Lechtenberg named assistant head coach
Virginia Tech football head coach Justin Fuente announced on Tuesday that Adam Lechtenberg has been promoted to Assistant Head Coach/Executive Director of Player Development. Lechtenberg will work directly with Fuente in overseeing the program’s recruiting efforts and managing Tech’s roster. In addition, he will also serve as the 10th assistant coach to Fuente.
The Butte, Nebraska native originally joined the Virginia Tech staff as director of player development in March 2017. In his new role, he will manage all aspects of Tech’s roster with Fuente from scholarship allocation to directing the team’s walk-on program. His new designation will also permit him to represent Tech on the road as a recruiter and engage directly with high school coaches across the nation.
Lechtenberg spent the 2016 season as passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach at the University of Tennessee at Martin. In addition to his on-field coaching duties, his recruiting territory included Alabama, Tennessee and junior colleges.
Blacksburg Classic 10 Mile and 5K
The 33rd annual Blacksburg Classic 10 Mile, 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run takes place February 11. The start and finish are at Margaret Beeks Elementary School. 12:30 p.m. for the free fun run mile (kids receive medals for finishing) and 1 p.m. for the 10-miler and 5k.
The entry fee for the 10-miler is $30 and $20 for the 5K. Both events start at 1 p.m. For more information or to register go to: http://runaboutsports.com.
Blees co-ACC wrestler of week
After going 2-0 last weekend with two key bonus point victories, Virginia Tech redshirt junior Ryan Blees has been named Co-ACC Wrestler of the Week with NC State’s Tariq Wilson, the conference announced Tuesday.
Blees, wrestling at 149 pounds from Bismarck, North Dakota, scored a major decision (14-8) over Jonathan Mele of Lehigh. The four-point bonus win helped lead the Hokies to a 20-17 win over the ninth-ranked Mountain Hawks last Friday night. He then recorded a technical fall over Duke’s Brandon Leynaud (20-2, 6:03) for five team points in the Hokies’ 24-19 win over the Blue Devils.
After starting the season at 157 pounds, Blees dropped to 149 and promptly took home an individual title at Franklin & Marshall Open in early January. Blees has won 13 of his last 14 matches since going down a weight class.
H2okies All-American as team
The Virginia Tech men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams have earned Scholar All-America Team honors for the 2017 fall semester as awarded by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA).
On the women’s side, the Hokies registered a 3.27 team GPA this past fall, making the list for the 13th consecutive semester. The men’s team had a 3.02 mark. The awards are in recognition of teams that achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the 2017 fall semester.
The Hokies will be back in the pool this weekend for the final meet before the 2018 ACC Championships. Tech is hosting the Technotational, Feb. 2-4 at the Christiansburg Aquatic Center.
Highlanders in record books
The Radford women’s track & field team wrapped up the 2018 Liberty Kickoff with four personal records and one stellar relay performance on day two of the meet at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex in the past week.
The 4×400-meter relay team of sophomores La’Tisha Chambers and Tenae Washington alongside freshmen Amelia Reynolds and Ryan Paine capped the day with a season-best time of 3:58.24 to place eighth out of 28 teams. Their time is the first under four minutes this season and ranks ninth on the program’s all-time top-10 list.
All-ACC Academic team
Three Virginia Tech football student-athletes have been named to the 2017 All-ACC Academic Football Team, the conference office announced Wednesday.
Freshman tight end Dalton Keene, junior defensive end Vinny Mihota and senior kicker Joey Slye represented the Hokies on this year’s team. It marked the first All-ACC Academic honor for each member of the trio.
Keene started in 12 of Tech’s 13 games at tight end as a true freshman. He recorded 10 catches for 167 receiving yards including a 40-yard reception against Duke and a four catch, 66-yard performance at Boston College.
Mihota started in 11 games for the Hokies at defensive end before a knee injury against Pitt cut his season short. He finished the season with 24 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Slye left Virginia Tech as its all-time leader with 78 made field goals and 403 career points. The Stafford native matched his career-long field goal twice as a senior with a pair of 50-yard makes against Delaware and at Miami.
Slye ranked second nationally with an 84.1 touchback percentage, owned the sixth-best yards per kickoff average (64.19) and tied for the eighth-most touchbacks in the FBS with 53.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
