VIRGINIA TECH Golf Guide | 2018 Edition

4 Senior co-captains Ian Hildebrand and Dan Woodbury have provided tremendous leadership to this group throughout the fall. Hildebrand competed in four events and Woodbury played as an individual in the Janney VCU Shootout and Grandover Collegiate. The two juniors, Blake Fiest and Lawrence, topped the scoring list after the fall. The team’s Most Dedicated Player last season, Fiest competed in every event and was second on the team in scoring with a 72.2 average. He posted a career-best sixth place finish at the Grandover Collegiate, as well as a Top 20 finish in the Janney VCU Shootout, and his score counted for the team in 14 of 15 rounds this fall. Lawrence continued his fine play throughout the fall, competing in four events and leading the team with nine of 12 rounds at par-or-better. He finished inside the Top 20 of every event, with his best result being a fifth place finish at the Gopher Invitational. Lawrence also led the team in “Crunch Time” scoring, with a 69.25 final round average, and is now the all-time leader in career scoring at Virginia Tech with a 71.5 average. Sophomore Sarit Suwannarut, the team’s Co-Most Valuable Player with Lawrence last season, remained a mainstay in the lineup throughout the fall season. He was fourth on the team in scoring with a 73.53 average, and is now fourth on the all-time scoring list as well with a 72.4 average. Suwannarut posted six rounds at par-or-better and had his best result of the fall at the Janney VCU Shootout, finishing in 12th place. Fellow sophomore Tom Crow competed twice as an individual, at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate and Grandover Collegiate. The two freshmen, Connor Burgess and Slade Pickering, had quite an impact on the team throughout the fall. Burgess competed in the lineup in every event and was third on the team in scoring with an impressive 72.87 average. He finished runner-up in just his second collegiate event, the Janney VCU Shootout, missing a playoff by a single shot following rounds of 67-70-70. Burgess posted two additional Top 25 finishes at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate and Bank of Tennessee at Blackthorn. Pickering also gained valuable experience while competing in the lineup four times and as an individual at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate, where he posted his best result, finishing in 33rd Under the guidance of Hall of Fame head coach Jay Hardwick and 2009 NCAA Assistant Coach of the Year Brian Sharp, this talented group is determined to continue its success in the always-demanding ACC. The spring season will once again begin in Puerto Rico, and with the number of outstanding tournaments that will follow, the Hokies will certainly be well prepared for the ACC championship and a return to NCAA postseason play. The Hokies finished runner-up in the 2017 Janney VCU Shootout.