Six Virginia Tech athletics programs received Public Recognition Awards from the NCAA for their recent multi-year Academic Progress Rates. The NCAA hands out these awards annually to programs whose APR ranks in the top 10 in their respective sport. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years.
 

The Tech programs recognized were men’s basketball, men’s cross country, golf, men’s tennis, women’s swimming and diving and volleyball.

 The APR is a metric established and used by the NCAA to measure a program’s success in moving student-athletes toward graduation. An APR score of 925 is the minimum level of academic success, and teams scoring below 925 can lose scholarships and face other sanctions over time, including bans on postseason play.

 Full APR scores for all teams, including penalties for low-performing teams, will be released May 24.

The Virginia Tech Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Teams will be hosting a free swim and dive clinic this Saturday following their home meet versus William and Mary at the Christiansburg Aquatic Center. The swim and dive meet which begins at 11 a.m. is scheduled to last about two and half hours. Following the meet, the coaches and team will conduct the free one hour clinic. There will be free pizza provided for participants. Also the first 100 fans in attendance at the meet will receive a Virginia Tech Tote Bag.

Several teams will be playing at home this weekend. Here’s a look at the marketing and promotions schedule for those events.

Friday: Volleyball vs NC State, 7 pm, Cassell Coliseum
The first 500 children (under the age of 18) to the match will receive a FREE Tech Autograph Book. Please go to the marketing table located on the Spring Road side of the concourse to pick up your autograph book. All fans are invited to participate in a HokieBird photo opportunity with the HokieBird from 6-6:45 pm (photographs will be emailed to you the following week). Please go to the Spring Road side of the concourse to participate. All fans are invited to participate in an autograph session with the volleyball team and the HokieBird following the match.

Friday: Men’s Soccer vs. Boston College, 7 pm, Thompson Field
Come out and support the seniors as they plays their final match as Hokies at Thompson Field! Free Virginia Tech gloves will be given out to the first 200 fans in attendance at the marketing booth inside the front gate. Don't forget to watch the High Techs perform at halftime!

Saturday: Volleyball vs. North Carolina, 6 pm, Cassell Coliseum
The first 200 fans to the match will receive a FREE HokieBird Bobble Head Doll. Please go to the marketing table located on the Spring Road side of the concourse to pick up your bobble head doll.

Sunday: Wrestling vs. George Mason, 5 pm, Cassell Coliseum
The first 200 fans will receive a free VT hat and free coupon to redeem at the concessions stand for a large popcorn and soda. Please go to the marketing table located on the Spring Road side of Cassell to receive your hat and coupon.

Additionally, the cross country teams will be in action Saturday as they host the Hokie Open Race at 9 am. The swimming & diving teams host Clemson Saturday at 11 am at War Memorial Pool. And the women’s soccer team is in action Friday night, taking on Virginia in the ACC Semifinals at 7:30 pm. Catch Jerry Massey’s call on hokietv.com.

The College Swim Coaches Association of America released its final dual meet rankings for the 2007-2008 season earlier this week. The Virginia Tech women's swimming and diving team conclude the year at No. 25, while the men finish at No. 29.

Both teams are not finished with the season though as six divers will represent Tech at the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships (March 14-16) in Auburn, Ala., for the opportunity to advance to the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. Jessica Botzum, Jordan McHorney, Megan Newell, Sara Smith and Kaan Tayla have all automatically qualified for the NCAAs. Those on the squad who met the NCAA 'B' standard in their respective events are still waiting to find out if their times are ranked high enough to advance.       

The men's swimming team is at the ACC Championships from Feb.27-March 1, and the men's and women's track and field teams are at the ACC Championships from Feb. 28-March 1.

Both events will have live results for you to keep up with the action as it happens.

To access the swimming championship information page, click here.

To access the track and field championship information page, click here.

As announced in 2005, construction began in Christiansburg for a brand new aquatic center that both the town and Virginia Tech swimming and diving team will make usage of to elevate the training and competition within the region. Click on the link below to see new pictures of the progress being made. We will be periodically adding more photos as the opening date nears. Construction is expected to be completed sometime in the winter of 2008.

http://www.hokiesports.com/swimming/pool.html

The Virginia Tech women’s swimming team is ranked 25th in the first College Swimming Coaches Association of America Top 25 Coaches’ Poll, which was released on Wednesday.

The H2Okies totaled 45 points after placing 22nd at last season’s NCAA Championships with Jessica Botzum earning All-American honors in the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke and Sara Smith accomplishing the same feat in the 100 freestyle. Smith was also an All-America honorable mention in the 50 freestyle.

Tech defeated South Carolina and Clemson in the opening weekend but lost to Virginia last Saturday without the services of both Smith and Botzum due to injury. The H2Okies host Kentucky’s No. 18 women’s squad as part of a dual meet on Saturday at the War Memorial Pool beginning at 1 p.m.

"We are excited to be nationally ranked in the first poll of the season,” head coach Ned Skinner said.  “It shows that many colleagues around the country are taking notice of what our women's team is doing in the pool and off the boards.  We hope that our women continue to rise to the occasion while we work through our injuries."

The poll rankings can be found here.

Virginia Tech's homecoming weekend is approaching, and will culminate with the Hokies' football game against North Carolina in Lane Stadium at 12 p.m. on Saturday. One of the main traditions of homecoming is the naming of a king and queen, and a pair of Tech student-athletes are in the running.

Bryan Collier (men's soccer) and Jessica Botzum (women's swimming) are a part of the 16-member court, and are both representing the Student Athlete Advisory Council. Voting takes place Sept. 26-27.

Click here for more information on Bryan.

Click here for more information on Jessica.

Click here for more information on VT Homecoming 2007.

Also, be sure to check out Friday evening's send-off/pep rally for the football team at 6 p.m. outside of Cassell Colisuem.

Head coach Ned Skinner and the 2007-08 swimming & diving team invite fans to come get an early look at this year's H2okie squad on Friday at the War Memorial Pool during the Pentathlon, a scrimmage held every year weeks before the official season begins.

The men and women will be competing in five separate events - 100 Butterfly, 100 Backstroke, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Freestyle and the 200 IM.

Also, all of the divers will showcase their swimming skills in their own 50 Freestyle competition.   

The event begins at 3:30 p.m.

Virginia Tech swimmer Sara Smith finished in 10th place in the 100m freestyle prelims Wednesday at the U.S. Swimming National Championships in Indianapolis, Ind. Her time of 56.17 seconds is an Olympic trial qualifying standard. Should she place in the top six at the trials, she would qualify for the U.S. Olympic team at the 2008 games in Beijing, China.

The Hokies are represented by nine swimmers at the national championships, which are being held July 31-August 4. You can follow results live via usswim.org.