Hokie ClubGREENSBORO, North Carolina— Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford announced today the winners of eight outdoor track & field annual awards. In a vote by all 12 head coaches of both men’s and women’s teams, Virginia’s Robby Andrews was selected both Male Track Performer and Freshman of the Year; Virginia Tech’s Alexander Ziegler and Queen Harrison were named Male Field and Female Track Performer of the Year, respectively; and Clemson’s Patricia Mamona and Stormy Kendrick were voted Female Field Performer and Freshman of the Year, respectively. Coach of the Year honors went to Dave Cianelli of Virginia Tech on the men’s side and Lawrence Johnson of Clemson on the women’s side. The honors mark the end of the 2010 outdoor track & field campaign for the ACC.
Ziegler, a native of Dischingen, Germany, earned his first outdoor All-America honor by posting a career-best 237-7.00 hammer throw to place second at the NCAA meet. His mark at the national meet bested his fourth place mark of 207-6.00 at the ACC championship in April by more than 30 feet. Additionally, Ziegler was the ACC hammer throw champion during the indoor season, posting a 73-10.25, and placed third with a 72-6.25 at the national meet in Fayetteville, Ark. He is the first field performer of the year from Virginia Tech.
For Harrison, a native of Richmond, Va., 2010 marked her second straight outdoor performer of the year nod after she made history at the NCAA championship. She won the 100-meter hurdle in 12.67 and the 400-meter hurdle in a school-record time of 54.55, becoming the first woman to sweep the 100 and 400-meter hurdle titles at the same national meet. Not only did Harrison sweep both hurdles events in Eugene, Ore., but she became the first performer in ACC history to win both hurdles events at the conference and NCAA meets in the same season. Her 12.44 in the 100-meter hurdles and 54.66 in the 400-meter hurdles at the ACC championship led the nation in 2010. Harrison ended her career with two consecutive conference crowns in the 100-meter hurdle and three straight titles in the 400-meter hurdles.
Cianelli, who has a pair of Women’s Coach of the Year accolades to his credit, earned his first Men’s Coach of the Year honor after guiding seven Hokies to the NCAA championship where Virginia Tech came in a program best 10th place with 20.5 points. The veteran coach of nine seasons led Virginia Tech to a second place finish at the ACC championship—another program best—where the Hokies finished just 8.5 points behind champion Florida State. Cianelli and his coaching staff mentored four ACC individual champions at April’s meet—tied for the conference lead—and helped six others to All-ACC honors.