Virginia Tech celebrates a successful year at The Gobblers

BLACKSBURG – Members of the Virginia Tech athletics community gathered inside the Moss Arts Center on Tuesday evening to celebrate accomplishments by student-athletes over the last year. Zach Mackey held the hosting duties for The Gobblers, Tech's annual award show presented by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

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
Excellence on the mat, Ut Prosim off of it. Mekhi Lewis claimed his third ACC title and All-American honor of his career this season, becoming just the eighth 3-time ACC champion and the seventh 3-time all American in program history. His fourth place finish at the 2023 NCAAs marked him as the first Hokie to finish in the top four in three appearances at the tournament. His contributions off the mat may be even more impressive…giving over $8,000 of his own NIL earnings and helping to raise $15,000 more for organizations in his home state of New Jersey. Mekhi Lewis is a great athlete and an even greater person - a true Golden Gobbler.
 
Jordan Tilley
Over the last five seasons, Jordan Tilley cemented herself as a foundational piece in the success of Virginia Tech Lacrosse. As the program's all-time leader in games played, fourth all-time in caused turnovers and eighth all-time in ground balls, Jordan's positive impact on the field is obvious. Her role as a leader and friend to all has allowed her to make a lasting impression on VT Athletics. As a three-time captain, SAAC Executive Team member and co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, Jordan has played an important part in fostering a positive culture for her fellow student-athletes. Jordan's spirit and commitment to excellence will leave a lasting impact on Hokie nation.Gallery: (5-2-2023) GEN: 2023 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.
 
Youssef Ramadan
Youssef Ramadan became the first-ever national champion for Hokies Swimming & Diving after recording the second fastest 100 fly time in NCAA history. Ramadan earned five All-American awards and two honorable mentions at the national competition, and was also named ACC Men's MVP at the conference meet for the second year in a row. Ramadan broke four individual school records and two relay records throughout the 2022-2023 season.
 
Elizabeth Kitley
Elizabeth Kitley repeated as the ACC Player of the Year and Kay Yow Scholar Athlete of the Year Award winner after the 2022-2023 season. Kitley collected her third first team All-ACC honor and her second All-Defensive honor. In addition to the conference honors, Kitley became the program's all-time leader in points and set records for blocks, double-doubles, and field goals made.
 
 

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.
 
Women's Basketball 2023 Postseason Run
Virginia Tech earned its first ever double bye in the ACC Tournament, rolling past Miami in the quarterfinal round and defeating Duke in the semifinal. After winning the conference tournament, the Hokies earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and their first ever berth at the NCAA Final Four.
 
 

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 Basketball Defeats No. 6 Virginia
The Hokies led start-to-finish in its upset over the sixth-ranked Virginia Cavaliers on February 4th in Cassell Coliseum. The game marked the program's third consecutive win against their in-state rival in Blacksburg. The 74-68 finish over UVA was Tech's highest-ranked win of the season.
 

HOKIE SPIRIT AWARD

The Gobbler for Hokie Spirit recognizes one student-athlete who embodies the core values of Virginia Tech Athletics: integrity, service, honor, excellence, and strong together. This student-athlete demonstrates pride in their university by living out the mission of Ut Prosim through their involvement in a wide variety of campus and athletics organizations and programs.
 
Emma Inch
Emma Inch is an energetic, supportive, and inclusive teammate who fully embodies the Hokie Spirit. Emma is always willing to help out a friend (or a stranger), support any and all Hokie Sports teams, and go out of her way to make sure others feel seen and heard. As a transfer student-athlete, Emma has made a massive impact in a short period of time, always putting others before herself and serving her community selflessly.
 

BEST PERFORMANCE

The Gobbler for Best Performance goes to the best competition performance of the year.
 
Men's Swimming and Diving at the 2023 NCAA Championships
With their highest NCAA finish in program history, the men's swimming and diving team finished ninth out of 51 teams at the national championships. Youssef Ramadan became the program's first national champion and the team earned six All-American awards and four All-American honorable mentions. The men also broke six school records at the meet and swam their first- and second-ever All-American relays.
 
 

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.
 
Women's Basketball Wins first ACC Championship Title in Program History
The women's basketball team won the first ACC title in program history with a victory over Louisville at the conference tournament in Greensboro. Georgia Amoore won MVP honors and was named to the Tournament First Team along with teammate Elizabeth Kitley. Head Coach Kenny Brooks also became the first Black coach to win the ACC Women's Basketball title.

 

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.
 
Bailey Angle
Angle, the Assistant Director of Communications Strategy for the Hokie Club, serves as the coordinator of external communications for Tech's athletic fund, while also acting as an in-venue host for many Virginia Tech sporting events. Debuting inside Lane Stadium on Sept. 3, 2021 during Virginia Tech's big win over No. 10 North Carolina, Bailey has been vital in maintaining Hokie Nation's reputation as contributors to the best home-field advantage in college sports. As a graduate of Virginia Tech, he knows first-hand what it means to be part of the special community in Blacksburg and values highlighting the terrific accomplishments of Virginia Tech student-athletes on a daily basis. 
 
 

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.
 
Sophia Ryan
A senior from Sandy Spring, Maryland, Sophia Ryan has served as a women's swimming SAAC representative for two years and became President of the organization in 2022. During her senior year, Ryan has played a major role in leading the projects like the Hokies For Hokies 2022 Olympics and the Adopt-A-Family holiday fundraiser, which raised over $6,300 for children at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia.
 
 

BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR

This award goes to a student-athlete who has increased his or her athletic performance dramatically.
 
Sean Pedulla
During the 2022-2023 season, Sean Pedulla ranked second on the team in points per game, averaging 15 points, a 9.6 point increase from the previous season. Pedulla ended his sophomore season with 130 assists, compared to 47 as a freshman, and increased his 3-pointers from 34 to 67. Pedulla also led all sophomores in the ACC with six 20-point games on the season.
 
 

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.
 
Caleb Henson
In his freshman year, Caleb Henson finished the season with a 27-5 record, earning ACC Wrestler of the Week three times. Henson won the ACC Championship and received NCAA All-American honors, making him the only true freshman in program history to receive both accomplishments.
 
Emma Lemley
Emma Lemley had a standout freshman year, playing a big role in the Hokies postseason run to the Blacksburg Regional. Lemley, a three-time ACC Pitcher of the Week during the 2022 season, was also named ACC Freshman of the Year at the close of the season and received All-ACC First Team and All-Freshman Team honors.

 

NUTRITION AWARDS

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

Lauren Gogal
Lauren Gogal exemplifies positive advocacy for performance nutrition through her active engagement in team education. Lauren is always supporting her performance by using nutrition services like the Oasis and attending meals at the SAPC.

Jack Hollifield 
Jack Hollifield takes pride in being a student-athlete and works hard in every aspect of life, especially in meeting with Nutrition to ensure he is making all of his athletic goals. He is also a supportive teammate and embodies what it means to be a Virginia Tech football player.

 

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.

Katie Andreini (Women's Tennis)
Emma Inch (Women's Swimming & Diving)
Sarah Shackelford (Women's Swimming & Diving)
Virginia Tech Men's Soccer
Virginia Tech Lacrosse
Virginia Tech Men's Tennis

 

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.