Lewis, Kitley bring home Golden Gobblers on Tuesday night

BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech student-athletes gathered on Tuesday evening inside the Moss Arts Center for The Gobblers. Being held in-person for the first time since 2019, The Gobblers celebrated athletic accomplishments and community success stories by the university's varsity student-athletes over the past year.

THE GOLDEN GOBBLERS

An honor for two student-athletes (one man and one woman) that have excelled in competition, in the classroom and in serving others, and embody the true definition of a Hokie.

Mekhi Lewis
Lewis displayed remarkable perseverance in the 2021-22 season, as he became the first Virginia Tech wrestler to advance to the NCAA finals for a second time. Along with his NCAA silver medal, Lewis earned a second ACC title, while receiving a variety of conference and state honors. While majoring in Human Development, Mekhi Lewis is making an impact off the mat by using his NIL deals to donate back to his New Jersey community, truly embodying the Hokie spirit.
 
Elizabeth Kitley
Kitley had a historic 2021-22 campaign for the Hokies, earning ACC Player of the Year, first team All-ACC, All-Defensive team and AP All-America third team honors. Furthermore, she received recognition for her well-rounded performance as a student-athlete when she was named the ACC women's basketball Kay Yow Scholar Athlete of the Year. Kitley held a 4.0 GPA as she earned Virginia Tech All-Academic team and Scholar Athlete awards. Her leadership and high moral character have left an invaluable impact on the women's basketball program and she truly embodies the values of the ultimate Hokie. 
 Gallery: (5-4-2022) The 2022 Virginia Tech Gobblers  

MALE & FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

An honor for one man and one woman that led their team to notable athletic success throughout the season.
 
Mekhi Lewis
Lewis' 2021-22 season ended with a 24-2 overall record, an ACC championship and a slew of other conference awards. Lewis made Virginia Tech athletics history this season as the only Tech student-athlete to advance to the NCAA finals twice, while also being the only Hokie to be voted ACC Wrestler of the Year twice during his career.
 
Rachel Baxter
In her final indoor season with the Hokies, Rachel Baxter posted record-setting pole vault marks to win both NCAA and ACC gold medals. She is the only student-athlete in ACC history – man or woman – to win four consecutive conference indoor pole-vaulting titles and only the fourth woman in ACC history to win any event four consecutive years. The senior became only the third Hokie to earn an appearance on The Bowerman watch list, putting herself in the running to win "the Heisman of track & field." For her efforts this season, Baxter was named the ACC Women's Field Performer of the Year and the USTFCCCA Southeast Women's Field Athlete of the Year.
 
 

CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

The Gobbler for Championship Performance of the Year goes to an extraordinary postseason performance, in an ACC or NCAA championship competition.
 
Men's Basketball Winning the ACC Championship
Virginia Tech claimed its first ACC title in program history by winning four games in four days at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. The Hokies earned the championship, taking down the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 1 seeds, including an 82-67 victory over Duke in the title game, the largest margin of victory against the Blue Devils in series history. Tech became the lowest seed (No. 7) to win the ACC Tournament.
 
 

BEST UPSET

The Gobbler for Best Upset recognizes a Virginia Tech team that stunned the opposition and silenced the haters, delivering an upset.
 
Men's Soccer Knocks Off No. 1 Marshall
In only the second game of the season, men's soccer defeated the defending national champions, No. 1 ranked Marshall. Trailing 2-0 at halftime, the Hokies came back, scoring three unanswered goals in the second half to knock off the top-ranked team and earn the program's fourth-ever win against a No. 1 ranked team.
 
 

BEST PERFORMANCE

The Gobbler for Best Performance goes to the best competition performance of the year.
 
Football Defeats Virginia, 29-24
With interim head coach J.C. Price leading the Hokies, the Virginia Tech football team defeated rivals UVA 29-24 in Charlottesville, retaining the Commonwealth Cup. Tech ran for 320 yards and handed Virginia its fourth straight loss, marking Tech's 17th win against UVA in the last 18 meetings. The win also qualified the Hokies for a bowl berth.
 
 

SPORTS MOMENT OF THE YEAR

The Gobbler for Sports Moment of the Year recognizes an inspirational or memorable performance by a student-athlete or team, on or off the playing surface.
 
Mekhi Lewis Advancing to the NCAA Finals for the Second Time in His Career
A year removed from a season-ending injury, Mekhi Lewis became Virginia Tech Wrestling's first two-time national finalist. After winning a conference title and the ACC's Most Outstanding Wrestler award, Lewis advanced to the NCAA finals in his new weight class of 174 after pinning the No. 3 seed from Michigan.

 

FRANK BEAMER STAFF EXCELLENCE AWARD

This award highlighted one athletics staff member that had the drive to positively impact our student-athletes and moved Virginia Tech Athletics forward to reach excellence.
 
Jed Castro
Associate Athletics Director for Production and Media, Jed Castro has served the Virginia Tech department of athletics for over 15  years. When asked to describe Jed's contribution to this department, members of his staff shared "Jed has been instrumental in creating and fostering an inclusive culture within HokieVision and across the external communications group. He lets us know that we are valued and heard. From his years of experience as an undergraduate to a full-time employee and department leader, he is truly a Hokie and makes coming into work every day feel like Home. Because after all, This Is Home." 
 
 

SAAC MEMBER OF THE YEAR

The Gobbler for SAAC Member of the Year is given to a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. SAAC is a leadership group consisting of student-athletes representing all teams that meet throughout the year to positively impact the student-athlete experience.
 
Kahlil Dover
Dover became the president of the organization in 2021. During his senior year, Dover has played a major role in leading the Diversity and Inclusion task force, which hosted the inaugural "Unite and Rise" Walk and the Unity through Awareness Student Leadership Panel. Dover has also worked on several community outreach projects connected to SAAC, setting up a bone marrow registry drive in partnership with Project Life Movement and assisting with the Adopt-A-Family initiative, which raised over $4,200 for children at the Boys & Girls Clubs of SWVA.
 
 

BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR

This award goes to a student-athlete who has increased his or her athletic performance dramatically.
 
Cole Beck
Over the last year, Beck has taken over the ACC sprinting competitions, becoming the first man in Virginia Tech history to win the 100-meter title at the 2021 ACC Outdoor Championships and winning gold in the 200 meter at the 2022 ACC Indoor Championships. Beck also earned the ACC Championships Men's Track MVP title in 2022.
 
 

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

These two honors go to one man and one woman student-athlete that did not miss a beat in their rookie campaign making an immediate impact for their team.
 
Danny Flores
In his freshman year, Danny Flores grabbed the attention of coaches and professional scouts, starting all 19 games that he was available for. Flores registered one goal on the season, scoring against Notre Dame with one minute remaining in the first overtime period and securing the win for his team. After the season, Flores was invited to the MLS combine, named to the All-ACC Freshman team and tabbed the No. 3 freshman in the country by Top Drawer Soccer.
 
Barbora Malikova
Malikova placed second in the women's 400 meters at the 2022 ACC Indoor Championships, earning eight points to help the Hokies tie Duke for the team title. At the end of her freshman indoor season, Malikova holds the No. 2 600 meter, No. 3 400 meter, and No. 9 800 meter times in school history.

 

NUTRITION AWARDS

These awards (one man and one woman) are selected by the Hokie Fuel staff.

Cera Powell
Powell is a positive nutrition influence for both her teammates and other student-athletes. She consistently makes fueling a priority, stopping by the Oasis after lifts and practice, and coming up to the Student-Athlete Performance Center before work or study hall. Cera is an active participant in team nutrition talks and never fails to put a smile on the faces of our Oasis workers.

Collin Gerardi
Gerardi has been a fantastic nutrition influence and leader to his teammates and other student-athletes. He leads by example, taking an "all foods fit" approach to fueling and is a positive and supportive presence in the Oasis and Student-Athlete Performance Center. He has also volunteered time working with the Hokie Fuel team to learn more about performance nutrition and working in sports nutrition.

 

ACC TOP VI FOR SERVICE

An ACC award that honors those who have fully embraced our university motto and have dedicated countless hours to serving the community selflessly.

Matt Zambetti (Men's Soccer)
Riley Hayden (Lacrosse)
Frank Thompson (Men's Tennis)
Sarah Shackelford (Women's Swimming & Diving)
Dave Whitfield (Men's Track & Field)
Virginia Tech Men's Soccer

 

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING AWARDS

An award selected by each team's strength coach, this award goes to the student-athlete that unquestionably embodies the standards, morals and principles that our department stands for. They must be hard working, consistent, mentally and physically tough, and a model for fellow teammates to emulate.