Spotlight: Graduating student-athletes to be recognized on Senior Day

BLACKSBURG – As basketball season begins to close its curtains this spring, select members of both the Virginia Tech men’s and women's basketball teams will be putting the finishing touches on their own time in Blacksburg. Tobi Lawal, Kilah Freelon and Mel Daley will all be recognized at their respective team’s upcoming senior days, placing a spotlight on the memorable careers the trio have individually enjoyed over their time on the hardwood. Hokie fans won’t want to miss Senior Day as Lawal is recognized against Wake Forest on Saturday, Feb. 21 at noon ET while Freelon and Daley’s successes will be honored against Georgia Tech on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. ET.  

Lawal wraps up collegiate career in second year with Hokies 

Standing at 6-foot-8 and boasting a nearly 50-inch vertical, Lawal’s elite play has jumped off the screen for hoops fans who have followed his career. After spending a pair of seasons at VCU, Lawal joined the Hokies in his junior year and has been an integral part of Mike Young’s squad over the last two campaigns.  

As a junior in his first year donning maroon and orange, the London, England native would immediately become a can’t-miss athlete on the hardwood. Lawal would jump from his 7.7 points and 6 rebounds per game as a sophomore at VCU to 12.4 points and 7 rebounds per contest in 2024-25, doing so in 30 consecutive starts. The then-junior would lead Tech in scoring nine times on the season and in rebounding 17 times over the campaign. 

Lawal’s junior season would be punctuated by a plethora of impressive performances and consistent stretches of play. The forward would notch a career-high 23 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals in his very first game with the Hokies on Nov. 4, 2024, and Lawal would match the same high-scoring affair against Virginia on Feb. 15, 2025. January 2025 was also kind to Lawal, as his double-figure scoring habits appeared in seven of eight games, averaging 15.1 points per game over the winter contests.  

Now as a senior, Lawal has continued to be a force when he’s on the court. While only playing 18 games this season and starting 12, Lawal still leads the team in rebounds per game (8.8) and total blocks (24) in an average of 28.4 minutes per contest. The senior’s proficiency on the glass has been a pillar of Lawal’s 2025-26 campaign, as Lawal has led the team in rebounding in eight of the last ten games.  

Fans won’t want to miss Lawal’s last appearances in maroon and orange as the regular season concludes. Be sure to visit SeatGeek, the official fan-to-fan marketplace of Virginia Tech Athletics, for tickets to the Senior Day contest against Wake Forest on Saturday, Feb. 21 at noon ET. Tickets for the Hokies’ contest against Boston College on Tuesday, March 3 at 9 p.m. ET are also still available – buy today! 

Daley, Freelon to earn flowers during Senior Day celebrations 

Mel Daley and Kilah Freelon will be recognized for their efforts over the season at this Sunday’s contest against Georgia Tech.  

The Hasting, New York native’s offensive ability has been felt throughout Daley’s final collegiate basketball season.  

Before her time in Blacksburg, Daley was a consistent contributor while playing at Northwestern for the first four years of her basketball career. Appearing in 94 games and making 30 starts, Daley averaged a career 10 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest with the Wildcats. In her senior campaign, the 5-foot-11 guard would enjoy her most successful season, ending the year as Northwestern’s second leading scorer behind 11.7 points per game.  

As a Hokie, Daley has continued to perfect her craft to the tune of 8.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Daley has also logged 24 steals and 12 blocks on the year, exemplifying her ability to contribute on both ends of the floor.  

Daley would have her best game of the 2025-26 season in the Hokies’ final contest of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. In what resulted in a 78-67 win over Oregon State on Nov. 29, 2025, Daley posted a season-high 24 points behind a scintillating 83.3 field goal percentage (10-12 FGM).  

Alongside Daley is Freelon, a 6-foot-1 forward from Denver, Colorado. Freelon has quickly become a powerhouse in her first year with the Hokies, as her ability to clean the glass has been felt around the women’s basketball team and their 20-7 (10-5 ACC) record. 

Freelon spent the first three years of her collegiate career at Texas Tech, averaging 5.0 points and 4.3 rebounds over 95 games (43 starts) with the team. After shooting 55 percent from the floor in her junior season as a Red Raider, Freelon would announce her transfer to Virginia Tech in April 2025.  

As a senior wearing maroon and orange, Freelon has seen a jump in both productivity and performance on the hardwood. The forward has started and played in 26 games this season, averaging 10.2 points and a team-high 8.9 rebounds per contest. In eight of the last ten contests, Freelon has led the team in rebounds, including in the team’s most recent victory against Cal where she notched her fifth double-double of the 2025-26 season (12 points, 10 rebounds).  

What makes Freelon such an asset for head coach Megan Duffy and the Tech women’s basketball team is her defensive prowess. While the 6-foot-1 forward has proven to be a key contributor on offense, Freelon has also logged a team-high 36 blocks on the year (1.4 per game). Further, of her team-high 232 rebounds, 136 of them are on the defensive end. Add her 33 steals into the mix and it’s easy to see why Freelon’s dynamic play has allowed the Hokies to emerge victorious in seven of the last nine games. 

Don’t miss out on the chance to cheer on the Hokies as the season concludes. Tickets for the contests against No. 22 North Carolina on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. ET and senior day celebrations on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. ET are still available – buy now before tickets sell out!