Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech women's soccer player Heather Timothy and wrestler Brooks Wilding were announced as winners of the 2018 Skelton Award for Academic Excellence in Athletics at the Athletics Director Honors Celebration held Monday evening at the Inn at Virginia Tech.
Their academic successes, along with their success on the field and in the community, led to both receiving the award – the highest designation handed out by the Tech athletics department.
The Skelton Award is named after Dr. Bill and Peggy Skelton. The late Dr. Skelton served in the Corps of Cadets and graduated from Virginia Tech in 1940. He later worked as a dean of the Virginia Cooperative Extension division at Tech. The late Peggy Skelton was a faculty member and director of the Cooperative Extension Family Resource Program in the College of Home Economics at Virginia Tech. Both were charter members of the Ut Prosim Society and its President's Circle and combined for more than 100 years of support to the university in various capacities.
The award goes each year to a rising junior, senior or fifth-year male and female student-athlete who has participated in intercollegiate athletics for at least two seasons at Tech and who holds an overall grade-point average of 3.40 or better. Each recipient receives a scholarship of $5,000.
"I am extremely grateful to have received the Skelton Award," Timothy said. "I could not be in this position without my teammates, friends, family, coaches, and support staff. I am happy for Brooks as well – he is such a great person and no one deserves it more than him."
"I am extremely grateful to the Skelton family for providing this scholarship," Wilding said. "I'm also appreciative of the athletics department for awarding me this scholarship."
Timothy, a junior from Cary, North Carolina, started 10 games this past season for the Hokies and played in 11. The midfielder scored the Hokies' lone goal in a tie over Pepperdine. She has played in 37 games in her career, including 13 starts.
Timothy somehow balances the demands of playing for the Hokies and her coursework in one of the toughest majors at Virginia Tech – civil engineering.
"It has been difficult to balance academics and athletics throughout my college career," she admitted. "Coming into college, I knew that studying civil engineering while playing soccer would be a challenge. However, I love that Virginia Tech provides me with the opportunity to pursue both my passion on the field and in the classroom.
"I truly love what I get to do every day, and my friends, family, teammates, and coaches have always been supportive. Even though some days are long and exhausting, I feel blessed that I am at a school that pushes me to my limit, both academically and athletically."
Wilding, a junior from Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania, is in a similar situation. He bounced from the 184- and 197-pound weight classes during his first couple of years at Tech, but took a redshirt year this past season to get bigger for a move to heavyweight.
While working daily in the wrestling team's room, Wilding also juggled a heavy academic load, as he continues pursuit toward a degree in aerospace engineering. In addition, he has been involved in an on-campus Hyperloop project in which he and several others are competing to create a fifth mode of transportation for the world. Started by businessman Elon Musk, the competition seeks a way to get people from places such as Washington, D.C. to New York City in 30 minutes by using pressurized capsules that ride on air bearings propelled by linear induction motors and air compressors.
"It has been a great challenge to balance my wrestling career with engineering," Wilding said. "In large part, I think focusing on tasks at hand instead of thinking too far forward can keep me calm in really busy times. On the other hand, planning ahead is also an important skill for any engineering major."
Both Timothy and Wilding are still sorting out their plans following graduation in May 2019. Timothy wants to works for a civil engineering firm that focuses on land development, but also expressed an interest in helping children or working abroad – or perhaps combining all of those interests into one. Wilding wants to remain in the aerospace engineering field and hopes a summer internship provides him with clarity.
In addition to naming Timothy and Wilding as the Skelton winners, the athletics department also named its ACC Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Those honors went to men's track and field standout Torben Laidig and women's swimmer Logan Williams. Laidig graduates with degrees in biological sciences and biochemistry in May, while Williams receives her degree in management also in May.
The department also recognized student-athletes who earned a 4.0 GPA during the 2017 calendar year. The group of honorees included Jennifer Boyles (women's soccer), Eleanor Matheson (women's swimming and diving), Hannah Wilding (women's swimming and diving), Logan Williams (women's swimming and diving), Elizabeth Bose (women's golf), Jessica Spicer (women's golf), Sarah Spicer (women's golf), Caroline Daxhelet (women's tennis), Brent Musselman (men's cross country), Sarah Lawryszek (trainer), Stephen Dixon (HokieVision), and Amanda Rutledge (HokieVision).
Finally, the department recognized its 2017 All-Academic Team, which includes the top student-athlete academically in his/her sport. The list for this all-academic team includes Joey Sullivan (baseball), Devin Wilson (men's basketball), Regan Magarity (women's basketball), Mackenzie Lorch (cheerleading), Brent Musselman (men's cross country), Kayla Richardson (women's cross country), Colt Pettit (football), Ian Hildebrand (men's golf), Elizabeth Bose (women's golf), Jessica Spicer (women's golf), Sarah Spicer (women's golf), Kimberly Raczynski (HighTech), Stephen Dixon (HokieVision), Amanda Rutledge (HokieVision), Kristen Kohles (lacrosse), Jordan Nichols (manager), Rodrigo Zampieri(men's soccer), Jennifer Boyles (women's soccer), Dani Hugney (softball), Cooper Pitts (men's swimming and diving), Eleanor Matheson (women's swimming and diving), Hannah Wilding (women's swimming and diving), Logan Williams (women's swimming and diving), Alexandre Ribeiro (men's tennis), Caroline Daxhelet (women's tennis), Torben Laidig (men's track and field), Emma Thor (women's track and field), Sarah Lawryszek (trainer), Kelly Esch (volleyball), and Brooks Wilding (wrestling).
In all, 435 student-athletes were recognized at the AD Honors Celebration, along with an additional 92 athletics support students (trainers, managers, HokieVision). All those recognized achieved at least a grade-point average of 3.0 or better during one or both semesters in 2017.