Hokie ClubNEW ORLEANS – In his first outdoor season at Virginia Tech, Tomas Kruzliak was named Southeast Region Field Athlete of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), while Director of Track & Field Dave Cianelli was selected Southeast Region Men’s Coach of the Year.
A freshman from Nitra, Slovakia, Kruzliak owned the top hammer throw in the Nation at 232-5 (70.84m) going into the NCAA preliminary meets, and enters the NCAA Finals as the No. 2 seed from the East. He is the 2013 ACC Champion in the hammer throw and currently ranked No. 2 in the nation. His top of throw of the season at the ACC Championship continued a trend of dominance in the hammer at the conference meet by the Hokies as it was the program’s fifth consecutive gold medal at the meet.
In his 12th season at Virginia Tech, Cianelli earned his 11th overall Coach of the Year award as his men’s team recorded a strong runner-up finish to Florida State at the ACC Outdoor Championships. Virginia Tech is currently ranked No. 10 in the nation in the USTFCCCA National Team Computer Rankings with eight qualifiers to the NCAA Finals.