Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech men’s and women’s track and field teams earned four U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) honors for the NCAA Division I Southeast Region, as announced on Sunday afternoon.
Dave Cianelli was named the 2017 Southeast Region Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year, while Tech’s assistant cross country and distance coach Ben Thomas was named the 2017 Southeast Region Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year. Additionally, senior Hanna Green was named the Women’s Track Athlete of the Year for the first time in her career.
With both the men’s and women’s squads capturing the team titles at the 2017 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships last month, Cianelli earned the USTFCCCA honor for the 17th time in his 16-year Virginia Tech tenure. Of note, both Tech squads won the team title at the same league meet for the first time since joining the ACC for the 2004-05 academic year.
Cianelli led the men’s team to its second straight ACC outdoor title in dramatic fashion, coming from 56 points down with 12 events remaining to win the team title by one point, 120-119, over in-state rival Virginia. The Tech women finished with 124.5 points, beating Florida State by six points and claiming the program’s first title since 2008. Both Tech squads trailed heading into the final event, but the men’s and women’s 4x400-meter relay teams finished high enough to secure the points needed for the team titles.
Following the ACC Championships, Virginia Tech had 20 female student-athletes and 16 male student-athletes qualify for the 2017 NCAA East Preliminary Rounds in Lexington, Kentucky. In all, Tech will send a program-best 21 participants to Eugene this week, with 13 women and eight men advancing to the national meet.
Additionally, Thomas received his USTFCCCA recognition for just the fifth time in his 16-year tenure, as he was instrumental in helping guide the Hokie men to their second straight ACC outdoor title. At the conference meet, his athletes earned 10 top-seven finishes in five different events and scored 65 of the team’s 120-point total. Thomas’ athletes placed first and second in the 800, first, second and third in the 1,500, fifth and seventh in the 3,000 steeplechase, fourth and seventh in the 5,000 and first in the 10,000. He will bring five of his athletes to Eugene, as Patrick Joseph (800), Drew Piazza (800), Neil Gourley (1,500), Vincent Ciattei (1,500) and Peter Seufer (5,000) set to compete in the semifinals of their respective events this week.
Green, a six-time ACC champion, pulled off the double win at the ACC Championships in the 800- and 1,500-meter races to help lead the Hokie women to their team title. The Latrobe, Pennsylvania, native won the 1,500 in a time of 4:15.08 and then came back an hour and 20 minutes later to set the championship meet record in the 800 with a time of 2:01.28. Her 800-meter time is listed as the fastest time in the East region as well as the second-best time in the nation. She also placed second in the Olympic Development mile at the prestigious Penn Relays with a time of 4:32.50, which converts to 4:12.31 to the 1,500. Her 1,500-meter mark ranks No. 2 in the East region and No. 7 nationally. Looking ahead to the NCAA Championships, Green will look to capture her first national title in the 800.
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.
A group of 21 Hokies will compete at this year’s NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at Oregon’s Hayward Field from June 7-10. The NCAA Championships are the final event of the 2017 outdoor season.