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W
ith several proven upperclassmen returning and highly talented incoming
players, expectations remain very high for the Virginia Tech golf team
in the coming year. Head coach Jay Hardwick’s task has been to build on the
team’s successful history by continuing to develop his players, all toward the
ultimate goal of once again competing for the national championship.
The team finished in the Top 10 of every event in the fall season, opening
with a runner-up finish in the Marshall Invitational, with four players finishing
inside the Top 15 individually. They followed that performance with another
win in the Janney/VCU Shootout, Virginia Tech’s fourth title there in five years,
posting a tournament record 28-under par despite only playing 36 holes, as the
second round was rained out. Inclement weather has been a recurring theme
in the fall the past few years, and unfortunately, this year was no exception.
The team never teed it up at the Primland Invitational, which was cancelled due
to a blanket of fog that lasted for two straight days. This enabled the Hokies
to add the Tar Heel Intercollegiate to the schedule, only to have Hurricane
Matthew shorten that tournament to a one-day, 36-hole event as well, where
they finished in 10th place. Virginia Tech then posted a fifth place finish among
a very strong field at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate, and concluded the
fall with another 10th place finish at the Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational.
This year’s squad consists of two seniors, two juniors, three sophomores
and two freshmen. Senior captain Joey Lane, the team’s MVP last year,
continued his fine play into this fall, adding a collegiate victory to his list of
accomplishments when he won the individual title at the Janney/VCU Shootout.
His rounds of 67-67 tied JMU’s Ryan Cole, and Lane then claimed the trophy
with a birdie on the sixth hole of the playoff. It says a lot about the strength of
Tech’s top players that he was fourth on the team in scoring for the fall with
a 71.85 average, including eight rounds at par-or-better. Fellow senior Drew
Johnson competed in the lineup four times in the fall, with his best finish being
a 14th place performance at the Marshall Invitational. Juniors Ian Hildebrand
and Dan Woodbury played sparingly in the fall, but will continue to work toward
more playing time in the spring.