Georgia Tech Buzz Magazine - August 2016

IN JUSTIN WE TRUST

TECH COACHES LOOKING FOR THEIR SENIOR QB TO LEAD WITH HIS VOCAL CORDS, NOT JUST WITH HIS PLAY ON THE FIELD

TOE MEETS LEATHER IN

IRELAND Football game in the Emerald Isle a logistical Mount Everest for Georgia Tech support staff FALL 2016

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FALL

FALL 2016 • VOLUME 10, NUMBER 1

2016

EDITOR Mike Stamus ASSOCIATE EDITOR Lauren Rupert

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T H I S

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WRITERS Jon Cooper Simit Shah Adam Van Brimmer Matt Winkeljohn PHOTOGRAPHERS Clyde Click Kyle Hess Danny Karnik PGA Tour DESIGN & LAYOUT Summit Athletic Media www.summitathletics.com

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TOE MEETS LEATHER IN IRELAND

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IN JUSTIN WE TRUST

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SENIOR Q-WIN-TET

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CAREER PREPARATION

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SUPER COOL

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CLIMBING THE LADDER

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WALK OF LIFE

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Football game in the Emerald Isle a logistical Mount Everest for Georgia Tech support staff Tech coaches looking for their senior QB to lead with his vocal cords, not just with his play on the field Five senior starters have set foundation for future success for Yellow Jacket volleyball Internships, like practice, make perfect for Yellow Jacket student-athletes Freshman triple- and long jumper Bria Matthews played it cool while having one of the hottest years in school history A passel of recent Tech graduates are the next wave of Yellow Jackets on professional golf tours Former football walk-on Sam Kelly has built career on building relationships.

36 | A-T FUND

The Alexander-Tharpe Fund has an overall goal to raise $3.3 million

39 | COMPLIANCE CORNER

Behind the Bylaws – Social Media and Recruiting

FOOTBALL

TOE MEETS LEATHER IN IRELAND

FOOTBALL GAME IN THE EMERALD ISLE A LOGISTICAL MOUNT EVEREST FOR GEORGIA TECH SUPPORT STAFF ADAM VAN BRIMMER

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Aviva Stadium in Dublin is the site of the 2016 Aer Lingus Football Classic between Tech and Boston College

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FOOTBALL | ACROSS THE POND

Members of the organizing committee for the Aer Lingus Football Classic visited Bobby Dodd Stadium with the game championship trophy last fall.

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T

he Aer Lingus College Football Classic, better known as Georgia Tech’s season opener against Boston College in Ireland, is being billed as “much more than a game.”

To Georgia Tech’s athletic support staff, that marketing mantra is a major understatement.

The trip is a logistical Everest. The usual road game challenges — lodging, food, moving the equipment — are magnified by the cultural and geographical differences between the United States and Ireland.

Then there are the myriad festivities surrounding the game, such as a public law symposium, an academic forum featuring faculty from Georgia Tech, Boston College and Ireland’s Trinity College, and a business luncheon with former Senator George Mitchell, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.

Plus, there’s a pep rally and several planned cultural excursions, which include a tour of Dublin, a dinner featuring Irish music and dancing for the team, and a party at the Guinness brewery for administrators, faculty and guests.

“It’s definitely not the same as going to Boston to play in the first week of September,” said Brett Daniels, Georgia Tech’s deputy athletic director and the de-facto leader of the support staff handling the trip logistics. “But it’s exciting. It’s fun to be part of something like this, because it is so different and is such a big deal for our kids, our campus and the alumni.”

CLEARING HURDLES As unconventional as the Aer Lingus College Football Classic promises to be, it is still a regular season game, and an Atlantic Coast Conference game at that.

“Our main goal is to go there and win,” said Justin Thomas, Georgia Tech’s star quarterback. “Everything outside of that, it will be great to see and great to do, but without winning, it won’t be the same.”

The stakes are one reason why Daniels and company have focused so much on the details.

Georgia Tech support staff consulted with their peers from other schools that have played games in Ireland, such as Central Florida. The Knights faced Penn State in the last Aer Lingus Classic in 2014.

Georgia Tech personnel also made two site visits to Dublin. They familiarized themselves with the game venue, Aviva Stadium, examined the European-style rooms in the team hotel and sampled the breakfast food to be served on game day.

“We requested bigger beds for the linemen and had to work with them on how they cooked the bacon, which is more like ham, and the oatmeal is porridge with raisins,” said John David Wicker, senior associate athletic director for operations. “With everything going on around this trip, we wanted to get things for the players as close to what they are accustomed to as possible.”

OUR MAIN GOAL IS TO GO THERE AND WIN. EVERYTHING OUTSIDE OF THAT, IT WILL BE GREAT TO SEE AND GREAT TO DO, BUT WITHOUT WINNING, IT WON’T BE THE SAME.

Among those making Perhaps the biggest the trip are several potential pitfall involves dozen members of the team’s equipment. the marching band.

Georgia Tech With hotel rooms at literally moves an a premium — an 18-wheeler’s worth estimated 25,000 of gear to road people are traveling games. They can’t for the game drive the semi across between the two the Atlantic Ocean, schools, and the though, and will instead —JUSTIN THOMAS teams will occupy take pads, helmets, two of Dublin’s larger hotels cleats and uniforms with all by themselves—many of the them on the team charter band members will be housed in plane and ship 35-plus trunks dormitories at Trinity College. filled with chin straps, towels, water bottles, The many “moving parts” around the game coaches’ headsets, medical supplies, and remind Daniels of a major bowl game, “only the other necessities to Ireland in advance. cities and groups that host bowl games do it And because everything has to clear every year and do pretty much the same thing customs, every piece of equipment has to be every year,” he said. “Plus, they completely documented. The information has to include understand the game of football.” cost and place of origin.

This will be the ninth college football game “You didn’t want to be one of our equipment staged in Dublin since 1988 and the third in five managers (over the summer),” Wicker said. years. Even so, Dubliners are far from familiar If only the customs process were as simple as immigration. Georgia Tech hired a company that specializes in handling passport applications to secure travel documents for the team. The vendor was recommended by the support staff of the Atlanta Falcons, which played a game in London in 2014.

Approximately 80 of the 110 players, as well as several members of the cheerleading squad traveling to Ireland for the game, needed passports. Georgia Tech officials contacted players’ parents by e-mail late last year asking them to send in copies of birth certificates and other documents to expedite the process.

WITH HOTEL ROOMS AT A PREMIUM — AN ESTIMATED 25,000 PEOPLE ARE TRAVELING FOR THE GAME BETWEEN THE TWO SCHOOLS, AND THE TEAMS WILL OCCUPY TWO OF DUBLIN’S LARGER HOTELS ALL BY THEMSELVES.

A ‘FULL-BLOWN EXPERIENCE’ Getting the team, coaches and cheerleaders to kickoff on Sept. 3 may prove to be the easy part for Daniel, Wicker and the rest of the organizers.

Daniels has been coordinating with the Georgia Tech president’s office, governmental affairs department and alumni association on the non-football festivities surrounding the game. Fortunately, one of the game’s organizers is a group travel provider, Anthony Travel.

“We know how to handle the football side of things, it’s making sure all these other things come off that’s been the challenge,” Daniels said. “It’s important that this be a great experience for everyone who is going and associated with Georgia Tech.”

with the game beyond its similarities with one of their national pastimes, rugby. Wicker is looking forward to seeing how the Irish crowd reacts to watching the game.

“What do they do when something big happens in the game?” he said. “Do they follow the lead of the Georgia Tech and Boston College fans? Or are they football savvy enough now to understand what they’re watching? It’s going to be a different experience for everybody, not just those of us visiting for the game.”

Navy took on Notre Dame in the last Aer Lingus Classic to be played at Aviva Stadium.

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FOOTBALL

THOMAS TOOK OVER AS THE STARTER IN 2014, WHEN HE COMPLETED 51.3 PERCENT OF HIS PASSES FOR 1,719 YARDS AND 18 TOUCHDOWNS AND RAN FOR 1,086 YARDS AND EIGHT SCORES ON HIS WAY TO EARNING SECOND-TEAM ALL-ACC HONORS AND BEING NAMED THE CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL MVP.

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IN JUSTIN WE TRUST

BY THE NUMBERS

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TECH COACHES LOOKING FOR THEIR SENIOR QB TO LEAD WITH HIS VOCAL CORDS, NOT JUST WITH HIS PLAY ON THE FIELD MATT WINKELJOHN

H

e’s not big on saying much, yet Justin Thomas is not going quietly into the gloaming of his college football career.

For Georgia Tech, that could be huge.

Long loud with his feet, his arms and all parts of his body other than his mouth, the fifth-year Yellow Jacket has performed remarkably on hundreds of athletic fields since he was a lad in Prattville, Ala., playing every sport he could find.

Paul Johnson is asking his quarterback to speak up, too, and become a more vocal leader. It’s an adjustment, to be sure.

“I think he’s just kind of always been the best player, and his actions spoke for themselves,” Johnson said. “I know he understands that he needs to do it. I think that it’s a growing process for him because it is just his personality.

“He’s always just let his actions speak. He was not a rah-rah guy. His deal was, ‘OK, let me break one 50 yards.’”

That worked nicely for Georgia Tech after Thomas took over as the starter in 2014, when he completed 51.3 percent of his passes for 1,719 yards and 18 touchdowns and ran for 1,086 yards and eight scores on his way to earning second-team All-ACC honors and being named the Capital One Orange Bowl MVP. Last season? Not so much.

The Jackets lost a boatload of talent before the 2015 season, and a lot of powerful voices moved on as well. That left Thomas in the unfamiliar position of a would-be outright and all-around leader. He approved the job with his usual quiet manner.

Career rushing touchdowns for Justin Thomas, which ranks sixth in Tech history

Tech needed more, and while that was certainly not the Jackets’ only issue, even he admits that he kind of shrank into the role during a 3-9 season. With a young roster racked by injuries, he completed 41.7 percent for 1,345 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushed for 488 yards and six scores.

It would be understatement to say that Thomas is ready for his new gig.

“Not only Coach Johnson, but a lot of people have told me,” he said of his soft-spoken ways.

“I guess that’s just habit. Even in high school, I wasn’t the only leader. We had a lot of bigtime guys.

“When I’m in my zone, I don’t like to talk.

Last year was a learning experience. I see what

With more experience around him on the offensive side of the ball, Tech looks for Thomas to break free more often.

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FOOTBALL | IN JUSTIN WE TRUST

IF QUARTERBACKS/ B-BACKS COACH BRYAN COOK HAD IT TO DO AGAIN, HE WOULD’VE GIVEN MORE VOICE TO THOMAS BEFORE HIS REDSHIRT JUNIOR SEASON. HE AND JOHNSON HAVE, IN FACT, SPENT CONSIDERABLE TIME SINCE LAST SEASON – AND EVEN LATE LAST FALL – ENCOURAGING THEIR QUARTERBACK TO CRANK UP HIS VOCAL CORDS.

FACT

Tech returns eight of its top 10 scorers from 2015.

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they’re talking about, and I’ve got to work on it. I know what I have to do, and I have to take care of it.”

As a prep all-star in football, basketball and baseball at Prattville High, Thomas found himself surrounded by serious talent. The same went for his first year as a starter at Georgia Tech in 2014.

Come 2015, however, wide receivers DeAndre Smelter and Darren Waller were drafted into the NFL, the Jackets lost their top three B-backs and five of their top six A-backs, and the Patriots drafted right guard Shaq Mason to start for them.

Plug in a bunch of young players, add a slew of injuries so as to bring on even more greenhorns, and Thomas was left scrambling – often, literally – for answers.

He wasn’t ready for that.

If quarterbacks/B-backs coach Bryan Cook had it to do again, he would’ve given more voice to Thomas before his redshirt junior season. He and Johnson have, in fact, spent considerable time since last season – and even late last fall – encouraging their quarterback to crank up his vocal cords.

“Being a quiet leader made sense [in 2014].

This past season, we needed more of a vocal guy and a guy who was going to have a presence because we had so much youth,” Cook said. “I could have done a better job, should have done a better job, of coaching that -- especially for a guy to whom that doesn’t come naturally.”

In postseason interviews, during offseason workouts, through spring practice and even in rare meetings earlier this summer, Johnson and Cook encouraged Thomas to step up.

The coach gave his quarterback an off-season assignment meant to carry into the season.

Thomas responded by taking over on-field workouts during summer, which coaches are not allowed to attend.

“You try to put him in those situations. He’s got to feel, ‘This is my team, and they’re going to rally around me and act and react the way that I do,’” Johnson said. “My big charge to him was you’ve got to take over the team, be the leader, set the parameters, lead by example . . . and hold other guys accountable.

“That’s the big thing in being a leader – holding others accountable. If they’re not there, you’ve got to find out why and put the coals to them.”

Well-liked by Tech fans and teammates, Thomas looks to exert more leadership vocally.

Thomas won’t say much about injury issues last season, other than to acknowledge that he was quite beat up, and with that in mind, he worked on his leadership skills and his strength and fitness more than ever.

There also were multiple accounts of Thomas and other Tech skill position players giving more attention to detail in offseason workouts.

“He’s done a good job with our strength staff trying to get his body in the best shape that he can,” Cook said. “He’s eating much better, and he’s sleeping much better than he ever has.”

No less importantly, the Jackets’ quarterback is acing early tests as a more vocal leader. He says that he has a greater comfort level.

“I’m vocal, but not to the point where guys can hear me on the other side of the field,” Thomas said. “I feel like I’m more established.

[In 2014], we had a lot of older guys so ... I was just following their lead. Those guys were a lot of help, and now it’s my turn to take the lead and have younger guys follow me.

“It’s different playing with guys who’ve been in the system four or five years and playing with somebody straight out of high school against Clemson, the No. 2 or 3 team in the nation. I’m able to coach the guys up a little more. We didn’t lose anybody besides [B-back Patrick] Skov. I feel like this year will be a lot different.”

VOLLEYBALL

SENIOR Q-WIN-TET FIVE SENIOR STARTERS HAVE SET FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE SUCCESS FOR YELLOW JACKET VOLLEYBALL JON COOPER

C

hemistry is something every coach seeks but is the product of a process that comes over time.

It can’t be faked and can’t be rushed and, when you have it, is something to be cherished and used to full advantage.

Georgia Tech volleyball enters the 2016 season with that kind of good chemistry and plans to do just that.

The Yellow Jackets return five starters from

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2015 -- outside hitters Teegan Van Gunst and her twin sister at right side hitter Annika Van Gunst, middle blocker Lauren Pitz, setter Rebecca Martin and libero London Ackermann. As a bonus, all five are seniors who have been playing together since arriving at Georgia Tech in 2013.

“I believe it’s a huge advantage,” said Jackets’ third-year head coach Michelle Collier.

“The senior class was sophomores when we got here with our staff. They’ve bought into

Rebecca Martin -- the 2012 team featured junior Kaleigh Colson, Martin’s mentor.

This year’s team hopes it can have the same kind of final season as 2012, but also establish a foundation that future teams can build upon.

These seniors are determined to leave less of a chasm following their departure than the 2012 team left.

Having lived through that season, this class is using that freshman experience as a cautionary tale.

“Our goal this year is to really get our teammates up under our wings and prepare them to take over the team next year,” said Teegan. “So while we’re excited for this year Rebecca Martin London Ackermann

Tech’s 2016 senior class (from left): Lauren Pitz, Rebecca Martin, Teegan Van Gunst, London Ackermann and Annika Van Gunst.

everything that we have asked them to do, and they are putting a lot of work into not only getting better individually as players, but also making our culture better and making sure that they leave Georgia Tech with a legacy that’s going to be followed by the future recruiting classes that are coming in. We have high expectations for ourselves and our team.

We really want to give this group of seniors a well-deserved farewell for their careers.

They’ve done so much for our program.”

The last season Georgia Tech brought back five seniors was 2012. Coincidentally that was the year before this current senior class came to the Flats.

Not coincidentally, that is the winningest team in the last five years (19-12) and the last to finish at least .500 in ACC play (10-10). The 2012 team featured one of Georgia Tech’s most decorated players, Monique Mead, AllAmerican and first-team All-ACC selection. It also had balance with a powerful secondary outside hitter in redshirt-senior and former AllACC performer Bailey Hunter, Annie Czarnecki, a superb middle blocker, and a pair of superb liberos, Nicki Meyer and Susan Carlson.

The 2016 Jackets have parallels with that 2012 team, starting with its outside hitter and recently first-team All-ACC selection Teegan Van Gunst, a powerful secondary in Annika, a hard-working middle blocker in Pitz and a superbly efficient libero in Ackermann.

The difference comes in the fifth senior, as the 2016 team has a magnificent setter in

and what we can achieve as a team, we’re really looking to sustain it in multiple years to come.”

“It could be a very big dynamic shift after we leave or, hopefully, if we’ve done our job, there won’t be that much of a shift, even with all five of us leaving,” said Annika. “I hope we leave the impression that nothing comes easy. You have to work for it, and you have to grind day in and day out, but it’s all worth it. We want WWW.RAMBLINWRECK.COM

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VOLLEYBALL | SENIOR Q-WIN-TET

Teegan Van Gunst

OUR GOAL THIS YEAR IS TO REALLY GET OUR TEAMMATES UP UNDER OUR WINGS AND PREPARE THEM TO TAKE OVER THE TEAM NEXT YEAR. SO WHILE WE’RE EXCITED FOR THIS YEAR AND WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE AS A TEAM, WE’RE REALLY LOOKING TO SUSTAIN IT IN MULTIPLE YEARS TO COME. —TEEGAN VAN GUNST

BY THE NUMBERS

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Improvement in number of wins from year 1 to year 2 under Michelle Collier

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to leave that blue-collar attitude down to the people behind us. You have to work hard, but the hard work pays off.”

They believe it will, and the payoff will be seen starting this year as the program continues to move forward. As this senior class has grown, so have the Jackets’ win totals.

Last year, Tech went 18-14, 9-11 in ACC play.

That’s quite a jump from 2013, when the team was 12-20 and 6-14 in ACC play, and from year one under Collier (13-18, 6-12).

The Jackets expect all these seniors -- they also have four key juniors in middle blocker Sydney Wilson, outside hitters Ashley Askin and Gabriela Stavnetchei, and setter Gabby Benda -- to change that. They’re expecting a winning season, which would give the program its first back-to-back winning seasons since 2009 and 2010. Those were big seasons, as 2009 was the program’s last 20-win, 10-conference-win season and most recent NCAA Tournament appearance, while the following year was the last top-five ACC appearance. Finishing among the top five in the ACC is right at the top of their list.

“It’s very realistic,” said Ackermann. “It would have been realistic last year as well if we didn’t give away a few of our games that should have been wins. I think that it will go back to our preparation. If we stay focused and stay on top of our goals, there’s no reason why we

shouldn’t be up there with the rest of the top teams.”

They were last year. The Jackets ranked among the top five in the ACC in assists per set (12.9), digs per set (16.0) and kills per set (13.6) and were top-10 in opponents’ hitting percentage (.201). Teegan led the conference in kills (471 -- the most since Mead nailed 459 in 2012), kills per set (3.9) and points (520) and was runner-up in points per set (1.3). She also was only the fourth Yellow Jacket ever to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America, boasting a 3.97 GPA in mechanical engineering.

The Jackets’ exceeding league expectations -- they were picked seventh in the preseason poll -- starts with Teegan, who was named preseason All-ACC and proved herself a world-class player over the summer when she made the final 36 and trained with the USA Volleyball’s national collegiate team.

“Teegan is just a natural leader,” said Collier.

“She goes hard every day and she is just now collecting everything that she has put into the game and how hard she has worked. But I also think that the team, because our team is getting better, and we’re pushing her and challenging her, that we have made her better collectively.”

On the other side, sister Annika continues to carve out her niche. The former middle blocker moved to the right side and put up seven doubledoubles last year, with 12 matches of at least 10

OFFICIAL AIRLINE

Lauren Pitz

kills and 13 of at least 10 digs. Her 307 kills and 2.56 per set were second on the team. She also had career-bests for digs (332) and blocks (76).

Pitz gives the Jackets a solid 1-2 at middle blocker with Wilson, the team’s leading blocker last season. Pitz had a career-high 108 blocks in 2015 -- second to Wilson (126) -- and took advantage of a career-best 117 sets played.

The Jackets also will count on Ackermann and Martin to continue to be among the best at their positions in 2016. Both finished in the top 10 in the ACC, with Ackermann ranking sixth in digs (4.2 per set) and Martin seventh in assists (8.7 per set).

Ackermann starts at libero and has a chance to finish as Georgia Tech’s all-time digs leader.

She enters the season with 1,258, only 336 behind all-time leader Jenn Beemsterboer (1987-90). She had 478 last season and has never made fewer than 389 in a season.

“Knowing that that’s a possibility is kind of the icing on top of the cake,” said Ackermann.

“Overall winning and the team aspect is what I’m more worried about and how I can help other people out with my skills and being a defensive key. If I can do my job then everybody else will be able to do theirs. In the end, if something like that happens I’ll be very excited, of course, but I try not to think about that too much.”

For the second straight season, Martin and Gabby Benda will push each other at setter.

Martin, the opening night starter the last two years, begins the season ninth all-time on the GT assists (2,471).

LAUREN PITZ HAS EARNED HER TIME ON THE COURT AND HAS EARNED THE RESPECT OF HER TEAMMATES FOR HOW HARD SHE COMPETES.

“We’re pushing each other every day during workouts. We’re running right next to each other, just encouraging,” —MICHELLE COLLIER said Martin, who enters 2016 ninth all-time in school history in assists and, with a 1,000-assist season -- something she’s done each of the last two years -- would move into fifth.

“Everything that we do is for the Georgia Tech program, so I think that we’ll only get better. I think we’re going to have a really strong setting position no matter who plays.”

The senior class has already shown its strong bond. It is a very close unit -- the Van Gunsts and Ackermann are roommates, as are Martin and Pitz in a neighboring apartment.

“I think it really is a testament to how close we are that we choose to live with each other and that we WANT to spend time together outside of volleyball,” said Pitz. “Even though we train and practice so many hours a day and that we’re doing so much together that we still, outside of that, I want to go to the movies with them and I want to go shopping with them.”

This team was already pulled even closer during the spring trip to Brazil, seeing the country and going 8-0 in its matches.

“It was amazing,” said Martin. “We were able to watch the Brazilian national team practice, just see the drills that they’re doing. They’re not doing anything crazy. As a whole, as a team, they were just so fluid and they made everything look so easy. I think that’s something —ANNIKA VAN GUNST

WE’RE SUPERCLOSE, ALL FIVE OF US. I THINK IT’S VERY IMPORTANT FOR US, ALSO, ON THE COURT, SINCE ALL FIVE OF US HAVE PRETTY MUCH BEEN STARTERS OUR WHOLE CAREER HERE.

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VOLLEYBALL | SENIOR Q-WIN-TET

Annika Van Gunst

that our team is really trying to work on. Another highlight was visiting the Maracana Stadium and watching a soccer game. It was amazing to see how passionate Brazilians are about their

soccer. I think that seeing that type of passion just reenergized the way I felt about volleyball.”

The five seniors also have goals academically, as all five have become regulars on the ACC Honor Roll. Teegan Van Gunst is back-to-back Academic All-ACC, while she, Annika, Martin and Pitz are three-time ACC Honor Roll selections, while Ackermann is a back-to-back ACC Honor Roll choice. All five plan to add another year to that.

“It’s really important,” said Pitz. “Being a studentathlete is just as much being a student as it is playing on the court. So being able to really focus in the classroom and the fact that we have so many resources around really helps with grades and that our coaches put such a strong focus on academics really helps as well. So just trying to finish really strong academically is a big goal.”

They know that as they go through their final season, the finish line is in sight, as the entire quintet are scheduled to participate in graduation exercises in May 2017.

The 2016 season is their final chance to make a big run before they take that walk.

We want to be that one bank you absolutely can’t live without.

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ATHLETICS

THE PROFESSIONAL WORLD IS MUCH DIFFERENT THAN ANYTHING YOU’VE EVER EXPERIENCED FOR MOST COLLEGE STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY STUDENTATHLETES WHO HAVE TO DEVOTE SO MUCH TIME TO ACADEMICS AND THEIR TEAMS AND TRAINING —REBECCA MARTIN

Volleyball senior Rebecca Martin has interned in various roles at AT&T

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Senior basketball player Quinton Stephens immersed himself in the financial world while also participating in summer practice with the Yellow Jackets.

CAREER PREPARATION

FACT

More than 60 student-athletes took part in this summer’s GTAA Internship Program.

INTERNSHIPS, LIKE PRACTICE, MAKE PERFECT FOR YELLOW JACKET STUDENT-ATHLETES ADAM VAN BRIMMER

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o excel as a Georgia Tech student-athlete requires discipline, determination and time management skills—all attributes that will one day prove invaluable in the professional workplace.

Those talents alone won’t land today’s Yellow Jacket stars their careers tomorrow, however.

Practical experience and all that comes with it, from professional etiquette to a network of contacts, is priceless, as more than 45 Georgia

Tech student-athletes discovered this summer through internships.

“The professional world is much different than anything you’ve ever experienced for most college students, especially student-athletes who have to devote so much time to academics and their teams and training,” said Rebecca Martin, a senior on the volleyball team. “The pace is different. The atmosphere and processes are different. I just can’t imagine what it would be WWW.RAMBLINWRECK.COM

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ATHLETICS | CAREER PREPARATION

AT GEORGIA TECH, THE TOTAL PERSON PROGRAM’S CAREER DEVELOPMENT SERVICES INCLUDE ASSISTANCE IN RESUME WRITING, INTERVIEW SKILLS, BUSINESS ETIQUETTE, EVEN BUSINESS CARD DESIGN AND PRINTING. AN ANNUAL STUDENTATHLETE CAREER FAIR HAS BEEN ADDED AS WELL. THE EVENT IS MUCH MORE INTIMATE THAN THE INSTITUTE’S MAIN CAREER FAIR THAT IS OPEN TO ALL GEORGIA TECH STUDENTS.

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like to graduate and walk into a job without the knowledge I’ve gained through my internships.”

Until recently, many Yellow Jacket athletics alums experienced what Martin thinks unimaginable. Georgia Tech has long coordinated an internship program through the Center of Career Discovery and Development, collaborating with employers throughout metro Atlanta and beyond to offer for-credit paid and unpaid internships.

But student-athletes rarely took advantage of the program largely due to the for-credit nature of the internships. Interns receive 12 class hours for working the job, and that time is audited, meaning the student receives no letter grade for those hours. He or she simply gets the credits at the completion of the internship.

That situation presented a quandary for student-athletes in two areas: financial aid and NCAA eligibility. Students must complete a certain number of course hours each semester and each academic year to keep their scholarships, and they must maintain a minimum grade point average to participate.

The priorities for student-athletes were clearly academics and athletics, said Doug Allvine, Georgia Tech’s assistant athletics director for special projects.

“The career component was important, but it wasn’t a focus, and there were so many obstacles to the internships,” Allvine said. “There were thousands of Georgia Tech students in the program and none of them were studentathletes. It didn’t make sense.”

Football senior Isiah Willis was part of a team of program analysts at Accenture

LOGIC PREVAILS Allvine spearheaded a common-sense approach to making the internship program available to Yellow Jacket sports stars.

He worked with the school on the financial aid angle and the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA to resolve the eligibility issues. To participate in the internship program, studentathletes must be on track academically, both in hours and GPA. At the same time, the business participants agree to be flexible with scheduling. Isiah Willis, a running back on the football team, left his job at Accenture early many days this summer in order to work out with his teammates. He’d put in the last few hours of his workday that night, working remotely from home.

“Accenture was very accommodating,” he said. “The set-up was good for me anyway—the regular employees all work from home every Friday, so it was important to learn how to manage yourself and your work when you’re not in the office.”

The bevy of companies eager to take on Georgia Tech student-athletes as interns speaks to the on-the-job performance of those Yellow Jackets since Allvine tackled the financial aid and eligibility issues and the program went from seven participants in 2010 to 22 in 2011.

Fortune 500 corporations like AT&T, Caterpillar, Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil, Home Depot,

Win or lose, we always have

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ATHLETICS | CAREER PREPARATION

Morgan Stanley and Westinghouse all hired Georgia Tech student-athletes this summer.

Those companies are looking to generate a return on their interns. Accenture put Willis on a team of program analysts charged with migrating Coca-Cola employees from one IT system to another without impacting their productivity. Basketball player Quinton Stephens interned with Morgan Stanley’s wealth management team and assisted financial advisors managing clients’ money.

“It was hands-on experience,” Stephens said. “I attended meetings and conference calls with clients and learned so much about the complexities of wealth management. Some clients were aggressive with their money. Others were conservative. To have that level of exposure was really good for me.”

AT GEORGIA TECH, THE TOTAL PERSON PROGRAM’S CAREER DEVELOPMENT SERVICES INCLUDE ASSISTANCE IN RESUME WRITING, INTERVIEW SKILLS, BUSINESS ETIQUETTE, EVEN BUSINESS CARD DESIGN AND PRINTING.

More than 40 Tech studentathletes participated in the GTAA’s internship program this summer.

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PREPARATION FOR LIFE The growth of the internship program has rekindled the attention paid to the career development component of Georgia Tech’s Total Person Program.

Conceived and implemented by the great Dr. Homer Rice during his tenure as Georgia Tech’s athletics director, the Total Person Program provides resources for student-athletes to excel in the classroom, on the playing fields and in their personal well-being. The program was the model for the NCAA Life Skills Program.

At Georgia Tech, the Total Person Program’s career development services include assistance in resume writing, interview skills, business etiquette, even business card design and printing. An annual student-athlete career fair has been added as well. The event is much more intimate than the institute’s main career fair that is open to all Georgia Tech students.

“We as student-athletes need to take advantage of all that the athletic association offers,” said Martin. “The opportunities are there.”

Football senior Francis Kallon interned at Norfolk Southern

The internship program is far and away the biggest benefit, Martin said. She interned with AT&T the previous two summers, working in two distinctly different departments. Neither role matched her postgraduate career aspirations — she’s an industrial engineering major with a focus in supply chain — but she enjoyed the

duties in both jobs and is “open to anything” in the future.

“Interning really showed me what I like and what I don’t like and gave me a feel for what being a working professional really means,” she said. “It’s something they can’t teach you in school; you have to experience it firsthand.”

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TRACK & FIELD

SUPER COOL FRESHMAN TRIPLE- AND LONG JUMPER BRIA MATTHEWS PLAYED IT COOL WHILE HAVING ONE OF THE HOTTEST YEARS IN SCHOOL HISTORY JON COOPER

I

t’s funny how the special athlete doesn’t necessarily plan on being special. He or she just makes it happen.

Bria Matthews is such an example.

“I didn’t expect this at all,” said the 5-7 tripleand long-jumper from Morrow, Ga., a former three-sport participant at Forest Park High School. “I didn’t have too many expectations this year. I just wanted to come out here and jump, and I did well.”

Matthews did that and admits modestly that she’s still trying to take in and figure out all the

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fuss over her. Then, again, she’s so locked in on the future and constantly getting better that she doesn’t really have time to look at the past even though she’d certainly like what she’d see.

Matthews has built a worthy career resume in just one year. First, she set school records for the triple jump (13.73 meters, 45 feet-0.5 inches outdoors) and long jump (6.47m, 212.75 outdoors; 6.40m, 21-0 indoors), sweeping Atlantic Coast Conference titles indoors while winning the outdoor triple jump and earning ACC Freshman of the Year. She then tore

Matthews’ freshman year accomplishments at Tech ranks among the best in Institute athletic history.

through U.S. Junior Nationals, winning the long jump (6.49m, 21-3.5) and triple jump (13.16m, 43-2.25), and competed for a berth on the Olympic team, finishing 12th in the triple jump finals (13.04m), and 18th in the long jump qualifier (6.17m, 20-3). In the World Under 20 Championships, she finished fourth in the triple jump (13.49m, 44-3.25) and fifth in the long jump (6.24m, 20-5.75).

She did all this while holding an A average in computer engineering.

While all this may not seem to compute, it makes perfect sense to her coach, Georgia Tech jumps/hurdles coach Nat Page.

“I always say it starts with genetics,” said Page. “Her physical gifts, oh man, I’ve coached a couple of world-class female athletes, and after they’ve trained and they’ve lifted weights, this is what they’re like. I said, ‘Okay, I’m really going to start training things. Because with those type of genetics, you train them right….’”

Then there’s her mental game. She is, in a word, unflappable.

“There’s no pressure on her whatsoever.

That’s how even she is,” said Page. “Instead of somebody where the butterflies are just taking over, you drop her in a hot competition, she’s going to do what she normally does.”

“I focus on the competition, not the audience,” Matthews said. “I like to think about my technique and what I’ve done at practice rather than who I’m competing against or who’s watching me. I wasn’t too intimidated by anyone.”

She will be the first to tell you she has a long way to go in her jumping career, which is a scary thought, considering how far she has already gone -- and almost went.

In addition to rewriting Georgia Tech indoor and outdoor record books for the long and triple jumps, taking home gold at the ACC indoor and outdoor championships in the triple jump and the indoor long jump (she was fourth outdoors in the long jump), she won both events at the U.S. Junior Nationals to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials and the World U20 Championships.

Matthews finished 12th in the triple jump and 18th in the long jump at the Olympic Trials, then finished fifth in the long jump and fourth in the triple jump at the U-20s in Bydgoszcz, Poland, to conclude her inaugural season.

About the only postseason meet where Matthews didn’t dominate was the NCAA Regionals, and that’s because she didn’t go after suffering an injury four days prior to the event.

But not competing in that worked to her

advantage, as she got some rest and, given an opportunity to train with Coach Page, came out even stronger for the USATF Junior Outdoor Championships and the Olympic Trials.

“I had to pull something positive out of it,” Page recalled. “I said, ‘Bree, we’re going to increase your speed and strength 10, 15 percent, and we’ll be ready for trials.’ It worked out fine.”

Fine may be an understatement, as Matthews swept the Juniors, then put up an admirable showing in the Trials and the U20s.

Where Matthews, who turned 19 while at the U20s, can go from here is very much on Page’s mind.

“For her to win indoor long jump, indoor triple jump and then come back and win outdoor triple jump as a freshman, that’s pretty phenomenal.

That makes her one of the best jumpers in the country,” he said.

An athlete presenting that kind of conundrum is the exception, for Page, whose pupils already include the likes of Chaunte Lowe, who competed in her fourth Olympics in Rio, Jonathan Gardner, Jhanelle McLeod, Julienne McKee, Alphonso Jordan and James Lemons, just to name a few. None of them had a freshman season like Matthews. In fact, there may not have been a Georgia Tech freshman in any sport that has.

Matthews takes it all in stride, and…well, like a 19-year-old.

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TRACK & FIELD | SUPER COOL

Matthews competed in both the long and triple jumps at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

“I enjoyed traveling to all these meets, like the Junior Championship in California, then the Olympic Trials, then I got to go to Poland. So it was cool,” she said. “The athletes and jumpers (at the Olympic Trials) were really nice. Even though I didn’t really know them, they were nice people. I was just going out there like any other competition warming up getting ready to jump.”

Matthews seems to bring the nice side out of people with her easy-going, fun-loving demeanor. It made her an instant hit with her teammates as well.

GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION

A LOOK AT SOME OTHER GEORGIA TECH SENSATIONAL FRESHMEN Bria Matthews’ sensational freshman season, both indoors and outdoors, ranks as one of the best ever for a Georgia Tech freshman. Here are some other athletes that might be included in the conversation.

KENNY ANDERSON BASKETBALL - 1989-90 During the 1989-90 season, as part of “Lethal Weapon 3,” the 6-0, 168-pound point guard averaged 20.7 points (third on the team), while shooting 51.5 percent, 41.0 from three, both team-bests, and dishing out 8.1 assists per game.

He was a big reason for Georgia Tech’s 28-7 record, ACC Tournament Championship, and NCAA Tournament run to the Final Four. Anderson

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was named first-team All-ACC, a consensus first-team All-American, as well as USBWA Freshman of the Year.

JESSICA (SALLINGER) COLE SOFTBALL - 2002 Sallinger came in firing in her debut season, going 28-9 in the circle, with a 1.17 ERA. She struck out 337 batters in 257 innings, while throwing 32 complete games with 12 shutouts and holding opposing hitters to a .176 batting average. Her

“She’s just a bright spirit to be around,” said junior hurdler Kenya Collins, who knew Matthews from high school, having grown up in Jonesboro, a mere 11 miles from Morrow, and attended Mundy’s Mill High, a competitor with Forest Park. “She’ll light up the track when everybody is in a bad mood with her smile and laughing all the time. She’s reserved but once you get to know her more she’s very open, very silly, very goofy, always laughing or smiling, able to crack a joke and take a joke and say something to keep the mood light.”

Academically, as athletically, Matthews found herself a shining star, earning All-ACC Academic honors as well as earning a spot on the ACC Honor Roll -- one of 12 ACC Freshmen of the Year honorees to make it.

“I know that track isn’t going to be a part of my life forever, so I like setting long term goals. My school is very important to me,” said Matthews, who was Clayton County Star Student (the student with the county’s highest SAT score) at Forest Park. “The fact that I’m able to keep up my grades and compete well is very important to me.”

It was so important that even while she was traveling to Clovis, Calif., for the U.S. Junior Nationals, to Eugene, Ore., for the Olympic Trials, then to Poland for the U20s, she was still able to ace her summer physics class -- even overcoming some spotty WiFi while in Europe.

As she heads into her sophomore year, Matthews is not satisfied and has goals and a plan on improving.

“Number one I need to work on getting better on my first attempt instead of waiting for the last

wins, strikeouts, complete games, and innings set school records. Sallinger was named ACC Rookie of the Year, ranking in the top three in 10 different pitching categories, and was selected all-region by the NFCA. Sallinger was MVP of the ACC Championship, recording all three Tech wins, surrendering one earned run with 29 K’s in 23 innings, including a 17-inning scoreless streak. She also excelled in the NCAA Regional, earning three more wins with 50 K’s in 35 2/3 innings. For the year, she had 14 double-digit strikeout games, including a school-record 15 against Chattanooga at the NCAA Regional.

KISHA FORD BASKETBALL - 1993-94 The 5-11 guard/forward embarked on a career that would see her graduate as Georgia Tech’s all-time leader in scoring, minutes (she’s now second in both) and steals (she’s now third). Ford dominated in her freshman season, leading the team in scoring (16.2 ppg), rebounds (5.8 rpg), assists (4.0 apg) and steals (3.4 spg), including 41 points on Feb. 9 against East Tennessee State, the second-most points in a game by a Jacket, with 16 field goals, tied for third. She was selected to the ACC All-Freshman team, her first of three

one because, especially in big meets,” she said.

“Usually my best jump is my sixth jump or it comes later in the series, but in bigger competitions you don’t have the luxury of having more jumps. So I need to work on being more consistent.

“I need to be mentally prepared because, especially in the triple jump, it’s very techniquebased,” she added. “Sometimes I get distracted, I don’t remember to do certain things during my jump. So I need to focus on that.”

Improved focus, along with the talent, the demeanor and the work ethic, already present, will only raise the ceiling for Matthews.

Page feels he saw the first part of that improved focus, and even something of a mean streak, after the U20s, when the usually quiet and reserved Matthews started to let some of her competitive fire out.

“She got bumped out of a medal,” he recalled.

“I finally saw that, ‘I didn’t want to be fourth. I wanted to be third. If I couldn’t win, I wanted second. If I couldn’t be second, I wanted third.

I wanted a medal.’ I finally saw emotion from her that she didn’t get a medal. It was the first time. So I was like, ‘Okay, there it is. There is a stronger desire and a will to do better. There is something out there that you want.’ So I finally saw a difference in emotions with her.”

Matthews’ commitment to excellence already has been contagious and already rubbed off on the rest of the team.

“That’s definitely motivated a lot of people on the team,” said Collins. “Seeing a freshman come in and cover so much ground in a positive direction kind of boosted the fire under some people to go the extra mile at practice or go the

All-ACC selections. She was selected to the ACC All-Tournament Team, and was named Freshman All-America by Basketball Times.

GUILLERMO GOMEZ TENNIS - 2007-08 Georgia Tech’s all-time singles winner (110 matches), Gomez debuted at 27-12, 17-8 in dual matches, while playing at No. 1 singles, with five wins over ranked opponents. Guillermo was 17-10 in doubles, 14-8 in dual matches.

He became the first Yellow Jacket freshman to earn a berth in NCAA Tournament singles, was only the

extra mile in the weight room to also be a part of the success on the team. Coach Page always tells us not to limit ourselves and our goals should definitely scare us a little bit. She has so many things ahead of her, probably she doesn’t even realize.”

This coming season she may get to realize success in another event, hurdles.

“We tried to do it this year but I needed to focus on my triple and long jump more because my technique was off,” Matthews said.

“Hopefully I can get more into it next year. Hopefully I can be talented in that, too.”

That wouldn’t be surprising, as hurdling runs in her family, which is athletic from top to bottom.

“My dad (Dexter) ran track in high school and college. He did the 110 hurdles,” Bria said. “My older sister (Gracinta), who actually is the reason I started doing the triple jump, she did triple jump in middle school, and then in high school, she switched to mainly hurdles.”

Her younger sister, Sara, is following in Bria’s footsteps and their mother, Grace, also was an athlete, playing basketball in high school.

Page is on board with adding the extra discipline.

“She will be doing some hurdling. She loves hurdling,” he said. “She’s hurdled 14:40 in high school. So we’ll let her hurdle this coming year.”

With three more years, Page can’t wait to see what in the future brings.

second Yellow Jacket ever to be named ACC Freshman of the Year and was named ITA Mideast Region Rookie of the Year. He earned his first of four straight All-ACC honors.

CALVIN JOHNSON FOOTBALL - 2004 Long before he was known as “Megatron,” Calvin Johnson was transforming the way wide receiver was played. In his debut season of 2004, he was named first-team Freshman All-America, first-team All-ACC, his first of three straight such honors, the first Jacket ever to do so, and ACC Rookie of the Year. In

FOR HER TO WIN INDOOR LONG JUMP, INDOOR TRIPLE JUMP AND THEN COME BACK AND WIN OUTDOOR TRIPLE JUMP AS A FRESHMAN, THAT’S PRETTY PHENOMENAL. THAT MAKES HER ONE OF THE BEST JUMPERS IN THE COUNTRY.

2004 he led the team and set school freshman records with 48 catches (seven for touchdowns) for 837 yards. The receptions and yardage rank second and third all-time for ACC freshmen. One of the biggest came following the Sept. 11 game at Clemson, in which Johnson had three TD catches, including a pair of incredible leaping catches in the final 1:50 -- the last from 11 yards out with 11 seconds remaining as the Jackets upset the 18th-ranked Tigers, 28-24. He gave defenders fits, drawing 10 pass interference or holding penalties, four of them coming against Georgia.

—NAT PAGE

CHAUNTE (HOWARD) LOWE TRACK AND FIELD - 2002-03 Now a four-time Olympian, Chaunte took home gold in the high jump in the ACC Indoor and Outdoor Championships as a freshman, with winning jumps of 6-0 in both.

She was named All-American after finishing as runner-up in the NCAA Outdoor Championship. She was 10th in the NCAA Indoors.

Lowe won the high jump at the USA Junior National Track & Field Championships and set a school record with a jump of 6-2.75 in the NCAA East Regionals, good for fourth. She also was part of a school-

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TRACK & FIELD | SUPER COOL

“I’m really, really excited,” he said. “I like what she does in the long, and I think that strength-wise increase, speed-wise increase, a different technique, will launch her to...well, she’s one of the best jumpers in the country now, collegiately. I think we can bump that up a lot more. A lot more.”

record-setting 4x200 relay team that went 1:34.98 at the Penn Relays.

STEPHON MARBURY BASKETBALL - 1995-96 Marbury brought his star-power to Georgia Tech for only one season, but it was a memorable one. The 6-3, 180-pound sharpshooter led the Jackets, with 18.9 points per game on 45.7 percent shooting, 37.0 percent from three, and nearly 74 percent from the line, while delivering 4.5 assists. The 1996 ACC Rookie of the Year and a first-team AllAmerican, Marbury, along with Matt Harpring and Drew Barry, helped Tech to a 24-12 record, including an ACC regular season championship with an all-time, program-best 13-3 mark. The Jackets reached the final of the ACC Tournament, dropping a tough 75-74 decision to Tim Duncan

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and Wake Forest, then advanced two rounds before falling to Cincinnati in their attempt for an Elite Eight berth.

The honors rolled in for Marbury, who earned ACC All-Tournament, Freshman All-America and thirdteam All-America honors. He entered the NBA Draft where he lasted all of four picks before being selected by Milwaukee.

KRISTI MILLER TENNIS - 2004-05 Miller became the first Georgia Tech women’s tennis All-American, the first of four such honors she would receive, and was a first-team All-ACC selection and ACC Rookie of the Year. Her 42 wins are still second in a season by a Yellow Jacket, and her .792 winning percentage (42-11) for the season ranks ninth all-time in school history. Her 29 doubles wins

Matthews can’t wait to show what she’s learned from her first year.

“I feel more mature and experienced now so the next time I go to a high-caliber meet, I’ll be way better prepared,” she said. “So I will feel a lot more confident in competing against better athletes and pro athletes.

rank fifth in a single-season. Miller still holds the Tech career record with 152 singles wins and is second alltime with a .796 winning percentage (152-39). Her 110 doubles wins are a school high.

was sixth). He earned his first of eight collegiate wins, at the Carpet Capital Collegiate. Molder’s 70.65 career average is still the lowest in program history.

BRYCE MOLDER

BASEBALL - 1999 Teixeira had a tremendous debut season on the Flats. A third baseman back then, “Tex” hit .387, with 87 hits, including 18 doubles, 13 homers, 65 RBIs, and 61 runs scored, all team-highs. He was named first-team All-ACC, ACC Rookie of the Year and National Rookie of the Year. The Jackets finished 38-20 that season, delighting the home crowd, going 25-6 at home. Teixeira announced he is retiring from Major League Baseball at the end of the 2016 season, concluding a 14-year career.

GOLF - 1998 One of Georgia Tech’s most consistent golfers, Molder showed he was up to par immediately. He averaged 70.95 per tournament as a freshman, earning ACC Rookie of the Year, his first of four All-Conference and GCAA All-America honors. He remains one of only four players to be named first-team All-America in four straight years. Molder finished runner up for the Fred Haskins Award as National Player of the Year after nine top-10 finishes with eight of those in the top five (the other he

MARK TEIXEIRA

GOLF

CLIMBING THE LADDER A PASSEL OF RECENT TECH GRADUATES ARE THE NEXT WAVE OF YELLOW JACKETS ON PROFESSIONAL GOLF TOURS MATT WINKELJOHN

G

olf is the same, yet different now for former Georgia Tech teammates Anders Albertson, Ollie Schneiderjans, Richy Werenski and Seth Reeves, and several former Yellow Jacket golfers are finding the game more like work because, well, it is.

The “game” is a job now for these men as they toil in golf’s minor leagues in pursuit of PGA Tour cards for 2017.

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The Web.com Tour is the most lucrative of the minors, and a limited number of its top players each fall score tickets straight to the big time.

That’s where Anders, Ollie, Richy and former Yellow Jacket Kyle Scott are punching the clock.

Reeves is playing in the PGA-owned Mackenzie Tour in Canada, J.T. Griffin, James White and Drew Czuchry are grinding away on the SwingThought.com Tour, mostly in the

Ollie Schniederjans and Richy Werenski have both won titles on the Web.com Tour this summer, and will have membership status on the PGA Tour for 2016-17.

FACT

Richy Werenski and Ollie Schniederjans rank No. 2 and 3 in earnings on the Web.com Tour this season.

Southeast, and Bo Andrews has spent time on the SwingThought and PGA Tour LatinoAmerica.

Transitioning to the pros is not as simple as saying, “Now I’ll play for pay.”

There’s no head coach to set up a schedule, make travel arrangements or pick up a dinner tab. Tech head coach Bruce Heppler’s not setting up anything.

“You don’t just show up when coach says to be there,” said Albertson. “I’ve got to do things in advance with rental cars, booking flights, and that takes up a lot of my time. That’s different.

Staying alone in different hotels, eating alone ...

I’m definitely not always going out to the quality of restaurants that I did in college.”

There are plenty more changes.

The erstwhile Jackets have to pay to play (or work) with no guarantees they’ll be paid for working. There were no cuts in college, but there are now. Reeves paid $4,500 upon entering a March qualifying tournament to earn a card onto the Mackenzie Tour. He won, but there was no purse.

“I just got a pat on the back,” he said.

That’s not all that’s different.

Unlike college, where there are no caddies, Web.com players always have them – and have to pay them. In Canada, Reeves has to hire a caddy upon making cuts.

All of these men have to worry about loopers and much more now.

Schneiderjans, who graduated in 2015, is probably better able to afford fancier meals, although there are not always high-end joints in places like Ivanhoe, Ill., Findley Lake, N.Y., and Lehi, Utah, on the Web.com Tour.

Among former Jackets in the minors, he and Werenski (class of 2014) are having the best go of it. Through early August, they’d each won once and were Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, on the money list on the Web.com Tour.

Ollie earned $277,271 and Werenski $263,470 through mid-August, virtually locking up PGA Tour cards for 2016-17 by guaranteeing themselves to finish the season in the Web.com Tour’s top 25.

“I don’t think the pressure ever gets to me,” Schniederjans said of the Web.com Tour. “I think that’s over-rated. The pressure is whatever you put on yourself.”

Albertson (class of 2015) had won $73,495, ranking No. 54 on Web.com money list.

He could still earn a PGA card by moving up that list over the final three regular-season

events and through four Web.com playoff events this fall. The PGA also will give Tour cards to the top 25 finishers in the final playoff.

“If I can have a good week in the last three, it will push me into a good number,” Albertson said. “If not, I’m looking forward to the playoffs.”

Scott (class of 2011) stands 139th in money earned with $15,493.

That’s more than Reeves -- even though he’s 10th on the MacKenzie money list with $14,764. The top 20 at season’s end will earn a bye through the first stage of the Web. com Qualifying School, where he fell short of earning a card last fall.

The weather’s nice and humidity is not an issue up north, but the payouts are modest. It’s lonely, too, as former Tech teammates Czuchry (2015), Andrews (2015) and White (2012) did not make it through the Mackenzie qualifier.

White did receive one sponsor’s exemption.

“That was fun, and this has been good for me. The season is short, 12 events [from May to September] ... but there’s a downside to each tour, like I’m not making a lot of money,” Reeves said. “It’s kind of brutal, and kind of expensive.

“The purses are top heavy. I finished fourth last week, and I made like $8,000 Canadian.

There’s the exchange rate, and then they take 15 percent because I’m not Canadian. I make about 60 percent of what it says online. To come up here and make some money, you’ve got to get wins.”

Albertson played the SwingThought.com Tour summer after graduating, and then last fall played his way through the Web.com Q-School and onto that Tour.

Schniederjans has considerable top-level experience already.

In addition to playing in last summer’s U.S. Open (tie for 42nd) and British Open (tie for 12th) as a reward for being the world’s No. 1-ranked amateur for much of 201415, he made three PGA Tour starts before turning pro and four after. He made four of seven cuts, earning $160,107 playing on sponsors’ exemptions.

In seven PGA starts earlier this year, he made four cuts and earned $68,586 before his exemptions ran out and he jumped onto the Web.com Tour full-time.

His girlfriend has occasionally traveled with him, his mother has been to a couple tournaments, and his caddie of more than a year, Lance Bailey, is on his bag.

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GOLF | CLIMBING THE LADDER

BY THE NUMBERS

12

Eagles converted by Ollie Schniederjans this year, secondmost on the Web.com Tour.

FACT

Richy Werenski ranks No. 2 in earnings, but no higher than No. 22 in any tour statistical category.

That doesn’t guarantee success.

When Schniederjans missed the cut Aug. 5 in the Digital Ally Open in Overland Park, Kan., he declined to return home to Alpharetta.

Instead, he stayed on the Plains and practiced.

The next week’s tournament – the Price Cutter Charity Championship – was close, in Springfield, Mo. The decision on whether to go home, “Depends on how far away you are and what you want to do,” Schniederjans said. “This one, I stayed. It’s a two-hour drive, and I kept the rental car. I had some stuff to work on.

“Sometimes you can’t control where you are mentally that week. We’re all busy with our own stuff. I have gone to dinner with Anders once or twice, the same with Richy. I’ve played a practice round with Anders, and I’ve been paired with Richy at New York and in Utah.”

Albertson has a part-time caddy. He said that when “my good friend Devin Stanton,” the former Georgia Tech pitcher, can’t get away from work in Atlanta as a strength coach to carry Anders’ bag, it’s a crapshoot picking local caddies.

FOR SALE

Mary Beth Lake

404-394-4519 HarryNorman.com

The BUZZ® Sculpture is ©2008 of Georgia Institute of Technology.

The BUZZ word mark and the BUZZ Design Mark are trademarks of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

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“You spend the first day trying to get used to each other,” he explained. “Sometimes, you get lucky and get a guy who knows the course really well. I’ve been fortunate a few times, especially in Brazil.”

After missing the cut by nine strokes July 29 in the Ellie Mae Classic in Hayward, Calif., though, Albertson changed his plans. He went home to Alpharetta and skipped the Digital Ally Open the next week.

“I got to a point where I knew mentally I needed a break; I was going crazy,” he said. “It felt like I was in a bit of a dream. Focus wasn’t there, patience wasn’t there. I was home. I just hung out and did my routine. It felt good to sleep in my own bed. It had been maybe seven straight weeks away.”

Asked about Georgia Tech, Albertson said, “I don’t miss the class part,” but he has fond memories of living in dormitories with teammates, workouts, team travel and built-in structure.

Reeves stays in touch with Andrews, and said that several of his former teammates occasionally sync up on a group text. They keep tabs and compliment each other after good outings.

Schniederjans is most keenly in tune with current Jackets. One brother, Ben, is a pitcher for Tech and another, Luke, will be a freshman golfer at Tech this fall.

“I have contact with Bruce a good bit, and Luke is going there so I’m pretty involved in how the team is going,” Ollie said. “I think [the new Noonan Practice Facility] will make a big difference in the team.”

Everybody, it seems, is always looking to the future.

Reeves made it home to Duluth briefly in July, and is eager to return from Canada to the United States for the Web.com Q-School in the fall.

He’s anticipating tougher courses than he’s playing in Canada, but believes the quality of the fields in Canada will leave him better prepared this time than last.

“It’s like a mini-PGA Tour. They have PGA Tour officials and staff that run it,” Reeves said. “It’s really well done, and that prepares you. Seeing what [Schniederjans, Werenski and Albertson] have made [on the Web.com Tour] . . . They’ve earned more money because it’s the next level.

“You’ve got to earn your way there, and I have no doubt I will. It’s a journey I’ve been on.

In college, it took me a couple years. I can be on the PGA Tour in a year or two.”

WALK OF LIFE

FORMER FOOTBALL WALK-ON SAM KELLY HAS BUILT HIS LIFE AND CAREER AROUND RELATIONSHIPS

BY SIMIT SHAH

Growing up in the southern Atlanta suburb of Riverdale, Sam Kelly was a diehard fan of that other school east of Atlanta.

That all changed one day in April, 1979.

A 195-pound defensive ends with dreams of playing college football, Kelly visited Athens with the intent of joining the football program.

After meeting with the coaches, he went to an academic introduction. The advisor explained the vast array of remedial options to Kelly, who immediately balked at their academic offerings.

“I was there with three other students,” he remembered. “We walked out the door – they walked one way, I walked the other. I knew that place wasn’t for me.”

With his first choice summarily eliminated, Kelly’s sights were reset closer to home.

“I knew the friend who arranged the Georgia visit as a wrestling referee, but then George Slayton revealed that he was Georgia Tech’s football academic advisor,” Kelly said. “I had known him for two years, so it was a surprise.”

Slayton assisted Kelly in getting a conditional acceptance to Georgia Tech.

“They got me into Georgia Tech with an agreement that I had to be on Dean’s List every quarter for the first year or they’d kick me out,” he recalled. “It was a relief when I passed that last test. When Coach (Bill) Curry came in my sophomore year, he gave me a full ride his first fall at Georgia Tech and the second walkon scholarship he awarded at Tech.”

Remarkably, Kelly went from barely being admitted to earning a prestigious academic scholarship as a senior.

“School was hard for me,” he said. “It was all about managing my time between school and football. It was one of the most demanding things I’ve done in my life. As I’ve helped coach in our community, that’s one of the lessons I’ve tried to pass along.”

“Dr. Phil Adler was our coach in the classroom at Georgia Tech. He changed all of our lives, and most of us still have nightmares about his classes, but we learned so much,” he added.

On the field, Kelly cherishes plenty of memories playing under Coach Curry.

“You make relationships for a lifetime. It was the greatest experience of my life,” Kelly declared. “I shouldn’t have been playing at Georgia Tech, but I made it through and it was the greatest experience of my life. I played against Bo Jackson, Kelvin Bryant and Herschel Walker multiple times, faced Notre Dame and played in the Superdome.

“We beat Bear Bryant and No. 2 Alabama in 1981,” he continued. “I still remember standing in the middle of their field, not quite believing what was happening. I’ll never forget that as long as I live.”

Kelly was named Academic All-ACC his senior year and graduated with a degree in industrial management in 1982. He took a job with Frito-Lay before moving to NCR for seven years.

He followed with seven years at a smaller competitor before starting the SAM Group in 1998. The company specializes in point-of-sale technology for a number of the nation’s largest retailers.

Based in Greenville, the company has grown to 50 employees and services the entire United States. It has been an IBM Premier Business Partner and now a Toshiba Award recipient for the last 17 of the 18 years. (“They had never given this award to a company in their first year of existence, otherwise we would be 18 for 18,” noted Kelly.)

“I’m most proud that a lot of our team members and customers have come with us through several different companies,” Kelly explained. “We take a lot of pride in what we do and not cutting corners.”

Throughout the course of his career, Kelly has carried and employed the lessons he learned on The Flats.

“Georgia Tech and Bill Curry prepared my teammates and me for life,” he said. “The things that he taught us resonate in every aspect of life. It was a great experience. I’ve been leading SAM Group for 18 years and two others for 14 years, and I still think back to the lessons I learned at Georgia Tech. My

mentor today, 35 years later, is still Bill Curry.”

Gold and white run deep though his veins as well as those of his wife Angie and daughters Maria and Erin. The couple also has an adopted son, Jamal Devaroe Lawrence, who is finishing his senior year playing football at Auburn. He graduated this past May and has NFL aspirations.

Kelly and his family have generously contributed to Georgia Tech, choosing an aspect of the program close to his heart.

“A lot of people don’t remember that the old weight room was out in the open behind a fence,” he said. “You’d freeze your tail off in the wintertime and nearly melt during the summer.”

Several years ago, the Kelly family donated $500,000 to renovate the primary weight room, The Angie and Sam Kelly Sports Performance Facility.

“It has Angie’s name first because she made the final decision to move forward with this project. We lived in married housing my senior year at Georgia Tech, and she has been my partner and the love of my life for over 38 years.”

“That’s how I made my way through Georgia Tech – I didn’t have the talent that other guys had, so I had to put in the work.

That’s how it started, and then I got to know (former strength coach) Eric Ciano when he was here. He got me involved, so this was a way to help Coach Paul Johnson and the program.

“I’m hoping that if I did it, it’d encourage others to step up to the plate. There are a lot of things that need to be done, and I wanted to get things started. We give God all the glory for all that He has allowed us to do and accomplish. He has blessed us with so much!”

WWW.RAMBLINWRECK.COM

35

ALEXANDER-THARPE FUND

PHILANTHROPIC SCHOLARSHIP GOALS FY2017

The Alexander-Tharpe Fund has an overall goal to raise $3.3 million to help cover the $11 million scholarship costs in the fiscal year that began on July 1, 2016 and concludes June 30, 2017. Funds for scholarships are received by donor established endowments and through gifts to the Athletic Scholarship Fund (formerly known as A-T Unrestricted).

$2 MILLION GOAL

To continue towards the long-term goal of fully endowing scholarships for all sports, A-T established a goal to raise $2 million in endowments for FY17.

$1.3M

ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND*

Total Endowed Scholarships

$2.5M

ENDOWMENT RETURNS

$11M

SCHOLARSHIP EXPENSES

$78M

TOTAL GTA BUDGET

$50,963,750 CURRENTLY ENDOWED

$7.2M

OTHER SOURCES

*received in 2016 giving year

$60,036,250

REMAINING TO RAISE

MEN’S SPORTS

WOMEN’S SPORTS

BASEBALL

41%

BASKETBALL

BASKETBALL

42%

SOFTBALL

21%

FOOTBALL

100% 49%

TRACK & FIELD

0%

36

The Buzz

TRACK & FIELD

56%

| FALL 2016

0% 41%

TENNIS VOLLEYBALL

55%

TENNIS

0%

SWIMMING

GOLF SWIMMING

22%

0%

A-T Unrestricted has been renamed the Athletic Scholarship Fund in order to better describe its purpose in helping bridge the gap between income received from endowed scholarships and the actual costs of scholarships for GT student-athletes. Currently, the Georgia Tech Athletic Association covers $11 million in scholarship monies for over 360 student-athletes.

For more information please visit ATFund.org or call 404-894-5414

SWARM WEEK

AUGUST 29TH – SEPTEMBER 3RD The Georgia Tech Athletic Association has a goal of increasing new participation in Tech Athletics by 1,500 members.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Swarm Week is an opportunity to Grow the Swarm with Georgia Tech alumni and faithful. The more Yellow Jackets we have in the Swarm working smarter (not just harder) exponentially impacts how far we can go in creating champions in academics, competition and life.

• INCREASE YOUR CURRENT ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND TO A HIGHER GIVING LEVEL

• DONATE TO THE ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND IN ADDITION TO TECH FUND

• MAKE A NEW GIFT OR ADDITIONAL GIFT TO AN INDIVIDUAL SPORT • PURCHASE NEW OR ADDITIONAL SEASON TICKETS

SWARMWEEK.ATFUND.ORG

• SHARE VIA EMAIL, TEXT AND SOCIAL MEDIA

WWW.RAMBLINWRECK.COM

37

ALEXANDER-THARPE FUND

ALEXANDERTHARPE FUND UPDATES FOR 2017 GIVING YEAR The Athletic Scholarship Fund (formerly called A-T Unrestricted) is the highest priority area of annual giving. Giving levels and benefits have been updated with the top level titled “Full Scholarship” at $30,000 per year, reflecting the cost of a student-athlete scholarship. The “Half Scholarship” level has a gift amount of $15,000 per year, and the “Diamond T” level returns with the gift amount of $7,500 per year.

Find your current giving level and associated benefits on the chart below.

Minimum Gift Amount

ip lar sh

ip

Fu ll Sc ho

Ha lf Sc ho la

rsh

T nd mo Dia

nT lde Go

He

ism

an

r de Ale xa n

er mb

Me

&1 (G T Ne Stud 0 w G en rad ts a ua nd tes )

1st

(For annual gifts received July 1, 2016-June 30 2017)

TE (S CH

2017 Annual Giving Benefit Levels

ea F Se son un at d T Do icke na tio t n)

Donations made to the Athletic Scholarship Fund

By Section

$15

$150

$500

$1,000

$3,000

$7,500

$15,000

$30,000

1 point

2 points

2 points

2 points

2 points

2 points

2 points

2 points

2 points

Buzz Memories Credits (with season tickets) A-T Priority Points (per $100) Priority Points for Consecutive Years of Giving Priority for Football and Men’s Basketball Tickets and Parking^ Buzz Magazine Subscription (4 issues per year)

#

A-T Fund Donor Level Window Decal Recognition in Game Day Football Program Invitation to Heisman Event 14K Gold Lapel Pin (one-time benefit)

*=1 diamond, **=2 diamonds, ***=3 diamonds)

*

**

***

GTAA Dining Hall Luncheon and Athletics Facilities Tour Invitation to Annual Endowed Scholarship Dinner Invitation to Athletic Director’s “State of Athletics” Luncheon Private Ride in the Ramblin’ Wreck ^ Includes priority for Season Ticket Relocation requests, Season Parking relocation requests, allocations for away games, bowl games, ACC Championships and postseason tournaments. # Buzz Magazine will be mailed to New Graduate 1st & 10 members with valid mailing address. Student members may attain a copy in person at the Alexander-Tharpe Fund office.

38

The Buzz

| FALL 2016

COMPLIANCE CORNER

BY SHOSHANNA ENGEL, ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR FOR COMPLIANCE

BEHIND THE BY-LAWS - SOCIAL MEDIA AND RECRUITING

SHOSHANNA ENGEL ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR FOR COMPLIANCE

In the spring, we outlined how the Georgia Tech Athletic Association gets the word out on the signing of recruits and the process GTAA staff members must follow in releasing official notifications relative to the signing of prospective student-athletes.

The social media arena is a bit of a different ballgame, however, where NCAA rules are concerned.

Beginning in August, the NCAA loosened restrictions on athletics staff members concerning social media ‘action’ and prospective student-athletes (PSAs).

Please see below and attached for a chart summarizing the DOs and DON’Ts, but the highlights are that it is now permissible to follow, like, repost, retweet, etc. social media postings made by, mentioning, or related to activities of PSAs. While staff members may take these actions, it remains impermissible to comment, add text, or create any other publicity about PSAs prior to them signing a national letter-of-intent or grant-in-aid or otherwise officially committing to Georgia Tech. As always, please do not hesitate to contact the compliance staff prior to taking any social media action.

SOCIAL MEDIA TIP SHEET

Prior to PSA Signing a National Letter of Intent or Other Written Commitment PRIVATE FRIEND/ MESSAGE A FOLLOW A PSA PSA*

“LIKE” OR “FAVORITE” A PSA’S POST OR A POST ABOUT A PSA

SHARE OR RETWEET A PSA’S POST OR A POST ABOUT A PSA

COMMENT ON A PSA’S POST OR ON A POST ABOUT A PSA

After PSA Signs a National Letter of Intent or Other Written Commitment TAG OR MENTION A PSA IN A POST

*Private messages may only be sent to a PSA: MBB: June 15 following sophomore year All Other Sports: September 1 of the junior year

Shoshanna Engel Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance sengel@athletics.gatech.edu (404)894-8792

PRIVATE FRIEND/ MESSAGE A FOLLOW A PSA PSA*

“LIKE” OR “FAVORITE” A PSA’S POST OR A POST ABOUT A PSA

SHARE OR RETWEET A PSA’S POST OR A POST ABOUT A PSA

COMMENT ON A PSA’S POST TAG OR OR ON A POST MENTION A PSA ABOUT A PSA** IN A POST**

**The lifting of publicity restrictions only applies to committed PSAs (e.g., those that have signed an NLI/GIA, replied to a written offer of admission, paid a housing deposit, etc.). Posts that include or are about unsigned PSAs are prohibited.

Bret Cowley Associate Director of Compliance bcowley@athletics.gtaa.edu (404)385-0611

Shardonay Blueford Assistant Director of Compliance sblueford@athletics.gatech.edu (404)894-0416

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