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October 20, 2026
NEWS VIRGINIA TECH HOSTS ITS 100TH ANNUAL HOMECOMING
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Sarah Pineno | News Writer
The Homecoming Court was presented during halftime and three winners were chosen. This year marked the 100th annual tradition of Homecoming celebrations at Virginia Tech. The week of events lasted from Oct. 12-17 and included both the Homecoming Tailgate and Parade Watch Party. This year, Virginia Tech invited two alumni, Rick Devens ‘06 and Jerry Hulick ‘73, to attend the Homecoming Parade as special guests. Both alums have been extremely successful in their careers after graduating from Virginia Tech and represent the motto “Ut Prosim.” The Homecoming Parade took place on Oct. 16 from 6:45-8 p.m. The route began on Beamer Way and continued up Washington Street and Main Street before ending on the Drillfield, where the Parade Watch Party took place. The Homecoming Tailgate also took place on the Drillfield on Oct. 17 before the Homecoming game. The events on the field were from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and were
a way for students and families to spend time together, play lawn games and eat food. Tickets were available for purchase in advance for $15 or day-of for $20. Another Virginia Tech tradition is Homecoming royalty. This is a way for current students to represent a cause they feel passionate about, and each Homecoming Court candidate used their campaign platform to raise money for their respective organizations. The 2026 Homecoming Court was announced during halftime of Saturday’s game. The three winners are Amelia Spurlock, who supported breast cancer education and awareness; Ryan Hendrickson, who supported lung cancer awareness, education and prevention; and Julia Bosset, who supported CPR awareness and education. Leadership experience in a student or service organization at Virginia Tech is required to become a candidate for
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PHOTO COURTESY OF VIRGINIA TECH Homecoming Court. Additionally, in honor of the 100th Homecoming, former Homecoming royalty were invited back to campus to participate in the Homecoming Parade. Homecoming was an opportunity for current and former students to connect on campus while participating in traditions and celebrating 100 years of reunion.
The Homecoming football game against Georgia Tech sold out and took place on Oct.17 at 3:30 p.m. in Lane Stadium, where Virginia Tech defeated Georgia Tech 34-24.
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WHAT VOTERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE 2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS Cleo Dobson | News Writer This year’s midterms decide every seat in the House and about a third of the Senate.
With the 2026 midterm elections less than three weeks away, Virginia Tech students will soon have the opportunity to vote in this year’s federal and local races and on three proposed amendments to the Virginia Constitution. Midterm elections occur every four years and take place halfway through a president’s term. Midterms have major impacts on the federal government as they entail high turnover in the House of Representatives and the Senate. This year, every seat in the House and roughly a third of the Senate are on the ballot. Only one of Virginia’s Senate seats is up for re-election. The incumbent Sen. Mark Warner D-Va., is running for his fifth term in office and is challenged by Bert Mizusawa R-Va. Virginia is allotted 11 seats in the House of Representatives, and since House representatives serve two-year terms, every one of those seats is on the ballot this election. Those registered to vote in Blacksburg, Va. will vote for House District 9, where incumbent District 9 representative Rep. Morgan Griffith R-Va. is running for his ninth term, and is challenged by Joy Powers D-Va. Those registered in Blacksburg will also vote in the local races for Montgomery County sheriff and commonwealth attorney. The former sheriff, Hank Partin R-Va.,
retired in April after serving as sheriff for 33 years. A special election is being held to replace him. Tim Andrew Brown D-Va. and Robert G. Page R-Va. are the two candidates.The current Commonwealth Attorney Patrick R. Jensen R-Va. is running unopposed. Carola Haas, a professor of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Tech, is one of the many people working tables around campus dedicated to voter registration and education for Virginia Tech students. “I would say all elections are important for college students to vote in. It’s their chance to have a voice and participate in our government. It’s a great habit to get involved in every election,” Haas said. “College students are affected by decisions that the town makes by local policing, and of course can be affected by what’s happening in Washington, D.C.” Outside of the candidate races, there are three proposed amendments to the Virginia state constitution. The measures address Virginia’s policies on reproductive freedom, the right to marry and voting post-incarceration. The first proposed amendment, or “question,” is about the right to reproductive freedom. If the proposal passes, it can give Virginians protection of their reproductive freedom, including abortion
and access to contraceptives, in the state constitution. Since Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overruled Roe v. Wade and held that the U.S. Constitution does not confer the right to abortion, the topic of abortion has fallen into the hands of the states. Thirteen states have already made abortion illegal; the proposed amendment would protect Virginians’ reproductive rights. The second proposed amendment would remove Virginia’s 2006 marriage ban and “affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race”. Same-sex marriage is currently protected by the United States Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges case. If that decision were to be overturned, same sex marriage would not be recognized in Virginia. “These freedoms are maintained by Supreme Court cases right now, but if those Supreme Court decisions are reversed, then Virginia’s antiquated laws would come back into effect,” Haas said. “We’re working to make the laws reflect what Virginians believe, not what’s been in the books for a long time.” The third proposed amendment would restore the right to vote to those convicted of a felony after they are released from incarceration. It would also investigate and potentially restore the right to vote
to those who have been found mentally incompetent. Voting “no” on any of the aforementioned ballots is voting to prevent the proposed constitutional change. Information about voting locally can be found through Hokies Vote, an organization sponsored by VT Engage. Election Day is Nov. 3. In Virginia, the deadline to register to vote is Oct. 24. After the deadline to register has passed, voting registration is still available during early voting at the Election Office in Christiansburg or the Blacksburg Community Center. There is also the option to cast a provisional ballot day-of if located in the correct precinct. Students from out of state can register to vote in Virginia using their campus address. Voting in Virginia will nullify their registration in their home state. Students living on campus can vote in the Squires Student Center Commonwealth Ballroom on Election Day. Students in off-campus housing can find their voting location using the Department of Election’s Polling Place Lookup tool. Students can find out if they are registered to vote at All In To Vote through Hokies Vote.
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LIFESTYLES
AGR HOSTS THIRD HAUNTED HOUSE FOR PHILANTHROPY WEEK Emmy Rose | Lifestyles Staff Writer
Take a sneak peek into Alpha Gamma Rho’s fall-themed philanthropy week. Alpha Gamma Rho, a social and professional fraternity at Virginia Tech, is hosting their philanthropy week from Oct. 26-29. This will include a variety of fundraising opportunities and events to help support their philanthropy, Farm Rescue. Farm Rescue is the only nonprofit organization of its kind that provides farm and ranch families with the support they need in times of crisis. This nonprofit is special to AGR since they are a fraternity whose focus is “to make
better men” through their love of agriculture. “I want people to remember what we’re doing this for,” said Bryan Rodriguez, a junior majoring in building construction and the external philanthropy chair for AGR. “These events are a lot of fun, but just remember that this money is going to something really useful.” The most anticipated event by Alpha Gamma Rho is their haunted house and corn maze. These events are being held
simultaneously on Oct. 27 and 28 from 8 p.m. to midnight both nights. “We’ll have snacks and drinks this year,” said William Eberly, a junior majoring in agribusiness and internal philanthropy chair for AGR. “I think we’ll maybe have hot chocolate, hot apple cider and some sweets before you go into the corn maze.” AGR is hosting these activities at their house, located at 1503 Toms Creek Rd. Anyone is welcome to participate in AGR’s
philanthropy events throughout the week, whether you’re a student or someone living in the surrounding Blacksburg area. “With fraternities in general, it’s kind of a struggle for all of us to find organizations and people to participate in our philanthropies. I think the (haunted house) is a good way to make connections with the fraternities more than anything because you don’t really get to
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have that interaction one-on-one in that way typically,” Eberly said. “I (also) think it’s just a good thing to have that especially for us because we’re a smaller fraternity, so having that interaction with the sororities and everyone I think would boost (AGR) and help
everybody out in the long run.” Along with the haunted house and corn maze, Alpha Gamma Rho is collaborating with a few local favorites to raise money. On Monday, Oct. 26, AGR is collaborating with Chipotle to host a percentage night. This lasts from 4-8 p.m. The participating
Chipotle location is 868 Prices Fork Road. On Thursday, Oct. 29, AGR is also hosting another percentage night with The Burg Resto-Bar. This lasts from 4-8 p.m. The percentage night applies to both food and drink purchases at The Burg. The price for the haunted house and
corn maze is $5. To participate in any of the percentage nights, tell the cashier or waiter when checking out that you’re there for the AGR percentage night.
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MEET KELLY FURNAS: JOURNALISM EXTRAORDINAIRE Kristina Dabaghyan | Lifestyles Staff Writer
Lifestyles staff writer, Kristina Dabaghyan explores the career of an award-winning journalist and professor.
Kelly Furnas has made a profound dent in the journalism world. He has been in the field for 26 years, having started writing for news outlets in 2000. Furnas is the associate teaching professor of journalism and chair of the department of journalism at Elon University. He advised student media for Virginia Tech’s Collegiate Times and currently advises Elon’s Student News Network. Furnas has facilitated a number of junior journalism programs and oversees aspiring journalists. Furthermore, he has won numerous awards from renowned journalism associations throughout the years. In the past, Furnas was the former executive director of the national Journalism Education Association, and now serves as the association’s global engagement director. Journalism has been a constant in Furnas’ life, having been raised in a household where his parents, both journalists themselves, surrounded him with media. Furnas, however, never felt any push to follow in their footsteps, until deciding the path for himself after writing for his high school newspaper. “When I said I joined the school newspaper, when I said I was going to major in journalism, they were very supportive, but I never got a reaction that would have been any different than if I had said I was going into medicine or law or engineering,” Furnas said. “Even though I have no doubt the reason I went into journalism was so heavily influenced by being around my parents, it’s also comforting to know that it still feels 100% like it was my choice.” Furnas obtained his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Kansas State University and a master’s in business administration from Florida State University. He partially credits his time as a leader in the newsroom, where he spent a majority of his days, as a deciding factor in becoming a professor later on. Furnas then went on to write for professional newsrooms in both Las Vegas and Tallahassee, Fla. He describes the latter as an organized newsroom with a need to
improve and develop employees. Las Vegas, on the other hand, was bigger, demanding and consuming. “One other thing about Las Vegas was my editor there, a guy named Mike Kelley,” Furnas said. “If you ever go and watch old movies about newsrooms, and you have this gruff, angry, old white guy in the back who’s just screaming at all of his editors — that was him. I owe him so much of my career. But dear God, he was so mean.” When Furnas told Kelley he was leaving Las Vegas to advise student media at Virginia Tech, he feared his reaction, but instead was met with congratulations, affirmations and “isn’t that what you do here?” Furnas states the interaction always stuck with him, as he maintains that he treats his students no differently than professional newswriters. He acknowledges that, in spite of the differences in experience, setting high expectations for a student will help them reach their goals. He advises students beyond higher education, including those in journalistic high school programs at James Madison University’s Journalism Camp and Elon’s Emerging Journalists Program. Furnas notes that he got into education in hopes that the profession and industry of journalism could get better through teaching — making sure that the next generation is getting those skills and seeing the doors open. “I could give the same presentation, the same lecture, the same workshop to 20 different students. If 10 of them don’t care about journalism, it doesn’t matter what I do; they’re not going to care about it afterward, either,” Furnas said. “But the 10 who were passionate about it — even if they didn’t know they were passionate about it — you’re just opening their eyes.” Having previously held the position of the Journalism Executive Association’s global executive, Furnas is currently the association’s global engagement director. He considers JEA an association that alleviates the loneliness and difficulties in
PHOTO COURTESY OF STUDENT PRESS LAW CENTER.
being a journalism teacher, as a means to connect teachers around the world. In these roles, he has founded and helped create programs and initiatives to provide journalism teachers and students with beneficial resources. Throughout his career, Furnas has won the Pioneer Award from the National Scholastic Press Association, the Virginia Association of Journalism Teachers and Advisers award, the Medal of Merit and Master Journalism Educator status from JEA, and was named the recipient of the 2024 Carl Towley Award. When asked about his successes, Furnas claimed to have felt like a fraud the entire time. He attributes his wins to the groups of “really, really awesome people” who worked with him on his achievements, stating that any one of the accolades could be drawn back to a dozen or 100 other people who were the strength behind it. Out of all his awards, Furnas said that the one that meant the most was when an advisee student of his at Virginia Tech won national reporter of the year. “Because it wasn’t my award,” Furnas said. “That was proof to me that this system
of mentoring young people, feeding their passions, putting in the work to provide whatever answers to whatever questions you can to make them better — that system works. When you take someone who’s talented and you give them that space and that accountability, they can accomplish wonders.” Kelly Furnas has had an impact on thousands of students’ lives in Elon and beyond. At Virginia Tech, James Madison University, in Las Vegas, in Tallahassee and globally with the Journalism Education Association, he has made his mark in the news world, passing along passion for journalism. “Don’t go into the world trying to be able to do everything well, but at least go into the world having tried as much as you can to know what you enjoy, what you don’t enjoy, what you can do, what you can do well and what you cannot do.” Furnas said. “It just makes you better, more well-rounded. I think, in the end, probably happier too.”
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OPINIONS LINKEDIN WARRIORS: WHAT ARE YOU REALLY FIGHTING FOR? Emelia Crump | Opinions Columnist
LinkedIn, while helpful, can create a negative comparison culture for young professionals. “I’m humbled to announce that…” I’m sure we’ve all heard this humblebrag phrase before, scrolling through our LinkedIn feeds feeling like deranged doomscrollers. Maybe you were actually the one to produce a similar phrase on a post about your summer internship. And I’m not coming at you for this — I’m guilty as charged. As people, we seem to have this uncanny ability to get wound up in “playing the game,” even when we know said game is making us miserable. Maybe this is a hot take, perhaps a lukewarm one, but LinkedIn is toxic. Marrying the performative nature of social media and the high pressure of our livelihoods was a fatuous idea. And for young professionals entering the workforce, it’s essentially heaping scorn onto the hardship. What ever happened to a resume being enough? This really isn’t to say LinkedIn is inherently bad: I use it; my friends, professors and bosses use it. People I don’t like use it, and if he could, I’m sure my bird would use it. It can genuinely serve as an effective networking tool in our currently oversaturated, tangled job market. In fact, LinkedIn has over 199 million members in America alone, with nearly 60% of those users being in their mid-20s to early 30s in age. There are plenty of ways this data is problematic. As people, we’re comparative by nature. Take the social comparison theory, founded by psychologist Leon Festinger in 1954: We naturally assess our own achievements, abilities and opinions by comparing them to others’ accomplishments. On LinkedIn, we are constantly exposed to other peers’ internships, awards, achievements and promotions — and these accomplishments are often highlighted or blown out of proportion to appear impressive for employers. Take, for example, LinkedIn user Kanishka Sipani’s opinion of this phenomenon, as she writes in a post: “It is 1:30 a.m., and I have reached the depths of hell scrolling through
LinkedIn posts. Someone’s a 19 y/o startup founder, someone just got their dream job, someone is pursuing their master’s at my dream university, and someone has just moved to NYC. And I’m now regretting my decision to not scroll through Substack instead.” Comparing ourselves to where others are at becomes exhausting. An alleged one-third of individuals on LinkedIn falsify specific elements within their profiles. Just like with any social media platform, it is much easier for people to lie and make their lives seem more accredited or fascinating. LinkedIn hides this toxicity under the guise of professionalism and networking opportunities. While both these things are still present — I’ve still used LinkedIn to network and show my professional half — they’re often served with a side of comparison and feelings of low self-esteem. This comparison culture also amplifies competition among LinkedIn users. When individuals are constantly comparing themselves to others on a professionally branded social media, the pressure is amplified to obtain and accumulate internships, leadership opportunities, extracurriculars and certifications like candy. This also means the goalpost for what isn’t deemed as behind is constantly moving: a young professional might think the experience they currently have is sufficient, until they see another person their age with seven prestigious internships, 10 professional awards and an announcement with a full-time offer on their page. Naturally, this competitive comparison can prompt a feeling of behindness, especially for those who are newer to the workforce. Additionally, LinkedIn is unique in that it blends the user’s personal and professional identity. This encourages users to utilize their hobbies, volunteer work and casual summer jobs as another experience on their page. There is nothing wrong with displaying these if
EMILY HANNAH / COLLEGIATE TIMES A student searches for possible grad school programs via LinkedIn, Feb. 13, 2019.
they’re done so accurately and appropriately — the problem comes when they are overstated or portrayed inaccurately to appear more impressive. With these inflated portrayals, the notion of turning every hobby into a monetized work experience is also present. I’ve heard numerous occasions of peers attempting to turn activities that used to be for enjoyment into something that needs to be harnessed as an impressive career milestone. Sometimes you can just paint without having to become the next Picasso and make millions, it’s okay, really. For those who are future-oriented and anxious about the way their career journey will pan out, like yours truly, LinkedIn also exacerbates these very real fears. Somehow, seeing other people succeeding in their work lives can trigger your own anxiety about falling behind, but that anxiety also makes you feel pulled to keep participating with the “LinkedIn warriors.” It’s a vicious cycle,
being both a catalyst for concern and perceived as a helpful tool. In writing all this, I’m not saying to stop using LinkedIn. I know I’ll still be on there, keeping my 300-day Zip puzzle streak alive. But — and this is easier said than done — don’t let it consume you. On that note, keep doing what you’re doing — wherever you end up after college, you’re going to be just fine; I promise. And for those looking to network, you can connect with me here.
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COMPARISON: THE THIEF OF WISHFUL THINKING Kristina Dabaghyan | Opinions columnist
Comparison can be deeply negative when applied to romantic relationships.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SUNRISE RECOVERY ORGANIZATION With social media trends on the rise, the comparison of yourself to others becomes addictive.
“Comparison is the thief of joy” is a common quote often misattributed to Theodore Roosevelt. A phrase which, in spite of its lack of origin, I stand by. As humans, comparison is inevitable. We are creatures of habit, and judgement is a part of our routine, whether it be passed on to others, ourselves or the relationships we hold. Judging the bonds we have, especially with romantic partners, and the aspects we lack or wish we possessed is relatively regular. Naturally, when leading a life where comparison is a custom, it can be difficult to maintain confidence in those relationships. As often as one compares themselves to others, I dare say we nearly do so as frequently with relationships. I often find myself wishing I were as close with my grandparents as my friends are with theirs as I don’t speak the same language. With my friends, I wish that I lived as close as my classmates do with their pals. With my ex-boyfriend, I wished that we saw each other on a regular basis, like other couples I knew. Most often, I find myself comparing
when scrolling on my phone. It’s easy to say everyone on social media is a poser — every user’s post, comment and hashtag is meticulously edited to their point of perfection. I’d like to think everyone’s account is a facade, fogging the reality of who they truly are. Even knowing that and resonating with it on a personal level, I cannot rid myself of the feeling of wanting to be more than — more than who I am now or wanting more than what I’m getting from someone else. Couples online made it easy to find issues in my own relationship. “Hm, he got her flowers for no reason… Where’s my just-because bouquet?” “She surprised him with a homecooked meal. Am I a bad girlfriend because I don’t do that?” Even in real life, comparing us to couples around me had me reconsidering everything. But what applies in the media bears on real life just as much, if not more — I never knew what was happening behind the scenes. Outsiders never get a glimpse of what life
is like after hitting post, or what goes on behind closed doors. For me, though, it got to be too much. The constant comparison led to continual yearning. At every 11:11 p.m., I wished for more. I wished for better. I wished for change. I compared us more often than I found joy in us, so consider me the thief, because our door closed for good. It is always so easy to wish. To long for a version of yourself, your friendships, family or significant other, that you very well may never see come to fruition. It’s important that we realize it’s all a two-way street anyway. People want what you have; you want what they have; everyone wants what they can’t have. I wanted things out of the relationship that weren’t feasible. I compared us to other couples in our lives that had what we couldn’t fulfill as a pair. With its theft of joy, comparison left me with a new truth. It opened my eyes to a reality where no amount of ignoring what we lacked, which other couples had, would satisfy me. Even if I had been able to stop
comparing us to others, I’d still be left unhappy knowing that we could’ve been, should’ve been, more. While disheartening, comparison can stand to be revealing. When sizing up others and their qualities next to your own, it can be a good motivator, the push you need to do better — to change. But where does it end? At what point can you confidently say there is no other life you want to live, no path someone took which you wish you’d paved? I’d say Roosevelt, or whoever it was that conjured the quote, was right. But I think when comparison proves that what you have needs to change, either to improve or be a thing of the past, you should listen. Because as much as it may steal your joy, if comparison shows that you’re not fulfilled, it’s time to go. The grass is always going to be greener on the other side, and that’s proof enough that comparison shouldn’t be consuming. You can, however, let comparison guide you down the path of a relationship when it helps you take the right turns to improve; just don’t let it steer the wheel.
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SPORTS
VIRGINIA TECH DEFEATS GEORGIA TECH IN ‘TECHMO BOWL’ Alex Winn | Sports Editor
Wide receiver Que’Sean Brown helped get the Hokies back on track Saturday. The Hokies led wire-to-wire on Homecoming Saturday, beating Georgia Tech 34-24 in a game highlighted by Que’Sean Brown’s 251 all-purpose yards. “I love that all three phases found a way to have a positive factor in the game,” said Hokies head coach James Franklin. “Obviously, there’s things we’ve got to get cleaned up, but I was very, very pleased with how all three phases had a factor in the game.” The Hokies (5-2, 2-2 ACC) led 24-3 at halftime and played well enough to pick up their second ACC win, even though the Yellow Jackets (2-4, 1-2 ACC) outscored them 21-10 in the second half. Virginia Tech’s offense led the way once again, totaling over 400 yards for the sixth time in seven games. Even in the loss, Georgia Tech outgained the Hokies 428 to 409. Brown was the story for the Hokies, putting up 251 all-purpose yards, a touchdown and three 60-yard plays: two long catches and a punt return. At halftime, the wide receiver had 180 receiving yards; his most coming in was 178 yards. Brown struck quickly for the Hokies, catching a seam pass from quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer and making defenders miss with a flurry of moves before crossing the end zone for a score within the first two minutes. “He’s a dynamic player on offense and special teams,” said Keon Wylie, Hokies linebacker of Brown. “Just having a player that can make the first guy miss, the second guy miss and the third guy miss. It’s always good to have a player like that.” “Just being able to (get) yards after catches is where his superpower is,” Grunkemeyer said. The Yellow Jackets appeared poised to respond until disaster struck. Georgia Tech running back Trelain Maddox was feet away from crossing the goal line before Hokies defensive back Thomas Williams punched the ball out of his
hands and through the end zone for a touchback. “During the week we always do drills on punching the ball and (Williams) just took the drills to the game,” Wylie said. Virginia Tech promptly capitalized on the extra possession and got to the edge of the red zone. Grunkemeyer tucked the ball and rumbled for a 20-yard touchdown, his second rushing score of the season. For all Brown’s heroics Saturday, he directly contributed to Georgia Tech’s first points by muffing a punt deep in Hokies territory. The Yellow Jackets hopped on the ball and scored three points, cutting Virginia Tech’s lead to 14-3 early in the second quarter. Grunkemeyer went right back to Brown the next drive and was rewarded with a 66-yard haul, putting Virginia Tech in the red zone. “It’s super easy to distribute the ball to him because he’s a threat at all levels,” Grunkemeyer said of Brown. “You see him take the top off the defense, throw a screen out there and it might go for 90 (yards) as well. He’s just such a dynamic threat.” Grunkemeyer hit tight end Ja’Ricous Hairston in the end zone on fourth-and-3 from the 5-yard line, giving the Hokies a 21-3 lead halfway through the second quarter. Grunkemeyer finished Saturday 15-of-22 for 250 yards and three touchdown passes. He also contributed on the ground, totaling a career-high 20 rushing yards and a touchdown. It was the Penn State transfer’s third game of the season with four scores. On the first play of the next possession, Yellow Jackets quarterback Alberto Mendoza threw an errant pass that Hokies defensive back Quentin Reddish made a diving play for. Suddenly, the Hokies were deep in Georgia Tech territory again. “A lot of what we were harping on during the week was creating turnovers on the defensive side and eliminating
turnovers on the offensive side,” Wylie said. The offense stalled out, and the team trotted out kicker John Love for a field-goal attempt. He put his first make in two weeks through the uprights, giving the Hokies a 24-3 lead. Going into halftime, Virginia Tech led 24-3, had over 300 yards of offense and it looked like it would cruise to an easy ACC win after back-to-back weeks of losing on the last play. Georgia Tech came out of the locker room and looked like a new team. It scored two touchdowns in less than three minutes. The first score after halftime was a three-play drive capped by a 42-yard rushing touchdown by Maddox. After a Hokies punt, the Yellow Jackets drove down the field again, and Mendoza found a wide-open Dalen Penson for a 33-yard touchdown aided by a busted coverage. The Hokies’ lead was only one score at 24-17. “We had a lot of momentum going into halftime, and then they punched us in the mouth,” Grunkemeyer said. “It was really good to see our guys respond.” Respond they did. A few drives later, Grunkemeyer made a spectacular effort to evade pressure, finding Overton in the flat. The sophomore running back went sideline to sideline, making multiple defenders miss for a 28-yard score, giving the Hokies a 31-17 lead. “(Overton) coming out of the backfield is just as dangerous as he is in the backfield,” Grunkemeyer said. Overton finished the game with 114 total yards and a score. The Woodbridge, Virginia, native currently sits at second in the ACC in rushing yards with 613, trailing only Duke’s Nate Sheppard. The Hokies added three more points off Love’s foot, thanks in part to a 66-yard punt return by Brown — his third explosive play of the game. The Hokies led 34-17 with 14:05 left in the fourth quarter.
The Yellow Jackets scored one final time, a 6-yard touchdown pass from Mendoza to wideout Jaiven Plummer, cutting the deficit to 34-24. Mendoza finished the contest 29-for-38 for a career-high 335 yards and two touchdown passes. The Hokies received the kickoff after the Yellow Jackets’ touchdown and never returned the ball. They held it for the next 5:20 and ended the game in victory formation to claim a 34-24 win. “We were confident going into the last two weeks against Cal and Pitt, but it didn’t turn out how we wanted it to,” Wylie said. “We were able to respond. We came back to Lane Stadium and defended our home turf, and we were able to win.” Next, the Hokies travel to Clemson for the first time since 2012 to take on the Tigers. The ACC matchup starts at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, on ESPN.
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PAGE 8 October 20, 2026
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VIRGINIA TECH FALLS TO UVA IN COMMONWEALTH CLASH MATCHUP Hayden Wagner | Sports Staff Writer
The Hokies surrendered a late winner to the Cavaliers on Friday night. A long-anticipated matchup between Virginia Tech and No. 18 Virginia in the Commonwealth Clash was neck and neck until the very end, with the Cavaliers scoring in the 86th minute to beat the Hokies 1-0. With Tech (2-2-1) and UVA (3-3) entering the match at .500 in conference play, both teams needed a win against their rival. Thompson Field’s stands were filled with maroon, orange and pink, as the Hokies debuted their pink uniforms for the “Kick Cancer” night in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Tech had several key opportunities throughout the match, spearheaded by senior forward Anna Weir and graduate forward Eliana Salama, who combined for nine shots and two on goal. One of those opportunities came in the 14th minute, when Salama weaved through three defenders and shot just wide of the goalpost. Another missed opportunity for the Hokies came right before halftime, when a Cavaliers handball led to a shot by forward Riley
Karpinski that hit the upper right crossbar. The Hokies entered the half leading Virginia in shots 8-4, but couldn’t convert any into goals. “We got to take those chances,” said head coach Charles “Chugger” Adair. “We have to have composure. We want to be dangerous, and you want to be the woman to change the game. You got to take those chances, and we’ve had a number of those. It’s a little bit frustrating that we keep missing those chances, but we’ve got to keep creating. So I want to focus on the creating part of it, and hopefully keep falling and get some results.” Opportunities continued to come for the Hokies in the second half, adding seven more shots and five corner kicks. UVA surpassed Tech, though, with 11 second-half shots to seven. The match was intense and physical throughout, with the two teams combining for 22 fouls. Tech and Virginia fans alike roared with hit after hit, with several cards and free kicks flying across
the field. The Hokies picked up two yellow cards on sophomores Peyton May and Lilli Lubic in the 37th and 78th minutes, respectively. After several Hokies corner kicks as time dwindled, the Cavaliers found one last chance. With five minutes left on the clock, senior midfielder Ella Carter marched downfield and connected with junior forward Sophia Bradley, putting Virginia up 1-0 and sealing a win at Thompson Field. “I think we made a mistake on the goal and didn’t recover and defend well in the (18-yard box) there when we needed to,” Adair said. “That was a little bit frustrating.” Virginia is now 12-1-1 against Tech women’s soccer in the Commonwealth Clash. Both schools are currently tied 1.5 points apiece in the year-long competition. “We have to learn that we can compete with all the top teams in the country,” Adair said of what he hopes his team takes from the match. “We know that, so
we’ve got to continue to battle and fight and try to just turn some games in our favor.” With ACC play in full swing, the Hokies face Wake Forest (10-2-1) at Thompson Field on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. on ACCNX.
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CAVALIERS TAKE DOWN HOKIES 3-1 IN ACC BATTLE Samuel PerDieu | Sports Staff Writer
Virginia Tech dropped its first of two matches against Virginia. Virginia Tech lost a thrilling match against in-state rival Virginia 3-1 in Charlottesville on Wednesday. The Cavaliers handled the Hokies in four sets, with each being decided by no more than six points. Sets one and two went to UVA by scores of 25-19. The Hokies returned the favor by winning the third set 25-22. The Cavaliers proved too much trouble for Tech in the end, winning the final set 25-23. “I think we’ve got to settle down a little bit,” Hokies head coach Marci Byers told ACC Network after the second set. “I would love for us to just get a little bit calmer.” Tech’s last win against the Cavaliers was on Oct. 29, 2021, now 10 matches ago. Opposite hitter Becca Wight, who
led Virginia in kills with 11, scored the winner against the Hokies in the first set off an assist from defensive specialist Katie Barrier. The Cavaliers averaged 0.84 service aces per set coming into the game and had three in the first set, which proved to be Tech’s downfall. Middle blocker Emily Fowler, who is fourth in the ACC in blocks, along with setter Olivia Siskin and Barrier, were responsible. The second set was much of the same. UVA had three more service aces, beginning with two quick ones from outside hitter Reese Wuebker for the first and fifth point of the set. Wuebker, a transfer from Ohio State, leads the team in kills per set with 2.9. Middle blocker Caroline Lang ended the set with a returning kill off Hokies outside hitter
Reese Hazelton’s serve. The Hokies shifted the momentum in their favor in the third set, winning by three. Three challenges were called in the set, all of which were overturned. First, it was the Cavaliers for the second point in the match and then the Hokies for the 20th, ending with Tech winning another in the final minutes. Virginia had eight service errors in the set, by far the most from either team. The set was a battle, ending with a monster rally. Eastern Illinois transfer Destiny Walker, who leads the team in kills per set with 2.62, scored the winning kill for the Hokies. The fourth and final set of the match was a nail-biter. The Hokies held a 20-19 lead, after which the Cavaliers scored four straight points. Tech was not able to
recover and fell to a kill by outside hitter Lauryn Bowie. Bowie has had backto-back games with five or more kills, with 10 against the Hokies. Tech looks forward to the rematch against Virginia on Oct. 16 in Cassell Coliseum at 6 p.m. ET.
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