseUniversities. Seton Hall,Connecticut and BostonCollege completed the originalseven-school alliance.

After one season,Villanova was added andbegan play in 1980-81. Twoseasons later, Pittsburghjoined the group and startedcompetition in ‘82-83.

Miami was admitted in1990 and began BIG EASTcompetition in ‘91-92. Rutgers,West Virginia and Notre Damejoined in ‘94 in two separateexpansions and began play in1995-96.

In 1999, Virginia Techbecame the league’s 14thmember. It began competingin the BIG EAST in 2000-01.

For three of the last sixyears a BIG EAST student-athlete has won the Honda-Broderick Cup as CollegiateWoman of the Year. NotreDame soccer player CindyDaws won in 1997-98. Shefollowed Connecticutbasketball players RebeccaLobo (‘94-95) and JenniferRizzotti (‘95-96).

In addition to Connecticutwinning its second NCAAwomen’s basketball title, fiveindividuals captured NCAA

championship crowns lastyear. Miami had the male andfemale national champions inplatform diving. Tyce Roustontook the men’s title and JennyKeim was the women’schampion. At the NCAAwomen’s indoor track & fieldchampionship, Villanova’sCarmen Douma and CarrieTollefson each won titles.Tollefson grabbed her secondstraight NCAA crown in the3,000 meters. Douma was thechampion in the mile.Pittsburgh’s Chantee Earl tookthe 800-meter title.

While the membershiphas increased, the focus of theBIG EAST remainsunchanged. It is a group thatreflects a tradition ofbroad-based programs, led byadministrators and coacheswho place a constantemphasis on academicintegrity. The BIG EASTConference has enjoyed aleadership role nationally. Itsstudent-athletes ownsignificantly high graduationrates and their record ofscholastic achievementnotably reflect a balancebetween intercollegiateathletics and academics.

Any successfulconsortium enjoys outstandingleadership. MichaelTranghese, the league’s firstfull-time employee, and for 11

years the associate of DaveGavitt, took over theCommissioner’s reins in June,1990. The expansion inmembership is only a portionof Tranghese’s achievements.In his first year at the helm, headministered the formation ofThe BIG EAST FootballConference in addition tocoordinating the fourexpansions.

BIG EAST sports attractthe interest of followers in thenation’s largest media marketsincluding New York, Chicago,Philadelphia, Boston,Washington, D.C., Miami,Pittsburgh and Hartford.

More than 400 BIG EASTathletes have earnedAll-America recognition anddozens have won individualNCAA nationalchampionships. The BIGEAST has beenwell-represented in U.S. orforeign national and Olympicteams, with several athletesearning gold medals in thesummer Olympiads in Atlantain ‘96, Barcelona in ‘92, Seoulin ‘88 and Los Angeles in ‘84.Several BIG EAST coachesand athletes competed inSydney in 2000.

The BIG EAST has itsheadquarters in Providencewhere the conferenceadministers to more than5,000 athletes in 21 sports.

Virginia Tech MenÕs Track and Field

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