Hokie ClubThe Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame inducted seven new members to represent the 2023 class at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center on Friday evening.
The class is comprised of former three-sport athlete Bob Bowman, two-time AP All-American Malcolm Delaney, 2014 NFL Draft first-round pick Kyle Fuller, former women's basketball standout Carrie Mason, women's soccer star Jazmine Reeves, 2011 ACC Football Player of the Year David Wilson and three-time track and field national champion Alexander Ziegler.
"It means everything," Reeves, who was both the first Hermann Trophy semifinalist and first-team NSCAA All-American in program history, said. "As athletes, we always aspire for really great accomplishments and things we can hang our hat on. I never imagined this, per se, but I'm just very grateful and thankful."
Reeves also helped steer the Hokies to their lone College Cup berth in 2013, and was instrumental in guiding Tech past the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.
When I found out, I was kind of speechless," Mason said. "It's just a complete honor. The program, the history, the university, coming from a small town that I come from. It's just surreal to me."
The Seneca, Pennsylvania, native left Blacksburg as one of the more decorated players in program history, with the former four-year starter leaving campus as the school's all-time leader in 3-pointers by the time she graduated in 2006.
Bowman, one of the hall of fame's most well-rounded members, competed in wrestling, track and field and cross country during his time in the New River Valley. The 1960 graduate of then-Virginia Polytechnic Institute won both the 1959 and 1960 Southern Conference titles in the 123-pound weight class, while also serving as a member of the Corp of Cadets during his time on campus.
Delaney, a highly-accomplished member of the men's basketball program from 2007-11, still stands third all-time in both career points (2,255) and assists (543) in program history.
Fuller, who laced it up for Tech from 2010-13, turned three All-ACC honors into the Chicago Bears' No. 14 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Wilson, a former two-sport athlete in both football and track and field, impressed with a pair of All-America showings in both sports, respectively, and Ziegler still remains one of three Virginia Tech student-athletes to have three or more national championships in the school's long-winded history.
Each new member had a common theme in their acceptance speeches.
"Each of the inductees shared his or her love of this university, their coaches, teammates, and the Tech community," Voice of Tech football Bill Roth, who was one of the emcees of the event, said. "It was a common theme throughout the evening that reminded all of us how lucky we are to be part of the Hokies Athletics family."
"You know the slogan, This Is Home? This is my second home," Mason said. "It feels comfortable when I'm back here in Blacksburg. … It's home. It's life-changing. Virginia Tech is life-changing."
"The four years I spent here were so special," Reeves said. "It's unmatched. The community here, the team that I had around me, just everything about it. I just have the fondest of memories here, and I'm just so glad to be back and celebrating throughout the weekend."
The seven-member class increases the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame to a total of 225 members. The hall of fame, which was established in 1982, is located at the south end of the Cassell Coliseum ambulatory. The seven new members will be recognized at halftime of Saturday's football game vs. Purdue.
Gallery: (9-9-2023) GEN: Hall of Fame Class of 2023