Hokie ClubEUGENE, Ore. - Following a another successful outdoor season, director of track & field and cross country Dave Cianelli and assistant coach Bob Phillips have been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) head coach and assistant coach of the year, respectively, for the NCAA Division I Southeast Region, as announced on Monday.
Cianelli received the head coach honor for the 14th time in his 15-year Virginia Tech tenure while Phillips collected his second title.
Cianelli guided the Hokies to their fifth ACC Championships title, totaling 129 points - 36 points ahead of NC State in second. Currently sporting a No. 7 ranking, the Hokies are sending 10 competitors to the NCAA Championships this week.
Cianelli’s most recent of his 14 titles came in 2015 following Tech’s indoor ACC Championships title.
Phillips coached Tech’s pole vaulters to a historic first through seventh place sweep at the ACC Championships, collecting 38 of a possible 39 points. His vaulters followed suit with seven qualifying for the NCAA East Regional - the most for any team in any event across the country, and four of advanced to the Eugene final site, another meet-best.
Phillips’ first honor was in 2011 when six Hokie vaulters qualified for the NCAA championships with four earning a total of five All-America honors.
A group of 12 Hokies will compete at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon June 8-11.
Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches. Only those individuals from USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.
Click here for the USTFCCCA’s full release.