Hokie ClubAs Virginia Tech lacrosse approaches season two under Kristen Skiera, the Hokies look to continue on their upward trajectory while playing in the country's most competitive conference. However, with new heights on the horizon, Tech knows that its team must show resilience in the challenging times that accompany growth.
Last season, the Hokies finished right on the NCAA Tournament's .500 win percentage threshold. With five of its last six contests ending in defeat at the hands of top-20 ranked programs, Virginia Tech could have approached the offseason with a dull spirit. Instead, Tech chose to harness the momentum of several positive results.
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In Tech's second game of the 2022 season, the program recorded a historic result defeating No. 13 James Madison for the first time ever. The win in Harrisonburg over the 2018 NCAA champions wasn't monumental solely for what it meant to the in-state rivalry, but it also marked Skiera's first win with Virginia Tech.
Less than a month later, the Hokies earned their first ACC win of the season on Thompson Field with 13-12 result against No. 15 Notre Dame. A Whitney Liebler goal with 3:24 clinched Virginia Tech's second ranked win of the season.
Tech fell just short of reaching a third ranked triumph, which has only happened once in the program's history (2018), when it fell 15-14 to No. 7 Duke.
The highlight moments of last season were made possible – and special – through the guidance of a senior class that had embodied resilience throughout its tenure. A pair of fifth-year seniors, Sarah Lubnow and Morgan Berman, were specifically vital in a season that left room for optimism going forward.
Lubnow, who finished her career first all-time in assists and fifth all-time in points for Tech, accumulated US Lacrosse Magazine All-America honors in her final campaign. Along the way, she tallied a career-high 46 goals.
Berman was a team captain that started all 18 games for the Hokies last season in the cage. She left Tech with 52 career appearances that spanned across five seasons, including the 2020 season that she missed.
So, where does that leave the 2023 Virginia Tech lacrosse squad?
The Hokies bring back four players that accounted for 20-plus points last season. Three of those players – Liebler (53), Paige Tyson (30) and Hannah Mardiney (23) – are upperclassmen. The one outlier – Olivia Vergano (45) – is a sophomore whose talent and hunger to improve outweighs her 17 career appearances tally.
Complementing the high-performance offense is an experienced defense that features two graduate students in Jordan Tilley and Lizzie Lohrer, along with senior Mary Griffin.
With a prevalence of veterans woven into the team, an impressive freshman class will look to make its mark, as well.
Perhaps no bigger test awaits a Tech player than freshman Jocelyn Torres, who will step into the lineup. Torres, an Under Armour All-American and the 25th-ranked player in the 2022 recruiting cycle by Inside Lacrosse, joins Lilly Kannapell in the goalie room for the Hokies.
Torres is accompanied by a group of USA Lacrosse All-Americans in Virginia Tech's freshman class, including: Caroline Little, Ella Rishko, Lauren Render, Sarah Gresham and Keelin Byrne.
As mentioned earlier, the path to making the next step for Tech lacrosse won't be smooth. The ACC has grown to 10 programs, which means nine conference matches await the Hokies.
Headlining the conference slate are home matches with preseason No. 1 North Carolina and No. 3 Boston College. Both of those sides competed in the 2022 NCAA Tournament final, with the Tar Heels walking away victorious. Since 2015, at least one of the two teams has played in the national championship game.
In total, nine of Virginia Tech's opponents in the upcoming season played in the 29-team field of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The Hokies will face four of those teams (James Madison, Mercer, North Carolina and Boston College) at home.
As Tech approaches the season, the squad expects to run into challenges along the way. In tune with the culture of Virginia Tech, however, the team mixed with savvy vets and budding talent looks forward to embracing the tests along the way.