BLACKSBURG – 2019 was another banner year for the Virginia Tech track and field program and there are several reasons to be just as excited for the 2020 indoor and outdoor seasons.
The Hokies earned two ACC titles, set numerous school records and return all but a handful of student-athletes.
Director of track and field and cross country Dave Cianelli took some time to talk about the team for the upcoming season.
Q: Last year was the youngest team that you have ever had. How happy were you with their results last year?
CIANELLI: "I was extremely happy. You just never know with a young group how they're going to react at this level in the first year, but we knew we had a very talented group. Until we got to the [ACC] Championships indoor, we didn't really know how they were going to react in that type of atmosphere. For the most part, all of those new people came through and we needed that for the men to win those titles."
Q: What is your excitement level when you think about this team?
CIANELLI: "Very excited, because all of those people are back that were major contributors on the men's side and women's side. The biggest thing is to guard against complacency and to continue to work hard and grind. That's probably the biggest thing. The talent is still there. Once you've tasted success, what you hope for is that they want more success and that's what we're trying to achieve this year. We want to take it to another level. Not just at conference level, but at the national level."
Q: What are your expectations of the men's and women's team this season?
CIANELLI: "I think it's very realistic that this men's team can win both indoor and outdoor ACCs and I think the women are going to be in the mix. Then at the national level, if we're able to keep all of those key people healthy, I think the men have a chance to be a top-5 team at nationals. There's just a lot of moving pieces that have to come together and the health of the team is paramount when it comes to that. The national met is a very different animal. We're working with fewer athletes and you can't really take a hit like you can at the conference level where you're encompassing the more of your team. If the group can stay healthy, continue to develop, work hard and stay humble. I think over these next 2-3 years; these years will be the best we have ever had."
Q: How does it feel to see how far along the program has come since ariving in Blacksburg?
CIANELLI: "It's very satisfying to build a program and to also finally get the facility to where we feel it should be. It was just a long time to get to this point, but you don't stop just because you have a nice facility or a very talented team. That's where you really have to dig in and continue to be humble and work hard. Not just the student-athletes, but the coaching staff as well. It's human nature to relax a little bit when you've had success. That's probably one of the hardest things to guard against with an athlete or even from a coaching standpoint. You start having some success and you tend to relax a little bit. If you want to continue to develop, improve and get better, you really can't do that. You have to continue to move on and not, as they say, rest on your laurels. You can't do that, you have to move on. History is history, it's not change and it's not going to change. There's nothing this team can do this year to change what happened last year. The only thing they can do is create what's going to happen this year. That's what they need to focus on, regardless who it is. Whether they're a national champion, or that person scoring one point at the conference meet. Both of those people are very important to the program. I'm very happy with the group we have and how the fall has progressed and I'm looking forward to the season."