Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – A trio of first timers and three-time All-Academic Team selection Mary Claire Byrne were recognized Thursday morning from the ACC for their hard work in the classroom and on the field in 2019. Grad student Emma Harden concludes her career with the honor, while sophomore standouts Paige Petty and Emma Crooks each received their first Academic Team recognitions of their careers.
Byrne becomes the fifth Hokie to earn the recognition three times, following her inclusion on the team in 2017 and 2018. This past season, she earned her master's degree in leadership studies in the agriculture and life sciences college.
A three-time captain, Byrne had her most prolific season of her career in 2019, scoring 23 goals and adding 12 assists, both career highs. The midfielder collected 42 ground balls and 27 caused turnovers in 2019, leading the conference in that category with 1.5 per contest.
She concludes her career third all-time in caused turnovers with 96 and sits in sixth place with 128 career ground balls.
Fellow leadership program grad student Emma Harden makes her first appearance on the team in 2019. Coming back from a season ending knee injury in 2018, Harden captained the squad in 2019.
She scored 23 goals, tied for third most with Byrne and added three assists in 14 starts. Harden scored a season high four goals, all in the first half at No. 7 Virginia on April 20.
A sophomore, Crooks makes her first appearance on the team, following a breakout 2019 season on the field. Crooks was a second team All-ACC performer after posting the second most points on the squad (48), including 42 goals.
Crooks took the draw all season long, corralling 74, a tally that is the sixth most in a single season in Virginia Tech history. She also came up with 20 ground balls and caused nine turnovers in midfield.
The Great Falls, Virginia native is working towards a degree in public relations.
Petty adds All-ACC Academic to her already impressive list of accolades. Just a sophomore, she repeated in 2019 as a first team All-ACC performer, the first two-time honoree in program history. She has also collected IWLCA second team All-South, Inside Lacrosse All-America honorable mention honors and began the season as a Tewaaraton Award Watch List member.
In 2019 the double major, in criminology and sociology, scored 66 goals, the most in program history. She also tied the mark for most points in a single season with 74.
She already ranks sixth in goals, T-10 in points and eighth in draw controls at Virginia Tech after just two prolific seasons.
Petty scored one game-winning goal on the season and had 68 draw controls the second most on the squad to Crooks' 74.