Virginia Tech student-athletes and staff gather for The Gobblers

BLACKSBURG – Student-athletes and staff gathered inside the Moss Arts Center on Monday evening for Virginia Tech's annual award show, The Gobblers, presented by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

THE GOLDEN GOBBLERS

An honor for two student-athletes (one man and one woman) that have excelled in competition, in the classroom and in serving others, and embody the true definition of a Hokie.

Ryan Fishback
Ryan Fishback has made a profound impact on the court, in the classroom, and in the Blacksburg community. As a two-time NCAA Qualifier, ITA Atlantic Regional Champion, and All-ACC Second Team member, Ryan consistently performs at the highest level of competition and never backs down from a challenge. His excellence extends to his academics, receiving the Skelton Award for Academic Excellence in Athletics, making the All-ACC Academic Team numerous times, receiving Virginia Tech and ITA Scholar Athlete honors, and being named a two-time NCAA Elite 90 winner, an honor given to the individual with the highest GPA at the DI NCAA Championships. Ryan demonstrates his passion for leadership and service daily through his involvement in SAAC, Next Level Leadership Academy, and the Wheelchair Tennis Club, all ofwhich led him to earn the 2022 Arthur Ashe Award. Ryan truly embodies what it means to be a Hokie and the spirit of Ut Prosim - a true Golden Gobbler.
 
Emma Atkinson
Over her collegiate career, Emma Atkinson has proven herself as a valuable asset to her team, the entire Virginia Tech athletic department, and the university and Blacksburg communities. Her athletic achievements speak volumes, as a multiple time All-American and Olympic qualifier, and school record holder in five events, three individual races and two relays. Beyond the pool, Emma's work ethic continues into her academics, as a two-time All ACC Academic Team member, plus multiple semesters on the Dean's List and AD Honor Roll. Outside of the classroom, Emma boasts top notch leadership skills and a high level of involvement, as a member of the SAAC Executive Team, Next Level Leadership Academy, and the THRIVE Tribe. Emma's passion for helping others and leaving things better than she found them shine in all that she does and will take her far in life beyond college athletics.

THE SKELTON AWARD

The Skelton Award is named after Dr. Bill and Peggy Skelton. The late Dr. Skelton served in the Corps of Cadets and graduated from Virginia Tech in 1940. He later worked as a dean of the Virginia Cooperative Extension division at Tech. The late Peggy Skelton was a faculty member and director of the Cooperative Extension Family Resource Program in the College of Home Economics at Virginia Tech. Both were charter members of the Ut Prosim Society and its President's Circle and combined for more than 100 years of support to the university in various capacities. The award goes each year to a rising junior, senior or fifth-year male and female student-athlete who has participated in intercollegiate athletics for at least two seasons at Tech and who holds an overall grade-point average of 3.40 or better.

Luke Jackman (Baseball)
Jackman, a redshirt sophomore from McLean, Va., studies Finance with a concentration in Financial Planning and Wealth Management.
 
Michaela Hegarty
Hegarty, a junior from Hilton Head, S.C., studies Clinical Neuroscience.
 

MALE & FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

An honor for one man and one woman that led their team to notable athletic success throughout the season.
 
Caleb Henson
Caleb Henson added another national title to the VIrginia Tech Wrestling trophy case this year, after the fourth-ranked wrestler claimed the 149-pound weight class title at the NCAA championships in March. Henson's season had many notable moments, including finishing as the 2024 ACC runner-up at the conference meet and claiming All-American honors for the second time. Since the season has come to a close, Henson has also been named ACC Wrestler of the Year.
 
Elizabeth Kitley
Elizabeth Kitley cemented herself as one of the ACC's all-time best players during her graduate year, as she took home her third straight ACC Player of the Year title, as well as her third Kay Yow Scholar Athlete of the Year award. Kitley graduates as the ACC's all-time leader in rebounds and double-doubles and ranks second in total points. On the season, Kitley averaged better than 22 points and 11 rebounds per game, the only player in the country to do so. 
 

CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

The Gobbler for Championship Performance of the Year goes to an extraordinary postseason performance, in an ACC or NCAA championship competition.
 
Caleb Henson, 2024 National Champion
Fourth-ranked Caleb Henson claimed the 149-pound weight class national title at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri earlier this spring. After going 30-2 on the season and dealing with a torn MCL and significant hand injury, the true sophomore became just the second Hokie to win an NCAA championship. During his journey to the title match, Henson defeated former national finalist, No. 1 ranked Ridge Lovett of Nebraska and No. 6 ranked Austin Gomez from Michigan.
 

BEST UPSET

The Gobbler for Best Upset recognizes a Virginia Tech team that stunned the opposition and silenced the haters, delivering an upset.
 
Ryan Fishback over No. 5 Johannus Monday in the NCAA Tournament 
In his junior season, Ryan Fishback went into the NCAA Tournament set to play against fifth-ranked Johannus Monday of Tennessee. Fishback started strong, snagging the first set over Monday 6-4. Fishback dropped the second set, tying the match at one apiece. Fishback put himself in good position in the deciding set, going up 3-0 before finishing the match with a 6-3 set victory to earn the upset.
 

HOKIE SPIRIT AWARD

The Gobbler for Hokie Spirit recognizes one student-athlete who embodies the core values of Virginia Tech Athletics: integrity, service, honor, excellence, and strong together. This student-athlete demonstrates pride in their university by living out the mission of Ut Prosim through their involvement in a wide variety of campus and athletics organizations and programs.
 
Katie Andreini
Katie Andreini is a leader in ALL aspects of her life. Katie serves as SAAC president, captain of the Women's Tennis Team, member of Next Level Leadership Academy, and active participant in community outreach initiatives. She has an amazing work ethic, an enthusiastic and vocal presence, and a commitment to excellence and integrity in everything that she does. Katie's resume shows a dedication to not only her athletics and academics, but her character too, as a former Skelton award winner, ACC Scholar Athlete, ACC Top Six for Service recipient, and Cissie Leary Sportsmanship award winner. Katie takes action when met with a challenge and has an unmatched desire to create a better experience for all members of the VT community. Her positivity, consistency, and drive make her the true embodiment of what it means to be a Hokie.
 

BEST PERFORMANCE

The Gobbler for Best Performance goes to the best competition performance of the year.
 
Caleb Henson
At the 2024 Wrestling National Championships, sophomore Caleb Henson claimed the 149-pound title, becoming the second national champ in program history and a two-time All-American. His championship run included wins over the first and sixth-ranked competitors, landing him in the championship match, which he won 15-7. Henson wrapped up his season with a record of 30-2 and earned the title of ACC Wrestler of the Year.
 

SPORTS MOMENT OF THE YEAR

The Gobbler for Sports Moment of the Year recognizes an inspirational or memorable performance by a student-athlete or team, on or off the playing surface.
 
Women's Basketball hosts ESPN's College GameDay 
Virginia Tech became the first ACC institution to host ESPN College GameDay for women's basketball, making the school one of only a handful of campuses who have hosted the show for football, men's basketball, and women's basketball. Thousands of Hokies packed the west stands of Cassell Coliseum, showcasing the great environment and home court advantage that Tech has when playing in the arena. The Hokies went on to defeat UNC in front of a sold out crowd.
 

FRANK BEAMER STAFF EXCELLENCE AWARD

This award highlighted one athletics staff member that had the drive to positively impact our student-athletes and moved Virginia Tech Athletics forward to reach excellence.
 
Mike Goforth
Associate AD for Sports Medicine, Mike Goforth has served the Virginia Tech Department of Athletics for 26 years. His commitment to providing first class healthcare to our student-athletes is unmatched. Mike's dedication to fostering a family atmosphere, not only for our student-athletes but also for our staff, truly embodies our motto "this is home".  
 

SAAC MEMBER OF THE YEAR

The Gobbler for SAAC Member of the Year is given to a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. SAAC is a leadership group consisting of student-athletes representing all teams that meet throughout the year to positively impact the student-athlete experience.
 
Katie Andreini 
A senior from Cary, North Carolina, Katie Andreini has served as a women's tennis SAAC representative since 2021 and became president of the organization in 2023. During her senior year, Andreini has played a major role in leading projects like Hokies for Hokies student-athlete events, staff appreciation initiatives, and the Adopt-a-Family holiday fundraiser, which raised over $6,400 for children at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia, 
 

BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR

This award goes to a student-athlete who has increased his or her athletic performance dramatically.
 
Christian Jackson
After taking nearly a year and half off from competing, Christian Jackson earned First Team All-ACC honors, finishing third in the 800m at the 2024 ACC Indoor Championships, a race which he had previously finished in 26th place at the 2022 conference meet. Jackson now ranks second on the Hokies All-Time performance list in the 600m and 5th in the 800.
 

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

These two honors go to one man and one woman student-athlete that did not miss a beat in their rookie campaign making an immediate impact for their team.
 
Thomas Stewart Jr.
As a redshirt freshman, Thomas Stewart Jr. secured an ACC title in his first visit to the conference meet, helping take his team to a second-place finish at the 2024 ACC Championships. Stewart had four wins over top-ten opponents on the season and claimed seventh place All-American honors in his first year in the lineup, punching a ticket to the 2024 NCAA Championships along the way. Stewart was also named ACC Freshman of the Year at the end of the season.
 
Chiara Sistermann 
Freshman Chiara Sistermann won her first conference title in the women's pole vault at the 2023 ACC Indoor Championships, clearing a personal-best height of 14 feet, 2.25 inches. Sistermann made her collegiate-debut ranked second in the conference, and finished the season ranked 20th in the NCAA. She sits at 8th on the Hokies All-Time Performance List.
 

NUTRITION AWARDS

These awards (one man and one woman) are selected by the Hokie Fuel staff.

Molly Dunphey
As a 5th year transfer, Molly has shown her leadership through being an advocate for her own nutrition. She has explored what it means to fuel for the demands of her sport, and has learned to maintain a "fueling mindset" in order to live a more balanced life. This growth will support Molly not only in her performance here as a Hokie student-athlete, but also in pursuit of her future goals beyond collegiate athletics.

Tom Crook
Tom pulled out of his redshirt midseason to fill in for the team in the 141 lb weight class, a class that was extremely taxing on him in the previous season. When deciding to give the weight class another try this year, Tom engaged with his nutrition resources and took extreme ownership of his nutrition and weight management, including implementation of nutrition tactics that completely changed his mindset, body composition, and performance, leading him to qualify for the 2024 NCAA Championships.
 

ACC TOP VI FOR SERVICE

An ACC award that honors those who have fully embraced our university motto and have dedicated countless hours to serving the community selflessly.
 

Katie Andreini, Women's Tennis
Michaela Hegarty, Women's Tennis
Emma Inch, Women's Swimming
Zach Glesius, Men's Soccer
Lacrosse
Men's Soccer

Gallery: (5-1-2024) GEN: 2024 Gobblers

ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM AND SCHOLAR ATHLETES

The All-Academic Team is made up of student-athletes who have the highest cumulative GPA for their team during the calendar year.  Scholar Athletes ate student-athletes who received not only the highest cumulative GPA for their team, but also received a 4.0.

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING AWARDS

An award selected by each team's strength coach, this award goes to the student-athlete that unquestionably embodies the standards, morals and principles that our department stands for. They must be hard working, consistent, mentally and physically tough, and a model for fellow teammates to emulate.