Hokie Club
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Tech track and field and cross country director Dave Cianelli announced on Tuesday the addition of five newcomers to the 2019 recruiting class.
Tech sprints/hurdles coach Tim Vaught brings in three sprinters to an already exciting young core
A native of Warrenton, Virginia, Patrick Atwell comes to the Hokies from Fauquier high school where he was a 17-time conference champion and a two-time VHSL Class 4 State Champion in the 400 and the 500. His turned in a time of 47.66 in the outdoor 400 and clocked a time of 1:04.34 on a flat surface in the indoor 500.
"Tech feels like a great place for me to grow and be the best runner I can be," Atwell said. "I'm excited to be a part of the team, and to achieve as much as possible with them."
Patrick Forest joins Tech's class as a transfer from Merrimack college and is four-time conference champion, holds the conference record in the 400 meters and finished fourth in the 400 at the Division II Outdoor Championships. His personal best times are 21.27 in the 200 and 46.53 in the 400.
"I chose Virginia Tech because of the great academics, facilities, and to be a part of the championship winning atmosphere," Forest said. "I also had an immediate connection with the coaches and the team, and Virginia Tech felt like home as soon as I stepped on campus."
Tyreke Sapp rounds out the sprints group as the University of Tennessee Martin transfer comes to the Hokies as a two-time Ohio Valley Conference champion in both the 60 and 200-meter dash. His personal best times are 6.85 in the 60, 21.20 in the 200 and 48.84 in the 400.
"I'm excited to be a part of the Hokie family for the next three years," Sapp said. "VT offers high quality education and is one of the top colleges in the country. On top of that, the track and field program is second to none due to the great coaching staff and talented hard-working group of athletes that they bring in each year."
"These three guys are excellent addition to our program," Tech sprints/hurdles coach Tim Vaught said. "Each guy brings a different dynamic to our already very talented Sprints/Hurdles group. I'm so excited about the future of our Hokie program."
Throws coach Andrew Dubs welcomes in two transfers that look to be strong additions to his group.
Essenece Henderson joins the Hokies as a transfer from Iowa State University. Henderson redshirted during the 2019 track & field season, but her freshman season saw her qualify for the NCAA West Preliminaries in the shot put and the discus throw. Her personal best marks are 15.85 meters (51 feet, 3 inches) in the shot put and 51.62 meters (169 feet, 4 inches) in the discus throw.
Alexios Prodanas will come to the Hokies from UMBC where the Junior from Pedino Kilkis, Greece will bring his personal best marks of 68.77 meters (225 feet, 7 inches) in the hammer throw and 21.26 meters (69 feet, 9 inches) in the weight throw.