Blacksburg High School recently recognized 12 student-athletes who are planning to further their sports careers in college.
The 12 athletes and their colleges and/or universities to which they are committed are Julie Anderson, the College of William & Mary; Diego Elias, Johns Hopkins University; Sam Helton, Chatham University; Abby Hunter, Western Illinois University; Claire Jenkins, The University of Mary Washington; Amanda Lowe, Virginia Tech; Lexi Nussbaum, The College of William & Mary; Grace Reynolds, Radford University; Lewis Rockwell, Carnegie Mellon University; Ashley Rutherford, Bridgewater College; William Thomas, Hampden-Sydney College; and Nicholas Zolovick, Case Western Reserve University.
A senior swimmer, Anderson plans on majoring in neuroscience or psychology. She is a four-year state-qualifier and letter- winning athlete. She was first-team All Timesland her sophomore and junior years. As a senior this past season, she was team captain and she led her team to a state title. She also swam the butterfly leg of the state record-setting 200-yard medley relay and the anchor leg of the state-winning 400-yard freestyle relay.
A senior center back and central midfielder for the Bruins’ soccer team, Elias will major in economics. Elias was a part-time starter as a sophomore and had earned a starting position as a junior in 2020 when the season was subsequently canceled due to the pandemic. In 2019, he was voted by his teammates as Blacksburg’s most improved player as the recipient of the Jim Gwazdauskas Memorial Soccer Award.
A senior shortstop on the BHS baseball team, Helton received the Best Defense award as an eighth grader on the Blacksburg JV squad. As a freshman, he was captain of the BHS JV baseball team and was named the squad’s Most Valuable Player. With the varsity as a sophomore, he was a team captain and was selected to the All-District Honorable Mention team. He looks forward to leading the Bruins onto the baseball field this season.
Hunter, a senior golfer, plans to major in business. She has played on the Bruins’ varsity team since her freshman year, and has earned 3-letters. Her junior season, she earned First-Team All-District honors and was named to the Roanoke Valley Hall of Fame Junior Girls team.
She has her sights set on a state title this spring.
A senior setter and right-side hitter for the BHS volleyball team, Jenkins plans to major in Accounting. A three-year starter and varsity-letter winner, Jenkins played on the past
two Bruins’ 4A state semi-final teams. She was named to Second-Team All-District and Second-Team All- Region as a junior. As they headed into the regional playoffs this season, the Bruins had a 12-0 record. Jenkins has been the starting setter for her travel volleyball teams for the past seven years. For the last four years, she has played with the River Valley Juniors travel team out of Blacksburg. She also made the 2019 Prep Volleyball Denver Showcase Standout List at a Colorado Crossroads National Qualifier.
Lowe is a senior outside hitter and four-year starter for the Blacksburg volleyball team. She has earned First- and Second-team all-state honors and all-region and all-district designations. The Roanoke Times named her to its All-Timesland first- and second-teams during her career. During her junior season, Lowe received recognition for 1000 career kills. She has played travel volleyball with the River Valley Juniors for the past five years and with the Alabama Juniors the three years before that. She garnered national recognition by being named to the 2018, 2019 AVCA Phenom Watch Lists.
Nussbaum, a senior swimmer, plans on majoring in biology with a minor or double major in kinesiology. Nussbaum is a four-year state qualifier and a four-year letter-winning athlete. She specializes in the breaststroke, in which she placed sixth this year at the state competition. She was also part of the school record-setting 200 medley relay at the state meet, where she swam the breaststroke leg each year for three years. Her relay broke the school record for three consecutive years: 2019, 2020, and 2021. In 2018, she won the BHS Most Outstanding Swim award.
Reynolds is a senior sprinter who will be running the long sprints and the hurdles at Radford. She has been running track since the seventh grade. Her senior year she was a part of the 4×200 meter relay that won the indoor state championship title.
Also a senior swimmer, Rockwell, is a four-time state qualifier, a 15-time state finalist, a 4-year letter winner, and the holder of two Blacksburg High School records. He specializes in sprint freestyle, the backstroke, and the butterfly. He served as a captain on the squad that won its third straight state championship this past season.
In addition to his athletic pursuits, Lewis is an officer for Mu Alpha Theta and a member
Rutherford, a senior setter for the Bruins volleyball squad, plans to major in biology with a minor in psychology. Ashley was a two-year starter for the Bruins and has been a setter for nationally competitive club teams in Texas and Virginia. As a junior transfer, 2019 was Ashley’s first season with Blacksburg, and she helped Blacksburg achieve a season record of 25-5, win the Region 4D championship, and make it all the way to the state semifinals. This season Ashley contributed with a cadre of senior teammates to the team’s 12-0 finish in the River Ridge District.
Thomas, a senior member of the Blacksburg High School varsity football team, played on the offensive and defensive lines for the Bruins for four seasons. He will major in the humanities with a concentration in English.
Zolovick, a senior swimmer, competed in club swimming with the Hokies for 14 years and has competed up to national level meets. While at Blacksburg High School, he has scored points in the state competition all four years of participation and contributed to the team’s winning the state title the last three seasons. He specializes in the backstroke and both the middle distance free- and the individual medleys. Zolovick plans to major in engineering.
