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The Virginia Tech athletics department spent portions of the past several weeks honoring student-athletes and student support personnel for their work not just in the playing venue, but also in the classroom and in the community. First, select student-athletes were honored at the Athletic Director’s Honors Breakfast on March 24 and then members of all teams attended the All-Sports Banquet held Monday night at Squire’s Student Center on Tech’s campus.

Emily Lauten of the women’s tennis team and Garrett Hehn of the men’s swimming and diving team were this year’s winners of the Skelton Award for Academic Excellence in Athletics, arguably the top honor handed out within the athletics department and presented each year at the AD’s Honors Breakfast. The Skelton Award is named for Dr. Bill and Peggy Skelton. Dr. Skelton served as a dean at Tech and had a 70-year affiliation with the university before passing away in late August of 2008, and Peggy Skelton is an emeritus member of the Virginia Tech faculty who, along with her husband, served as a charter member of the Ut Prosim Society and its President’s Circle, the university’s highest distinction for donors.

This award is given each year to a junior, senior or rising fifth-year varsity student-athlete. Candidates must have participated in an intercollegiate sport for at least two competitive seasons and must have a grade-point average of 3.4 or higher. Winners receive a one-time $5,000 scholarship for the upcoming academic year.

Lauten, a junior from Marietta, Ga., went 9-6 overall for the women’s tennis team, and she majors in university studies. Hehn, a sophomore from Pittsburgh, swam mostly freestyle and butterfly events, and he majors in aerospace engineering.

At the All-Sports Banquet, the department honored five student-athletes as scholar athletes of the year. This group earned perfect 4.0 grade-point averages for the 2011 calendar year and includes Brittany Schwartz (trainer), Sarah Murphy (trainer), Frances Dowd (women’s cross country), Alexandra Watt (women’s cross country) and Lauten (women’s tennis).

The department also honored the ACC’s Top Six for Service. Each year, the ACC recognizes six student-athletes from all 12 ACC institutions for their unselfish commitment to community service. Tech’s winners of this award were Katie Cramp (women’s soccer), Sammy Dow (women’s track and field), David Marone (wrestling), Brittany Michels (women’s soccer), Ryan Rotanz (lacrosse) and Laura Simon (women’s swimming).

The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) plays a significant role in providing support to their teams and the athletics department, and each year, this committee selects a SAAC member of the year for the extraordinary manner in which he or she has stepped forward to lead and serve. This year’s honoree was Cramp from the women’s soccer team.

Finally, at the All-Sports Banquet, the department honored the All-Academic team, which includes those who have earned the highest grade-point average in their respective sports. In addition, each team at Tech recognized a rookie of the year, a coaches award winner (to the consummate team player) and a most valuable performer. The strength and conditioning staff also recognized one team member from each sport who demonstrated outstanding dedication in the weight room and in conditioning themselves for their competitive season. Here is the complete list:

BASEBALL
Chad Pinder (All-Academic Team)
Tyler Horan (Strength and Conditioning)
Mike McMenamin (Coaches)
Mark Zagunis (Rookie)
Johnny Morales (MVP)

MEN’S BASKETBALL
Erick Green (All-Academic Team)
Victor Davila (Strength and Conditioning)
Dorenzo Hudson (Coaches Award)
Dorian Finney-Smith (Rookie)
Erick Green (MVP)

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Porschia Hadley (All-Academic Team)
Monet Tellier (Strength and Conditioning)
Porschia Hadley (Coaches Award)
Kelsey Conyers (Rookie)
Aerial Wilson (MVP)

CHEERLEADING
Amber Ding (All-Academic Team)
Josh Larrick (Strength and Conditioning)
Taylor Lavery (Strength and Conditioning)
Amber Ding (Coaches)
Scott Moran (Coaches)
Katelynn Fedele (Rookie)
Amanda Moore (MVP)

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Frances Dowd (All-Academic Team)
Alexandra Watt (All-Academic Team)
Courtney Dobbs (Coaches)
Sarah Rapp (Rookie)
Madalyn Nuckols (MVP)

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Jason Cusack (All-Academic Team)
Michael Hammond (Coaches)
Thomas Curtin (Rookie)
Will Mulherin (MVP)

GOLF
Mikey Moyers (All-Academic Team)
Marc MacDonald (Strength and Conditioning)
Mikey Moyers (Coaches)
Trevor Cone (Rookie)
Trevor Cone (MVP)

FOOTBALL
Collin Carroll (All-Academic Team)
Joey Phillips (Strength and Conditioning)
Danny Coale (Coaches Award)
Luther Maddy (Rookie)
David Wilson (MVP)

HIGHTECHS
Danielle Neuburg (All-Academic Team)
Tiffany Woolwine (Strength and Conditioning)
Courtney Jones (Coaches)
Tiffany Woolwine (Coaches)
Tara Petrucci (MVP)
Leah Rothenberg (MVP)

LACROSSE
Andrea Ebeling (All-Academic Team)
Charlotte Marsh (All-Academic Team)
Libby Rosebro (Strength and Conditioning)
Julie Wolfinger (Coaches)
Megan Will (Rookie)
Meg Bartley (Rookie)
Jessica Nonn (MVP)

MANAGERS
Alexander Fraser (All-Academic Team)

MEN’S SOCCER
Nick Smirniotopoulos (All-Academic Team)
Devante Dubose (Strength and Conditioning)
Tyler McCartney (Coaches)
Ben Strong (Rookie)
Jed Prater (MVP)

WOMEN’S SOCCER
Brittany Popko (All-Academic Team)
Kelly Conheeney (Strength and Conditioning)
Brittany Michels (Coaches)
Kelsey Loupee (Rookie)
Brittany Popko (MVP)
Kelly Conheeney (MVP)

SOFTBALL
Dani Anderson (All-Academic Team)
Dani Anderson (Strength and Conditioning)
Kylie McGoldrick (Coaches)
Lauren Gaskill (Rookie)
Kelsey Mericka (Rookie)
Jasmin Harrell (MVP)

MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
Ryan Hawkins (All-Academic Team)
Nevin Cook (Strength and Conditioning)
Greg Mahon (Coaches)
Jake Ores (Rookie)
Logan Shinholser (MVP)

WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
Laura Simon (All-Academic Team)
Heather Savage (Strength and Conditioning)
Rachel Sepanski (Coaches)
Kaylea Arnett (Rookie)
Heather Savage (MVP)

MEN’S TENNIS
Luka Somen (All-Academic Team)
Trpimir Kujundzic (Strength and Conditioning)
Corrado Delg’Incerti Tocci (Coaches)
Mauricio Antun (Rookie)
Luka Somen (MVP)

WOMEN’S TENNIS
Emily Lauten (All-Academic Team)
Katie Blow (Strength and Conditioning)
Katie Blow (Coaches)
Courtney Rauscher (Coaches)
Carol Kahoun (Rookie)
Shannon Betts (MVP)
Martha Blakely (MVP)

MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
Alexander Ziegler (All-Academic Team)
Joe Davis (Strength and Conditioning)
Hasheem Halim (Coaches)
Thomas Curtin (Rookie)
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field team (MVP – ACC Champions)

WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
Elizabeth Powell (All-Academic Team)
Natalie Woodford (Strength and Conditioning)
Samantha Dow (Coaches)
Martina Schultze (Rookie)
Victoria von Eynatten (Rookie)
Yvonne Amegashie (MVP)

TRAINERS
Brittany Schwartz (All-Academic Team)
Sarah Murphy (All-Academic Team)

VIDEO
Catherine Goergen (All-Academic Team)

VOLLEYBALL
Allison Munter (All-Academic Team)
Corrie Sanders (Strength and Conditioning)
Tori Hamsher (Coaches)
Erin Leaser (Coaches)
Kathryn Caine (Rookie)
Cara Baarendse (MVP)
Jennifer Wiker (MVP)

WRESTLING
Devin Carter (All-Academic Team)
David Marone (Strength and Conditioning)
Chris Moon (Coaches)
Nick Brascetta (Rookie)
Devin Carter (MVP)
Pete Yates (MVP)

For updates on Virginia Tech cross country, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Track).