When the pick came in last December, history was made for Emily Gray and the Virginia Tech women's soccer program. On the Saturday before Christmas, she gathered with her family, teammates and supporters in Lane Stadium, overlooking nearby Thompson Field – her home pitch of four seasons where so many of her Hokie memories had been made.
As the 2022 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Draft began, Gray sat stoically with her legs crossed and her fingers wrapped around each other. Her calm demeanor would soon change to that of elated shock, delight and accomplishment.
Interim NWSL CEO Marla Messing called out that Gray was now the newest member of the North Carolina Courage as the room around her erupted into cheers and tears. Gray cupped her right hand over her open mouth while her eyes raised with glee. As she embraced the hugs from her family, a new page in her story was just beginning while the legacy of the last few were now stamped in print.
"I'm proud of myself for leaving a legacy on the program," Gray said, "and leaving the door open for someone to go No. 2 or No. 1 eventually."
Gray had been selected with the third overall pick by the Courage, tying her for the highest draft pick by a Virginia Tech female student-athlete across school history. Angela Tincher, a dominant softball pitcher for the Hokies, was drafted third overall by the Akron Racers during the 2008 National Pro Fastpitch Draft.
Gray had also joined an exclusive club with Michael Vick, Bruce Smith, Daniel Pereira and Angela Tincher as the only Hokies to have been taken within the top three picks of a professional sports draft. For Gray, this accomplishment was a long time coming and always part of her plan.
"When I made it to Virginia Tech, I wrote down a list of goals that I wanted to accomplish before I left," Gray said. "One of them was to be drafted."
The fulfillment of this goal was a result of Emily's dedication to her craft on the pitch and overcoming any challenge that came her way. One challenge she faced was season-ending ACL surgery that shortened her sophomore campaign in 2019.
"It wasn't the injury as much as it was the timing of everything," Gray said. "I had surgery in October of my sophomore year and was recovering when COVID happened. That was a transformative year."
That 2019 season, Gray was on pace for a breakout year. Prior to her September injury against No. 1 Virginia, she had scored three match-winning goals through 10 appearances. Despite being sidelined and away from the team during her recovery, Gray still managed to make an impact and grow as a leader for Virginia Tech.
"The best thing she could do was continue to work on her own, be there for the team off the field and lead," Virginia Tech women's soccer head coach Chugger Adair said. "We didn't have to keep on her because we knew she was doing all that she could to get back."
When Gray came back for her junior season, it was a big relief to not only herself, but for her teammates and Coach Adair. However, Gray's return was shadowed by new adversity as she and her teammates learned how to play through the COVID pandemic.
Competing almost exclusively within the ACC during the fall of 2020, Tech opened against seven consecutive ranked opponents, prevailing on one occasion. After a more encouraging spring, the Hokies finished with an 8-9 record – short of what Gray knew she and her teammates were capable of.
"Our season, my junior year, was quite bad on the field," Gray said. "We were middle of the pack and that teaches you a lot about working for everything. We're not entitled to anything and that's how Virginia Tech is across the board – we earn everything."
The work she put into her recovery process and the lessons she and her teammates learned from a disappointing 2020-21 season would soon manifest itself in a big way for Gray and the Hokies. They bounced back during the 2021 season to the tune of a 12-6-2 record that was filled with highlights and memorable moments.
"I will watch every goal we scored this season and be so proud because the whole sideline is in the air, including support staff and doctors," Gray said. "Everyone is in unison and as a leader, that was my proudest moment to see the evolution of the team."
While her soccer career provided Emily with some of her favorite college experiences, so did the opportunities she pursued off the pitch in Blacksburg. Gray participated in many organizations that were affiliated with the Virginia Tech athletics department, like HokieVision, Hokie Women RISE, and SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee). As the women's soccer program continues to rise up the ranks, opportunities like these will only become more accessible for female student-athletes at Virginia Tech.
"We want women to grow while they're here as overall people, that's first and foremost for us," Adair said. "Emily was really open and bought into what we tried to do as a staff and as a program."
For Gray, the opportunities she took advantage of during her time as a Hokie supported her in many different ways off the field. They strengthened her relationships with the support staff, connected her to multiple career pathways and established her brand as an involved student-athlete.
"There's always at least one percent of [organization meetings] that you're going to take away," Gray said, "and store in your brain that will help you out for years to come."
In addition to the general opportunities that came with being a student-athlete at Virginia Tech, the influence of Title IX – which paved the way for equality in women's college athletics in 1972 – has played a significant role in shaping Gray's collegiate development. To Gray, Virginia Tech has made a point of emphasis to recognize and work towards fairness across all men's and women's athletics.
"They say 'Hokie Family' a lot here and I think that is something that's even better now," said Gray. "When I look back at my freshman year to now, I think it's a better community than it was when I first made it here. I think Tech does a great job with making everything equal."
Gray was connected to Virginia Tech not just through her athletic career, but through her academic career as well. Within the budding sports media and analytics program at Virginia Tech, Emily found a passion for broadcasting.
"When it did become a major, I was over the moon," Gray said. "Bill Roth (who leads the program) was always in good communication with me and supported my journey."
One of the coolest experiences for Gray as a broadcaster was when she would receive feedback from other soccer players. Their reaction was overwhelmingly positive, especially as her career went on.
"A lot of [the men's players] would come up to me and be like, 'Hey Emily! It was really cool how you saw that. That was exactly what our game plan was,'" Gray said. "I see the game better because of that."
With everything Emily Gray accomplished and experienced during her four years at Virginia Tech, she's still intent on giving back as a Hokie alumna. She especially wants to encourage the path of both women's soccer and becoming a female broadcaster at Tech.
"Definitely – any way that I can give back and continue the tradition of the program," Gray said. "I am even changing my Instagram bio to 'VT soccer alum' so that people can see where I came from."
Although Title IX has provided so many incredible opportunities for women's athletics to develop across five decades, there is still work to be done on that front. Gray wants Virginia Tech fans to keep their support going strong.
"I would encourage Virginia Tech fans to continue to invest not necessarily financially," Gray said, "but invest their time in supporting women's sports and Olympic sports in general that do not get the attention they deserve."
Emily Gray succeeded on so many fronts at Virginia Tech. She became one of the best players in Virginia Tech women's soccer history, furthering her legacy as a No. 3 NWSL Draft pick and would go to on win the NWSL Challenge Cup with the Courage in May. She was heavily involved in the athletics department, grew in the commentary booth as a student broadcaster for ACC Network and actively pursued every opportunity that came her way.
𝙍𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙩, @emily_gray04❗️🏆
— Virginia Tech Women's Soccer (@HokiesWSoccer) May 9, 2022
What a start to your pro career, winning the 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 #NWSLChallengeCup with @TheNCCourage!#ProHokies 🦃⚽️ pic.twitter.com/6t3C8Xq4xM
Gray's path as a Hokie has been one of perseverance and trailblazing – a path to help women's athletics grow to even greater heights.
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Writing HERstory Campaign
Coinciding with Women's History Month in March and the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Virginia Tech Athletics launched a multi-platform brand campaign celebrating the incredible achievements of its female student-athletes, both past and present, while inspiring the next generation of women who aspire to achieve their dreams through athletics. In partnership with Truist, Tech will share stories of its past and current female student-athletes over the course of the calendar year. Ranging from podcast interviews to feature stories and more, the incredible moments and achievements by women over the years in Virginia Tech Athletics will be celebrated.