Hokie women earn ACC track championship
CT Sports Staff
April 24, 2007
The Women's Track Team this past Saturday reiterated their earlier efforts this season, reeling in a second ACC championship. In late February, they took the ACC indoor championship by a combined 37 points, and this weekend became the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Champions by finishing all events with a total score of 166.5, beating out second placed Clemson by 48.5 points.
But head track coach Dave Cianelli said this accomplishment was not just the culmination of his team's hard work, it was a unique achievement which filled him with emotions he had only felt a few times in his life before.
"I could win a hundred national championships," Cianelli said, "But besides the birth of my kids, these have been the most special three days of my life."
"This performance is a ray of light after our darkest hour," Cianelli said.
The competition held at the University of Maryland Kehoe Track at Ludwig Field occurred during an exceptionally difficult time for the Hokies.
"Some of us left on Wednesday, and some on Thursday," said Tamara Burns, a two-time All American weight thrower at Tech. "We had to watch most of the new news unfold on TV."
The athletes of the Women's track team not only battled physically in the weekend's competition, but had to fight to keep their thoughts and emotions surrounding the event in the back of their mind to maintain focus, as difficult as a task as it could be.
"We came to the meet to compete," Burns said. "Our hearts were in Blacksburg, so we just had to stay positive. We had to think: ÎWe have something to do here.'"
Kristi Castlin, a freshman member of the track team, and winner of the 100-meter hurdle event, entered her career at Tech with the Morva incident, and now has to finish her first year of college dealing with the emotions of last Monday's shooting.
"I felt like I didn't want people to feel sympathy for us," Green said. "We have been working hard, and I'm proud of VT."
But support from other teams, and fans, was never far away the athletes all noted. Even the ACC wanted to display deepest sympathies for the Tech squad.
"There were signs posted all around the track that had the VT symbol in the middle and the other ACC logos surrounding it, saying, ÎToday we are all Hokies,'" said Sherlenia Green, the winner of the 400 meter hurdles. "All of the teams competing wanted to show their support. Some of the competitors would come up and secretly say, ÎGood Luck.'"
At noon on Friday the entire meet had a moment of silence for the victims of 4/16.
"I almost cried," Burns said. "The fans were all wearing Orange and Maroon at the meet. It was like they were cheering us on too, even if they were there to support a different team."
The Duke track team had a signed poster for the girls, showing their support during such a difficult time.
"It wasn't so much other teams saying things," Green said. "It was more non-verbal communication, even the way they looked at us, that said more than words. All the teams wore orange and maroon ribbons in honor of us. I remember I was lining up for the 4X100 relay and I saw in the next lane that a girl had on a ribbon, and I thought, ÎThat was really nice.' There was a lot more attention on us than usual."
The Hokies also wore ribbons in remembrance of their fallen peers.
"We all wore black ribbons on our jerseys, or black wrist bands," Burns said. "And some of the other competitors approached us asking if we had any extra black ribbons."
But most of the team members felt the ribbons weren't enough, other forms of tribute were worn.
"I had a Î32' on my arm, and on my leg," Green said. "It was in permanent marker, Kristi put it on for me."
"Some of us had a Î32' for the victims, or a Î33' for the number of families suffering from this event," Burns said.
Not only did these amazing athletes exert themselves physically, but the recent events try their mental endurance as well.
"I was up at 2 a.m. watching TV last night," Green said. "And I saw one of the stations doing a graphic on Norris hall. I realized while I was watching not only did I have class in Norris Hall last semester, but I was also in the second floor in exactly the same class room as the French class. It was just really eerie, and a bit over whelming. I didn't go to sleep until 5 a.m."
"Even walking across the Drill Field is hard," Green said. "I went out of my way to avoid it to go to class today, but it's inevitable I'll see it. It's just, wow."
Cianelli expressed gratitude and astonishment with the resilience of his team.
"To go through this past week, to compete, not just compete, but do so at an astonishingly high level, just proves that regardless of what happens to us, bad things even, we can recover and be great," Cianelli said.
But the impression the other teams left on the Hokies this past weekend, and the surrounding support of the event, made the team proud to compete in such a great conference with ACC. The respect the other teams had for them by donning their ribbons was touching.
"Just to see our VT is overwhelming, but in a good way," Green said. "We are just so thankful, so, so thankful."