Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – The Hokies continued the Hokie Belt Challenge on Saturday, November 4.
Through the Hokie Belt Challenge, student-athletes learn that the competition is not just in the pool. To succeed, they need to be on time, supporting one another and be an overall good teammate. The student-athletes are split into two teams, Maroon and Orange, and compete for the belt throughout the season.
This is the second Hokie Belt Challenge of the season. At the first intrasquad meet, Orange won with a final score of 245-208. Orange continued its win streak with a final score of 252-223 on Saturday.
"The purpose of the Hokie Belt Challenge is to race within the team," said Tech director of swimming and diving Sergio Lopez Miro. "This meet we decided to do a long course race instead of a short course one because it is an Olympic year, and we have raced quite a few short courses already this season. A lot of these athletes are going to the U.S. Open the first week of December, and then a couple of them have to go to the world championships in Doha the week before ACCs. So I thought it was necessary to do a long course meet. I am pretty happy overall. I think we did a good job coming in and warming up then racing."
Lopez Miro then commented on the goals for the teams for the rest of the season.
"Moving forward, it's the same thing as always: ACCs then NCAAs," Lopez Miro said. "I think we are in a good spot. In two weekends, we have an invite coming up. That will be important to see how we compare to other teams. We will be able to see if we are doing the right training regime and if we need to make any changes."
Up Next
The Hokies are traveling to Knoxville, Tennessee to compete in the Tennessee Invite from Wednesday, Nov. 15 through Friday, Nov. 17.