The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) recognized Virginia Tech Director of Athletics Whit Babcock as one of four FBS recipients of the Under Armour AD of the Year Award on Friday at a luncheon held at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics convention in Washington, D.C.
Babcock, who received the honor based on accomplishments from the 2017 calendar year, joined Barry Alvarez (Wisconsin), Joe Castiglione (Oklahoma) and Kirby Hocutt (Texas Tech) as FBS honorees during the James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon at NACDA’s 53rd Annual Convention held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center.
The ADOY Award highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses, and their surrounding communities.
In total, 28 athletic directors will be honored across all collegiate levels.
“This is the 20th year for the Athletics Director of the Year Program, and each year that goes by, we are continually blown away by the standard of success that these award winners maintain across all levels of college athletics,” NACDA Executive Director Bob Vecchione said. “Over the last two decades, we have been fortunate to recognize more than 425 individuals for the impressive work they do and the examples they set for everyone in our industry.”
Babcock, a Harrisonburg, Virginia native, is in his fifth year as Virginia Tech’s Director of Athletics after being formally announced as Tech’s AD on Jan. 24, 2014. Last year, Babcock was one of five finalists for SportsBusiness Journal Athletic Director of the Year Award.
In 2017, Virginia Tech claimed The Commonwealth Clash against the University of Virginia for the first time and followed that by winning the head-to-head competition again in 2018.
In 2017, the Hokies also won ACC team championships in wrestling (team and dual meet), women’s track and field (outdoor) and men’s track and field (indoor and outdoor). The football squad also extended the longest active bowl streak in the nation to 25 straight seasons, while both the men’s and women’s basketball programs recorded 20-win seasons and advanced to postseason play.
The Hokies also are excelling academically. The 2017 fall semester was an outstanding one for Virginia Tech’s student-athletes, as 331 out of the 573 student-athletes on sport rosters earned a 3.0 grade-point average during the semester. That number represents almost 60 percent of Tech’s student-athletes. In all, 192 student-athletes made the Dean’s List. Those who make the Dean’s List finished with a 3.40 GPA or better. Twenty-nine student-athletes earned a 4.0 GPA this past fall.
–VT Athletics
