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October 17, 2023

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PAGE 2 October 17, 2023

NEWS

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VIRGINIA TECH WINS HEED AWARD FOR EIGHT YEARS IN A ROW JANE PARK | news EDItor

The university was named as a Diversity Champion.

The INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine has recognized Virginia Tech as a Diversity Champion in this year’s Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award, according to Virginia Tech News. This is the university’s eighth consecutive year of winning the award.

The magazine states on its website that universities chosen as a Diversity Champion show “unyielding commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout their campus communities, across academic programs, and at the highest administrative levels.”

Every year, the magazine also selects colleges and universities that show dedication to diversity and inclusion for the HEED Award.

“We are honored to be recognized for eight consecutive years and will continue working toward a more inclusive campus where every student has access to rich educational experiences that put them on a path to a productive life and career,” said Virginia Tech President Tim Sands to Virginia Tech News.

The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine also won the Health Professions Higher Education in Diversity Award for six years straight.

Ellington Graves, the interim senior associate vice provost for the Office of Inclusion and Diversity, told Virginia Tech News that the community’s commitment to InclusiveVT plays a role in Virginia Tech’s continuing path to diversity and

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inclusion.

“It is wonderful that the work so many across the university can be acknowledged once again in receiving the HEED Diversity Champion designation,” Graves said. “The commitment to InclusiveVT by so many members of the staff and faculty and the urging of our students and alumni that we live up to our mission and values are keys to the ongoing pursuit of our diversity and inclusion aspirations. The opportunity to celebrate the work along the path is essential to persistence and we thank INSIGHT into Diversity for the honor.”

The INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine is the oldest and largest publication focused on diversity in higher education. It will feature Virginia Tech and other winners in the November/December 2023 issue.

“The HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees — and best practices for both — leadership support for diversity, campus culture and climate, supplier diversity, and

many other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine to Virginia Tech News. “We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being done every day across their campus.”

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OPINIONS collegiatetimes.com

PHYSICAL MEDIA IS IMPORTANT IN THE STREAMING AGE Colton Game | opinions contributer

Investing in physical media is essential to support artists and fully appreciate their work.

If you use the internet, you probably use some sort of streaming service.

Whether you stream movies on a platform like Netflix, or you’re checking out a new album on Spotify, streaming has impacted physical media in some way. While the sale of vinyl records has steadily increased since the late 2000s, it still pales in comparison to the “sale” of music through streaming services. The same goes for movies as well. Why wouldn’t you partake in streaming? It’s cheap and convenient, and all the media you could ever want is at your fingertips for the price of one CD or Blu-Ray once a month. Streaming is useful and has its perks, but there’s a world in which streaming and the collection of CDs, vinyl and DVDs can be used in tandem with one another.

The first, and most serious reason for supporting physical media, is that streaming companies give next to nothing to artists for each individual stream. This is most egregious with Spotify, who

reportedly can pay less than half a cent per stream. This won’t impact bigger artists such as Drake or Taylor Swift, considering they get billions of plays from the moment they drop an album, but it does negatively impact smaller artists trying to get off the ground. “(Streaming) is essentially legalized piracy,” said Jon Abbey, the owner of Erstwhile Records in New Jersey.

Due to the lack of streaming revenue, smaller artists nowadays have to rely on touring to sustain their lifestyle or have another job altogether. This can stifle the artistic growth of younger artists who may not be able to afford the costs and risks of touring or lack the time to create due to another job.

There’s also the fact that users don’t really “own” any of the media on a subscription service; you’re essentially renting it for a monthly fee. Not only that, but the art itself can be altered or taken away entirely based on the service or

ETHAN CANDELARIO / COLLEGIATE TIMES Justin Louie, a WUVT DJ, browses WUVT’s music catalog, April 21, 2021.

artist. This is one of the main issues with film and television streaming services.

Due to complex licensing issues, a show or movie can move to another service at any given time. For example, the television series “The Office,” one of Netflix’s most streamed shows, moved to Peacock in 2021. If you own the media, it’s yours, and no one can take it or change it. This way you don’t have to keep paying a new service fee each month just to watch “The Office” for the third time.

One of the most vital arguments for physical media is that of sentimental value, and this is where both streaming and physical media can coexist. Streaming has opened up countless doors for people to discover new and otherwise unheard music from around the world. As for movies, if you didn’t have the chance to watch the newest blockbuster, there’s a good chance it’ll be viewable on a service you pay for in just a few months. These are positives for consumers of course, but these moments will pass without a physical reminder.

Physically collecting a piece of media allows you to value it more, as it’s a tangible thing to hold as opposed to in the cloud.

If you discover a great album, buying it on CD, vinyl or cassette will help you attach memories and feelings to the art, which creates more sentimental value than a digital album alone.

“Back in the day when we used to go to the record store and buy records you would seriously pay attention to them. Even if you didn’t like something on the first listen, usually you would give it a few chances ‘cause you’d already invested money, and you didn’t have endless options at your fingertips,” Abbey said. “You had a deeper connection with it on average than people have, even with digital purchases.”

There’s also the endless potential for artists to include extra media in the packaging for their releases. Movies may come with an extra behind-the-scenes disc, and

CDs and vinyl can include booklets and unique artwork in the packaging.

“Looking at the cover art and other printed matter included with a record adds layers of meaning and is like reading a book, or a poem, where one line builds on another, or a theme expands, develops, changes or shifts,” said Brian Gempp, co-owner of Record Grouch, a record store in Brooklyn.

Streaming is a great platform for discovery, but physical media turns the discovery into appreciation. Holding art in your hands helps you form a bond, and it’s always great to show your love for something to other people. It’s able to be shared with friends and family, or in the case of music, displayed in your home or played for the guests walking in. There’s a few local record stores around Blacksburg, such as John’s Cameras and Records to help you get started collecting physical media. So, if you haven’t already, go buy your favorite album or movie and start a collection — appreciate the art.

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PAGE 4 October 17, 2023

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LIFESTYLES

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ENGINEERING ALUMNI REFLECT ON THEIR TIME SPENT SINCE STUDYING AT TECH Emma Duncan | lifestyles contributor

College of Engineering alumni share their experiences post-graduation and where they are today in their career.

Since the university’s creation, the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech has educated and graduated thousands of students who make major advancements in their fields. While the phrase “Once a Hokie, always a Hokie” keeps alumni connected to their alma mater, their life after graduation is often unknown by this community, leading many students to ask, “Where are they now?”

Josh Lucas graduated in the class of 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He now works for Eastman Chemical Company in Mar tinsville, Virginia, as an operations area manager.

He noted his ability to apply his degree to a wide range of career opportunities, including in other countries.

“My job is broad where I get to be involved in everything from how we make products, coaching and developing others, creating new processes, setting direction and providing guidance on new investments, technology platforms, process improvements, etc.,” Lucas said. “Part of my role this year involves an international plant commissioning and startup. I was responsible for ensuring the machine was safe and could produce quality film at the desired rates, (working) on the training plans and directly developing operator skills … but also got to experience a new culture and explore Germany. It is a rewarding job that has stayed interesting.”

David Lohr is another chemical engineering graduate, receiving his degree in 1976. As a first-generation college student, Lohr was encouraged by his family and grade-school teachers to pursue higher education, and that support continued with the Tech community.

“Coming to Blacksburg and joining the Hokie Nation opened up opportunities that I never dreamed would have been possible for the son of a factory worker who grew up in a small town. My process for finding a job at graduation was actually

pretty easy,” Lohr said. “I spent a total of five years at Virginia Tech but gained about two years of industrial experience with the chemical company DuPont. When I finished my final co-op work period, DuPont made me a job offer before I returned for my senior year.”

Additionally, Lohr earned his MBA in finance and venture creation from Xavier University and was an adjunct professor for the Pamplin School of Business. He currently serves as president of Navigation Point Advisors, LLC. “Sharing my stories from being a practicing engineer and then a business executive with a new generation of Hokies was one of the most rewarding parts of my career,” Lohr said. “I am semi-retired but still do some consulting with entities interested in how to grow a local or regional economy through the nurturing and attraction of technology-based companies.”

A more recent Hokie graduate is Bryce Morrison, a civil engineering graduate from the class of 2021. He’s currently a design engineer at Hagen Engineering in North Carolina.

“I primarily work on residential and commercial land development projects, and designing the civil sitework for the projects,” Morrison said. “This can include laying out the building and parking locations, grading out the topography onsite to drain stormwater correctly, laying out water and sewer utilities, designing erosion control measures in construction and other items.”

Morrison expressed that he’s been able to create a career similar to what he’d hoped to achieve in college because of his Virginia Tech education.

“While there was still a lot to learn once I started working, the daily responsibilities of my job closely lined up with the foundation I was taught at Virginia Tech, so I felt like I knew what to expect and

could quickly learn the ropes,” Morrison said. “When speaking with some of my peers, I’ve heard that the skills they were taught in school may have loosely applied to their jobs, or were not directly applicable to working in their respective industries. However, in the civil engineering department at Tech, I was using the exact softwares and solving similar issues to what I do daily at work.”

2007 graduate Andrew Monk also went down the path of civil engineering, with an emphasis on environmental sciences and impacts. Upon graduating, he got a job with Thompson & Litton, Inc., and still works there today from Radford, Virginia.

“The deciding factor for me choosing civil engineering was my desire to use my creative thinking skills and see my designs constructed in the community I live (in).

My current position is the director of site development and solid waste and I am an associate with the firm. Early in my career, I designed multiple site development and solid waste management projects,” Monk said. “My current responsibilities include leading a group of 10 to 14 engineers with daily tasks consisting of the supervision and training of my group, assigning tasks/ projects, overseeing schedules, project management, business development, client interface, coordination with other disciplines within and outside the firm and setting department standards and goals.

My degree and T&L (have developed) me professionally (and) personally to lead a group of fellow engineers.”

The alumni agree that Virginia Tech gave them a reliable community and opportunities to make their dreams their realities.

“I loved what the university offered me in how I learned, the opportunities I had around career exploration and the combination of theoretical and practical work with my professors. When you add in the campus setting, things to do — from intramural sports (to) the town of Blacksburg

— you have a place where you can really learn, grow, and feel both comfortable and challenged in and out of the classroom,” Lucas said. “Tech creates someone who can be a strong practitioner of engineering but also be well-rounded socially to interact well with teams and peers. That ability to engage with others is the big difference in the professional world, more so than theory application.”

Whether it’s chemical, biomedical, civil or environmental engineering, Virginia Tech School of Engineering offers its students an education ranked as one of the best in the nation. Alumni have reaped the benefits of this education with their career opportunities, but what they reportedly took away most from their time as a Hokie was the ability to live a fulfilling life.

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October 17, 2023 PAGE 5

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CHESS: THE UNOFFICIAL SPORT OF ENGINEERS Kyle Reeder | Lifestyles contributor

Discover the connection between the game of chess and the intricacies of the study of engineering.

Chess is a game where 64 tiles create a board of endless outcomes. Players must rely on quick, intuitive future thinking, and one move can become the difference between checkmate and stalemate. To popular stereotypes, chess has long been deemed a sport only for the smart.

At the Virginia Tech Chess Club, all of the members choose to spend their free time advancing pawns, stealing rooks and declaring “check.” In a club of about 220 members, almost three-fourths of the chess enthusiasts are also engineering majors, raising the question as to why so many engineers favor the intuitive game.

Sparsh Jain, a Ph.D. student studying biomedical engineering, has been playing chess since his childhood. After moving to the United States from India to continue his education at Virginia Tech, Jain joined the Virginia Tech Chess Club and has been the club president for three consecutive years.

“I trained for four years at the national chess academy in India and competed in numerous national and international tournaments from 2008 to 2012,” Jain said.

“I was a part of my university team as an undergraduate from 2014 to 2018.”

Jain recalls learning chess from his cousin and inquiring about each of the 32 unfamiliar pieces. “I was instantly hooked,” Jain said. “I played casually for a week or two before my parents took me to the nearby chess club.”

Living in Kolkata, India, Jain was able to train his chess skills at the nearby Russian cultural center, which was a location infamous for generating some of India’s best chess Grandmasters and national champions.

“I joined the lowest class and made my way to their strongest cohort over the next two years. I learned from some of the best local and international coaches during my time there, with intense five to six-hour long sessions where they pushed us beyond our limits on a regular basis,” Jain said. “I find it to be a very challenging yet enjoyable sport, one that encourages you to develop patience, lasersharp focus sustained over many hours at a stretch, incredible mental strength and

perseverance. It also demands technical creativity, deep calculation skills and imaginative precision.”

These skills, while imperative on the chess board, also fall crucial in the mind of an engineer. When designing and creating projects, engineers will follow a process similar to the one used while playing chess. The engineering design process begins with defining the problem; this could be a blocked pawn or knight under attack, for example. Next, engineers brainstorm solutions up to two, three or even four moves into the future. Then, the best possible solution is executed on the board.

Engineers will take note of whether their move was successful or not and then restart internally and repeat the design process.

When compared in this sense, it is clear to see why so many engineers appreciate chess so much.

“Like engineering, chess encourages honing one’s analy tical and prob lem-solving abilities in addition to holding large amounts of information parallelly,” Jain said. “It also requires pushing one’s

Chess club at Virginia Tech, Sept. 1, 2023.

visualization and calculation skills to the extremes.”

Aavar Khatiwoda, a senior majoring in computer science, has also been playing chess since he was young but only started playing seriously in light of the 2020 chess boom.

“Since the pandemic started, online chess has become more popular due to streamers playing the game,” Khatiwoda said. “Streamers and chess content creators like Hikaru Nakamura, Levy Rozman, The Botez Sisters, etc., have collaborated with streamers such as xQc, which has skyrocketed interest.”

In popular media, chess has grown in popularity due to hit releases such as Netflix’s seven-episode mini-series, “The Queen’s Gambit,” or Disney’s 2016 true story, “Queen of Katwe.” Both productions brought light to the sport, showing the extent to which people will go to play.

Likewise, because of online streamers and content creators, sites like chess.com and lichess.org have become popular websites for chess enthusiasts to test their skills with

HAMAD ALHENDI / COLLEGIATE TIMES

players worldwide.

“Chess is a unique game with an infinite skill ceiling. It ’s purely skill-based,” Khatiwoda said. “ What determines the outcome of the game is the mental fortitude of the players. Since it’s not luckbased, it’s purely the result of hours and hours of tactics training and real-game experiences that lead to victory.”

At Virginia Tech, a majority of students are either engineering or computer science majors and make up a grand percentage of the student body. However, when it comes to the world of chess, anyone can be a chess grandmaster, even if they aren’t an engineer.

“Society often associates chess with intellectual aptitude, but professional chess players vocally dismiss this belief, which also draws others to it,” Jain said.

“If you look at it globally, a large number of the top players do not belong to STEMbased disciplines at all. I like to think that chess lovers are evenly distributed across all fields and walks of life.”

Even Jain himself, who has competed in multiple tournaments and championships, agrees on the complexity of chess.

“It is ridiculously complicated and impossible to wrap my head around,” Jain said. “I often joke that I have been following and learning chess for over 15 years, but I still do not feel like I understand the intricacies and challenges that every position presents.”

The Virginia Tech Chess Club welcomes all interested chess-goers and holds meetings every Thursday night from 7-9:30 p.m. on the third floor of Squires in Brush Mountain B. All are welcome to try their skills, and chess boards will be provided.

So, whether you are studying business, chemistry, international relations or even wildlife conservation and your experience level is expert or novice, there will always be someone to play chess with at Virginia Tech.

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PAGE 6 October 17, 2023

SPORTS

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HOKIES HANDLE WAKE FOREST WITH COMPLIMENTARY FOOTBALL Thomas Bray | Sports Editor

After defeating the Demon Deacons, Tech is three wins away from a bowl game.

The Hokies (3–4, 2–1 ACC) defense stifled an uncharacteristically inconsistent Wake Forest (3–3, 0–3 ACC) offense in a 30–13 victory.

Over the years, Wake Forest has been headlined by an explosive offense recognized as one of the best in the conference and country. Under a committee of quarterbacks, the Demon Deacons are averaging 25 points per game in 2023; they averaged 36 last season.

Both teams were uninspiring offensively early in the game. Kyron Drones’ legs got the Hokies in field goal range entering the second quarter, but John Love was unable to connect from 48 yards out.

Wake Forest opted to change quarterbacks on their first drive of the second quarter. Michael Kern entered the game for the Demon Deacons. It was the redshirt junior’s first appearance of the season, and the Hokies didn’t see the change as a big development.

“I thought the guys handled it very well,” said Head Coach Brent Pry. “It’s talked about on the headset, and no major adjustments were made.”

Kern was sacked twice on his first drive, including a Keli Lawson strip-sack.

Taking over at midfield, Drones went on to connect with both Stephen and Benji Gosnell for 19 and 20-yard passes before Bhayshul Tuten capped off the drive with a rushing touchdown from three yards out.

Tuten has five touchdowns on the season and is the first Hokie to score a touchdown wearing No. 25 since Tre Turner did in 2021.

The Hokies were playing complimentary football in this one. Drones and company scored a touchdown after Lawson forced that turnover, and the defense forced a three-and-out after the scoring drive.

Stephen Gosnell was great early on for the Hokies. Gosnell had another two big catches on the ensuing drive.

“I think early in the game we’re sputtering a little bit on offense, and Steve Gosnell was a real bright spot,” Pry said.

HAMAD ALHENDI / COLLEGIATE TIMES Virginia Tech Hokies wide receiver Da’Quan Felton (9) tries to shake off his mark, Oct. 14, 2023.

“I thought he kind of sparked it and got us hanging in there.”

Gosnell’s contributions on that drive put the Hokies in field goal range. Love connected on a 37-yard field goal to give the Hokies a 10-0 lead.

With four minutes remaining in the first half, the Hokies had all the momentum. On the ensuing kickoff, Demond Claiborne returned it from 96 yards for a touchdown.

When Claiborne crossed midfield untouched, you could hear a pin drop in Lane Stadium.

Nonetheless, the Hokies had time for a methodical drive to put some points on the board before halftime. Jaylin Lane opted for a quick score of his own.

Drones found the Middle Tennessee transfer on a RPO over the middle for 75 yards and a touchdown. Virginia Tech led 17–7 with just over four minutes remaining in the first half. That 75-yard completion

was the longest of Drones’ career and the longest play from scrimmage for Virginia Tech this year.

After Claiborne’s jaw-dropping kickreturn touchdown, Love opted to kick the ball out of bounds, and the Demon Deacons took over at their 35-yard line.

The Hokies had Wake Forest dead to rights facing a third and long, but Derrick Canteen couldn’t get his head turned around on a pass down the sideline and was flagged for pass interference. Kern connected with Taylor Morin to put the Demon Deacons at the 10-yard line, but the Hokies defense didn’t give up anything else.

Virginia Tech forced Kern and company to settle for three and led 17–10 going into the break.

Wake Forest was outgained 111–259 in terms of first-half yardage, but the kickoff return touchdown left them in the game.

Coming out of the break, Wake Forest

continued to struggle to create any offense. They would send out the punting unit after five plays and 11 yards. After Tuten fumbled at the Wake Forest 30-yard line, the Demon Deacons struggled to create anything on both sides of the ball in the third quarter.

Drones basically closed out the quarter with a 13-play, 45-yard drive that wiped 6:45 off the clock. Drones improvement has been impressive considering he entered the season without real playing experience at this level.

“He’s understanding the offense a little better,” Pry said. “I think the chemistry with him and Coach Bowden is better. It’s grown each and every week.”

Wake Forest’s Morin was more involved in the second half of this game. Morin had two big catches to start the fourth quarter that put the Demon Deacons in field goal range. continued on page 7

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continued from page 6 Matthew Dennis connected on a 34-yard field goal to bring the deficit to one possession again.

Virginia Tech’s rushing stats from this game won’t stand out, but they were able to hone in on the ground game on a few drives.

Virginia Tech rushed for 41 yards and wiped 4:31 off the clock after Wake Forest pulled within one possession. Love’s 36-yard field goal pushed the Hokies lead back to 10.

The Demon Deacons were driving on the ensuing possession after Justice Ellison took a pass over the middle into

collegiatetimes.com Hokies’ territory.

On second and eight, Kern was sacked, and Keonta Jenkins knocked the ball out.

The pressure Virginia Tech generated with its frontline was the theme of the evening.

Antwuan Powell-Ryland had a career day. The Florida transfer came into the game with three and a half sacks and had four against Wake Forest.

Virginia Tech’s defensive gameplan surrounding Wake Forest’s “slow mesh offense” was heavily influenced by the experience cornerback coach Derek Jones had entering this matchup.

“I’ve got a long history of coaching against those guys,” Jones said. “A lot of what they do with that mesh is it gets you

out of what you’re doing because it takes so long to do. Guys lose their eyes and allow the receivers to be able to get open, but I knew from playing them before what gives them problems.”

Virginia Tech rushed for 33 yards on their final drive, and Drones gave Lane a screen pass that he scored on from 12 yards out on the final play. Lane’s second touchdown of the day practically sealed the deal for the Hokies.

This 30–13 victory sets the stage for the biggest game of the Pry era.

“To get to win and to know that we got a Thursday night game in Lane Stadium against an ACC opponent,” Pry said.

“Awesome opportunity. That’s what it is.

October 17, 2023 PAGE 7

And we’re going to work our tails off for the next week and a half to make sure we’re ready to play our best and see if we can be in this situation again.”

The Hokies will have a chance to be at .500 halfway through the season for the first time during Pry’s tenure at Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech will host Syracuse (4-3, 1-3 ACC) on Thursday, Oct. 26 in a battle for bowl-contention.

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MEN’S SOCCER UNABLE TO KNOCK OFF NO. 8 NOTRE DAME Luke Evans | SPORTS staff writer

The Hokies held their own for much of the match against a top-10 team.

Virginia Tech’s Declan Quill (7) tries taking the ball from Notre Dame’s Ethan O’Brien (7) and Matthew Roou (21), Oct. 13, 2023.

The Virginia Tech men’s soccer team was unable to pull off an upset against No. 8 Notre Dame, falling 1–0 in a game that was tight for most of the match.

“I just felt like not walking away with any points is really difficult at

this juncture,” said Head Coach Mike Brizendine after the loss.

The Hokies (3-5-4, 2-3-1 ACC) took on the Fighting Irish (9-1-3, 5-0-1) on Friday night at Thompson Field. Fans packed into the stands for “Believe

Night,” a testament to the Apple+ series, “Ted Lasso.” The energy was electric as Hokie fans did everything they could to cheer on their team.

The first half saw the Hokies play as if they were the top 10 team. They

JACK SMITH / COLLEGIATE TIMES

dominated the possession battle with 60% and took 10 shots to just three from Notre Dame. The Hokies also held 40% of their possession inside Notre continued on page 8

October 17, 2023 PAGE 8

continued from page 7 Dame’s defensive third, leaving many wondering when the Hokies’ first goal would come.

The best chance of the first half came from the Hokies, as freshman defender Noe Uwimana took a beautiful, curling cross that landed right on senior forward Conor Pugh’s head.

Unfortunately for the Hokies, Pugh’s header went just above the crossbar, leaving the game level.

Notre Dame’s KK Baffour also had two close chances of his own, with both of them coming in the final 11 minutes of first-half play. Baffour had a curling free-kick that was inches away from a spectacular goal and a good one-on-one look with Virginia Tech keeper Timi Adams. Adams was able to clean up Baffour’s shot and keep the game level going into the half.

“I thought our tactics were spot on,” Brizendine said. “I thought we were able to lock them in and bunker them in.”

The second half saw the Fighting Irish

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collegiatetimes.com come out and play up to their resume as one of the best teams in the country.

They began to hold their own against the Hokies and take control of the game.

They held a bigger share of possession and attacked Virginia Tech’s defense in a much more impressive way than what they showed in the first half.

The Hokies defense, which had been playing an incredible match, had a lapse in focus for one second, leading to a penalty for Notre Dame. Uwimana came to defend a Notre Dame player in the box, but he came in too fast and gave up a foul inside the box.

Paddy Burns, a defender for Notre Dame, walked up to take the penalty.

Fans were screaming and booing, trying to throw off Burns just enough to keep the game level. Burns stepped up to take the kick and hit the far left post.

The game was still level, and Hokies fans were electric.

Notre Dame’s missed penalty was not enough to stop the Irish. With 18 minutes to go, Matthew Roou tapped the ball into the back of the net after

a greatly-placed cross from Sebastian Green, leaving the Hokies down, 1–0.

The final 15 minutes saw lots of fouls, possession changes and energy from both teams. Tech had one more good chance in them from sophomore midfielder Misei Yoshizawa as he had a one-on-one look with the keeper. He tapped it around him but was unable to finish off the great look on goal.

Sophomore forward Andy Sullins also had one more shot as time nearly expired but wasn’t able to keep it on target. The clock eventually ran out, and the Hokies were left with the bitter taste of defeat once again, as they are still searching for their first win since Sep. 26, when they beat High Point 3–2 at home.

“I think we need to learn how to win,” Brizendine said. “And I think it’s coming with this group, we’re just not there.”

Junior defender Willie Cardona, who played a strong match on Friday night, saw a silver lining in the night’s loss.

“It gives us a lot of confidence, even

though we lost 1 – 0, obviously the quality is there and we just have to keep pushing forward,” Cardona said.

Virginia Tech will look to use this great performance against a top team moving forward, as the final third of the season is ahead.

Tech will have two more ACC games against Virginia and Duke, respectively.

Virginia Tech will next be in action on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 5 p.m. ET when they take on Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.

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CROSS COUNTRY COMPETES IN TWO AWAY MEETS Ben Schneider | sports staff writer

Tech competed in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The cross country teams returned to action Saturday morning by traveling to meets in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Spar tanburg, South Carolina, taking on away courses for the first time this season.

For their first races in nearly a month, the Hokies split their runners among two meets: pre-nationals in Charlottesville and the Upstate Invite in Spartanburg.

The morning began with the women’s five-kilometer race in South Carolina.

They did not face any other ACC teams, but the meet featured a field of 32 schools. The Hokies secured seventh place overall with an average time of 18:17 and a team score of 190. They placed three runners inside the top 25, with Kylie Bonser finishing 18th, Kenza Elakari finishing 24th and Sarah Leach finishing 25th.

The men then started their eight-kilometer race at 9:45 a.m. They finished

in third place among the 27 schools they faced, with an average time of 25:05 and a team score of 95. Ben Nagel had the top time for the Hokies, as he crossed the line in 24:34 to earn eighth place.

Garrett Winter and Bryce Reeburgh also finished in the top 25 in 12th and 23rd, respectively.

The first race at pre-nationals was the men’s eight-kilometer run, which began at 9:40 a.m. In Charlottesville, the Hokies faced ACC competition for the first time this season as they competed to finish this year’s NCAA championship course at Panorama Farms in the quickest time possible.

The men earned ninth place overall and were second among ACC schools, behind only host school UVA , with an average time of 24:17. Declan Rymer led the way for the Hokies, earning 36th place with a time of 23:55. He was followed by Viktor Idhammar, Arnav

Tikhe, Ethan Coleman, Trevor Mason, Ryan Chevalier and Alec Fleming, all of whom finished in the top 105 to earn a team score of 324.

The women began their six-kilometer race at 10:30 a.m. and finished in 15th place overall and fourth among ACC teams. Their average time was 21:17 and they earned a team score of 373 points.

Lindsey Butler once again led the way for the Hokies, finishing in 37th place with a time of 20:48. Hannah Ballowe and Mary Kate McGranahan also earned top 1 0 0 finishes while Lila Waters, Ava Hassebrock, Chase Kappeler and Elizabeth Coe rounded out the top seven for the Hokies.

The Hokies will now have nearly two weeks off from racing before traveling to Tallahassee, Florida, for the ACC championship meet on Oct. 27. This year’s championships are hosted by Florida State and will take place at Apalachee

Regional Park. Both the men and the women will look to improve on the eighth-place finishes they earned last year.

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