Hokie ClubGREENSBORO, N.C. – Dave Cianelli, Virginia Tech’s director of track and field and cross country, received two top ACC honors Friday, as he was named the ACC Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Coach of the Year, while thrower Irena Sediva received the ACC Women’s Field Performer of the Year award.
The accolades were determined by a vote of the league’s head coaches.
Cianelli earned his 12th and 13th ACC Coach of the Year honors (indoor track & field, outdoor track & field and cross country). In his 16th year with the Hokies, he led his team to its second straight ACC men’s outdoor title in dramatic fashion, as Tech finished three spots ahead of rival Virginia in the final event, the 4×400 meter relay, to win the team title. The Hokies came from 56 points down with 12 events remaining to win the team crown by one point, 120-119. Sixteen members of the Tech men’s team qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round, and eight advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships held last week in Eugene, Oregon.
Cianelli’s Hokie women won their first ACC title in nine years and also used a strong performance in the 4x400 relay to edge Florida State by six points for the team crown. His team, ranked in the top 15 nationally for most of the season, had 20 athletes qualify for the NCAA prelims, with 13 qualifying to the national finals.
Virginia Tech became the first program since Florida State in 2014 to sweep both the men’s and women’s ACC outdoor titles.
Last week, Sediva captured her second national championship in the women's javelin with a throw of 58.76 meters (192 feet, 9 inches) on her fifth attempt, and she was the only ACC female track and field athlete to win a national title. The senior from the Czech Republic became the Virginia Tech track and field program's 16th individual national championship and the second woman in the program’s track and field history to win at least two national titles.
Sediva also threw a top mark of 55.80 meters (183-1) in the javelin at the NCAA East Preliminary Round to earn her NCAA Championship berth. Prior to the NCAA competition, she claimed a gold medal in the javelin at the ACC Championships with a new meet-record throw of 58.68 meters (192-6).
Three NCAA champions and one silver medalist headlined the ACC’s major award recipients for the 2017 outdoor track and field season. Here is a complete list:
ACC Men’s Outdoor Track Performer of the Year – Edwin Kibichiy, Louisville
ACC Women’s Outdoor Track Performer of the Year – Shakima Wimbley, Miami
ACC Men’s Outdoor Field Performer of the Year – Filip Mihaljevic, Virginia
ACC Women’s Outdoor Field Performer of the Year – Irena Sediva, Virginia Tech
ACC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year – Cravont Charleston, NC State
ACC Women’s Outdoor Freshman of the Year – Katelyn Gochenour, Duke
ACC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year – Dave Cianelli, Virginia Tech
ACC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year – Dave Cianelli, Virginia Tech