January 24, 2023

BLACKSBURG ARTIST TO CREATE REPLACEMENT FOR ROBERT E. LEE STATUE IN ROANOKE

VICTORIA WEBER | NEWS EDITOR

The statue will recognize Henrietta Lacks, a Roanoke native whose cells revolutionized medicine.

Last month, it was announced that Virginia Tech graduate and former faculty member Larry Bechtel will create a statue of Henrietta Lacks to replace the statue of Robert E. Lee in Roanoke, according to the Miami Times. The statue, designed by Roanoke artist Bryce Cobbs, is intended to commemorate Lacks for her contributions to science, and will be displayed this fall.

Lacks was born in Roanoke and was undergoing treatment for cervical cancer when her cancer cells were taken to be studied without her knowledge. These cells were the first observed to survive beyond just a few days and never die. These cells, dubbed HeLa cells, led to immense progress in the field of medicine. The cells contributed to the production of the polio vaccine as well as the COVID-19 vaccine, in addition to many other

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innovations such as cancer and in-vitro fertilization studies.

According to the Guardian, drug companies have made a significant amount of money from Lacks’ cells, but her descendants have struggled over the years. Deborah Lacks, Henrietta Lacks’ daughter, shared her feelings on the matter in an interview.

“Truth be told, I cannot get mad at science, because it helps people live, and I’d be a mess without it,” Lacks said. “But I won’t lie. I would like some health insurance so I don’t got to pay all that money every month for drugs my mother’s cells probably helped make.”

As for the sculptor behind this public acknowledgement of Lacks, according to Bechtel’s website, he received a bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College in 1971, and began attending graduate school at

Virginia Tech 12 years later. After completing graduate school, Virginia Tech hired Bechtel as an instructor in the English department, where he eventually became Virginia Tech’s first recycling coordinator. Bechtel has also authored multiple books, including “A Partial Sun,” “That Dazzling Sun” and “House of Poetry”.

Bechtel cites his divorce as the catalyst for his interest in sculpting and stepped away from teaching at Virginia Tech in 2009. In homage to his retirement, Bechtel created a sculpture in tribute to police dogs killed in service, titled “That I May Serve,” a nod to Virginia Tech’s motto, “Ut Prosim.” Bechtel also sculpted the statue of William Addison Caldwell, the first student to enroll at Virginia Tech, then Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College. The statue is situated on the steps leading up to the Upper Quad on the Blacksburg campus.

In an interview with NPR, Cobbs walked through his design process.

According to WSLS, Cobbs, who was part of Roanoke’s Hidden Histories, worked to publicize the area’s Black history and helped fundraise for the statue. Roanoke’s Hidden Histories exceeded their goal of $160,000, eventually receiving over $183,000 in donations.

The statue will be located in the renamed Lacks Plaza, where the statue of Robert E. Lee stood until 2020 in the previously named Lee Plaza.

In an interview with WSLS, Cobbs said, “A lot of people don’t know the story of Henrietta Lacks, and so I think that having this statue here, especially in the place that the old general Robert E. Lee monument was, is such an impactful, powerful statement.”

According to ABC News, Cobbs recently showed his sketch for the statue on Dec. 19, 2022. The statue is planned to be six feet tall and is estimated to be 400 pounds when completed.

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“I really wanted to have a distinguished, powerful pose,” Cobbs said. “And I wanted her looking up. I always remember, like, looking up as being something like a feeling of proudness and of having that confidence in yourself and the strength in who you are.”

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OPINIONS IGNORING YOUNG VOTERS IS A LOSING STRATEGY

JORDAN MEADOWS | OPINIONS COLUMNIST

Politicians should focus on appealing to the younger demographic.

Sometimes people complain that politicians do not care about the voters’ true interests or desires — they only care about your vote. If this is the case, then any person seated or running for public office should recognize, address and prescribe policies appealing to young people’s interests in order to obtain their vote.

It is not a bad thing for a person’s representative to push policy to garner votes. There can, however, be a problem with how much — or little — the representative values the particular constituent’s vote. In the recent 2022 U.S. midterm elections, Republicans were evidently perceived as insufficient to young voters, ostensibly because they paid too little attention to their main interests; problems such as climate change, abortion, and gun control.

An estimated 27% of voters under the age of 30 cast a ballot in the 2022 midterm elections — the second-highest turnout for

a midterm in nearly 30 years. Additionally, young voters split in favor of Democrats by an astounding 28 points — an increase from the 2020 election.

Karen Hult, Ph.D., a professor of political science at Virginia Tech, said that there are many factors which can influence young people into voting at higher rates.

“The higher turnout likely reflected a number of factors, including the perceived competitiveness of the races, whether a state is a ‘battleground’ or ‘swing state’ in presidential elections, the number of congressional and statewide races and outreach and contact efforts, especially by Democrats,” Hult said.

“Direct impact is harder to identify, but one can make the case that high turnout of young voters in strongly contested races could well have helped Democratic candidates.”

According to an NPR interview with John Della Volpe, the director of polling at Harvard University, while this younger age group only

represents 12% of the voting population, they made their presence known by canceling out votes of older age groups.

“We would have had a red wave, actually, if not for younger people because, if you look at votes of people between 40 and 49 years old, Republicans won by seven points,” Volpe said. “50 to 64-year-olds, they won by nine points, and they won by 12 points among people over the age of 65.”

Clearly, young voters were influential in Democrats maintaining the Senate and did better than expected in the House. Young people ostensibly voted Democrat not because they approved of the party or their leaders, but because they disapproved of the leaders and ideas of the Republicans. President Joe Biden had a 37% approval rating from voters 18–39 the day of the midterms — the lowest of any age demographic. Nevertheless, the day after the midterms, Biden was praising young voters for

their record turnout in favor of his party and addressed what he believes to be reasons for the increase.

“I especially want to thank the young people of this nation, who — I’m told — voted in historic numbers again … They voted to continue addressing the climate crisis, gun violence, their personal rights and freedoms, and the student debt relief,” Biden said.

Biden is correct in his assessment: young voters turned out for Democrats because they care about the issues being addressed such as climate change, abortion and gun crime, and about the particular solutions the party prescribes for the future as opposed to the policies promoted by Republicans.

According to a national poll conducted by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, inflation, abortion, protecting democracy, climate change and gun control are the issues young voters care the most

ETHAN CANDELARIO / COLLEGIATE TIMES

A Virginia Tech student wears an “I Voted” sticker after voting on super Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2020.

continued from page 3

about. According to a PEW Research survey, Generation Z voters who identify as Republicans align more with Democrats than they do with older generational Republicans on many of these key issues. Therefore, some Democrats, by running on these issues and prescribing moderate policies, could win-over enough young Republicans to win their election. It also could mean Republicans did not sufficiently address young voters’ interests in general.

Aidan LeBlanc, a senior at Virginia Tech studying criminology and sociology, said that it is extremely important for young people to vote because, for them, the issues are too urgent and too impactful.

“Voting allows our generation to have a voice — aiding in the selection of who will represent our best interests.” LeBlanc said. “Many of the

issues being discussed and voted on impact us more than older generations.”

In the 2022 midterm elections, Maxwell Frost, a 25-year-old Democrat from Florida, was the first member of Generation Z to be elected into US Congress — presumably the first of many. Generation Z makes up an estimated 70 million Americans, many of which are still too young to vote. Nevertheless, voters under 30 are projected to represent over a third of the electorate by 2036. Frost isn’t the lone voice of Generation Z, but he will be able to directly impact legislation that will correspond in the direction his generation of Democrats wants to go toward.

Young voters are more likely, compared to other groups, to be unaffiliated with either party — suggesting an expectation of heightened interest in their vote since they are less likely to

be loyal. Politicians should focus more of their attention on the issues that matter to young people because if they don’t, politicians may lose such a vote to their opponent, to a thirdparty candidate or may lose that vote entirely. Young voters are keeping their representatives accountable.

According to Hult, young people who are first-time voters may develop a pattern of voting, especially if they are intrigued by the race.

“It may be important more generally that starting in 2018, younger voters have been more active. This in turn tends to be related to developing a ‘habit’ of participation that can lead to continued voting,” Hult said. “The emphasis by many younger, college-educated individuals certainly has caught the attention of elected officials, and strong turnout can at least encourage those officials to focus on the concerns of such

LIFESTYLES

voters.”

Individuals seated or running for public office should focus more attention on young voter’s interests. Republicans learned a hard lesson in the recent midterm elections in part because they did not recognize or address the problems young voters are facing and what they prescribe to solve them. Young Americans clearly are showing out to vote in order to make their voices heard, and therefore, public officials should take heed to those voices. Of course, every age group deserves respect, attention and value, but every age group is also different: the electorate is shifting — quickly — and politicians would be prudent to shift along with it.

‘FIVE EASY HOT DOGS’: A MAC DEMARCO ALBUM REVIEW

anthony cusat | Lifestyles writer

Hot Dogs” takes on a physical journey of its own. Using portable recording equipment, DeMarco created each song on the album in a location during a solo trip through various parts of the Pacific Northwest, Canada and other assorted cities. As such, each track is named after the name of the city it was produced in. In an interview with Variety, DeMarco said, “I would just drive until I felt tired and I’d stop somewhere … I didn’t even think about what it would sound like, I just hit record.”

“Vancouver 2” create a musical image of the snowy city. However, when separated from the context of the creation of the track, the relaxing nature of the piece could easily create the image of snow falling on a peaceful winter night.

A little over a decade ago, Mac DeMarco began his rise in the indie scene with his first full-length album “Rock and Roll Night Club.” DeMarco developed laid-back guitar riffs and a signature enchanting sound, which has gradually taken on a sense of melancholy and longing that can only be described as the musical embodiment of growing older and

finding one’s place in the world. DeMarco continues this journey of self-discovery in his newest project, released on Jan. 20, “Five Easy Hot Dogs,” which includes a conglomerate of instrumental tracks reminiscent of some of his demo releases of the past ten years.

Uniquely, the production of “Five Easy

Starting off with “Gualala” and “Gualala 2,” “Five Easy Hot Dogs” demonstrates the melodic and borderline ethereal tunes reminiscent of tracks like “Still Beating” and “One More Love Song” from his previous album, “This Old Dog.” These first two tracks begin the record with a slightly mysterious sound and set a precedent for what is to come.

There is no way to truly see what DeMarco was experiencing when producing this record, but the soft indie sounds in tandem with the location marking each track allow the listener to create a vision of the track in their brains or apply them to the current moment. For example, the chord progressions of

No track specifically stands out amongst the rest, but as a whole, “Five Easy Hot Dogs” creates a rejuvenating experience for a listener. At times the record can be a bit repetitive, but this gives the perfect opportunity to be contemplative. This album is the perfect piece for anyone looking back on a period in life or looking to close a chapter that has remained open for too long.

While instrumental music may not be everyone’s cup of tea, any fans of indie rock or of DeMarco’s previous work would appreciate this record.

Overall, I give “Five Easy Hot Dogs” a 7/10.

Indie artist Mac Demarco released 14 new instrumental tracks that illustrate his 10-year journey in the music industry.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

THE RUTTED ROADS WE TRAVELED ACROSS PANAMÁ

emelia delaporte | lifestyles writer

writer Emelia Delaporte shares her experience studying abroad in Panama City.

While the phrase ‘study abroad’ typically calls to mind images of soaring, historic European buildings and nights out in famous cities, not all academic tourism experiences mean traveling down such well-paved roads. One Winter Session destination found 11 students waking most days to the eerie alarm of pre-dawn howler monkeys, roused in a tent instead of a hotel room. When you travel with Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment to Panamá, you wake up in the rainforest.

“I think people learn in different ways, but I think everybody learns through these experiences and these international study abroad experiences — it places people into these situation(s) where they might be outside of their normal shells and it gives them a chance to learn about different cultures and environments,” said John McGee, geospatial extension specialist at Virginia Tech. McGee serves as the Virginia Tech faculty lead for the Panamá program. “It might put them in an awkward place or a place where they don’t feel comfortable and I think that’s where people learn the most.”

Our 11-day Panamá excursion found us in Panama City, at a private nature reserve on the Río Mamoní, and on a small Caribbean island in the Guna Yala province. Each location offered opportunities for our small group to experience new cultures, environments (both natural and human-impacted) and more. The diversity of location and activities over the trip allowed each of us to build on an already-held passion or to experience something new.

While the program is led by CNRE and mainly consists of wildlife conservation majors, our 2023 group also included students from other CNRE departments, as well as from the College of Engineering and the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. Academically, the program provides three credit hours, which go towards the degrees of most participants.

“For geography, it was either work in a library for thirty hours over the entire semester and digitize maps — that’s not fun — or it was studying abroad or doing some research, and I’d rather study abroad with the College of Natural Resources,” said Harry Thomas VI, a senior in meteorology and geography.

Having a diverse array of majors on the trip proved vital for impactful conversation and education abroad. Potentially, it mirrored our futures in conservation — cross-disciplinary discussion for effective action and improvement in the field.

“What I do like about Virginia Tech … is that this study abroad program is open to anyone. Although mostly environmental scientists come, there are others who come who have other majors and other areas of interest,” said Michael Roy, director and founder of Conservation through Research Education and Action. “I think it’s really important that we have people from all walks of life come to these courses because everyone votes and this should be important to everybody.”

CREA is a 501(c) organization centered on conservation through research, education and community action, which makes its home at Cocobolo Nature Reserve. We stayed five nights at the reserve, studying forest biometrics, aquatic macroinvertebrates and stream ecology, field ornithology and more in the diverse Panamanian rainforest. From dawn bird walks to night herp hunts, Cocobolo and its knowledgeable facilitators provided ample opportunities for us to hone or develop ecological skills and passions.

“(Cocobolo) showed me what forestry majors do and it showed me a whole new profession of arborist, where you can climb trees and stuff,” said Mark Snively, a junior majoring in electrical engineering. “Those give me options if I decide to not do electrical engineering.”

One such arborist was present at Cocobolo during our time there. Drew Bristow, a climber based in Fiji, is working with France-based research scientist Lucy Hughes and her husband Trev to set up an arboreal network of camera traps in Cocobolo’s cloud forest. The aim of these traps is to capture images of the elusive margay and other arboreal mammals. We helped to place a trap in a hidden stream valley — a new experience for most students on the trip.

“I’ve really enjoyed the experience of having everyone here and seeing everyone’s enthusiasm and especially, maybe it’s just this group, but the way everyone wants to try everything I thought was really great,”

Hughes said.

Another researcher at Cocobolo is Panamanian herpetologist Erick Barria. His devotion to his subject area was valuable in showing our group how to find joy in the slow and difficult work of field studies. While you may not come across a frog or a salamander as often as you wish, the moments when you do make it incredibly special.

“(Searching) for different species of the night with your friends, feeling the cold of the mountain, the rain, the hot, sometimes — it’s very (beautiful),” Barria said. His first language is Spanish, and our group spent a lot of time learning new words and teaching him more English.

This cross-cultural exchange, and other moments like it on the trip, was impactful for us students. For some, visiting Panamá was their first time leaving the country. This experience enabled a greater appreciation for some of our personal histories as well.

“My mom’s first language is Spanish and I never really felt the motivation to learn Spanish, but after being here, I feel a stronger sense of desire to accomplish that goal,” said Angeline Zbesheki, a junior transfer majoring in wildlife conservation.

In addition to linking Virginia Tech and Cocobolo as educational institutions, the

program also develops a relationship with Warren Wilson College through the lend of their professor, David Abernathy, as the trip’s second faculty lead. Abernathy, a professor of global studies and a long-time connection of McGee’s, has led students from his home institution twice and from Virginia Tech twice as well to Cocobolo.

“I always say that I think narrow places like Panama and Chile, the two places I’ve gone for study abroad, are great lenses on a broad collection of issues. They kind of magnify in a small, local area these global issues,” Abernathy said. “I’ve been fascinated with it forever.”

This fascination, by the end of the trip, was shared by the attending students. Our small group learned a lot about conservation, culture, politics, economic structures, tourism and more. Philosophical discussion happened naturally — over dinner tables, under the stars, in truck beds on bumpy roads — doing just what the program was designed to provoke. The experience was one none of us will forget.

Lifestyles

COURTESY OF EMELIA DELAPORTE Delaporte (front row, second from right) poses with her study abroad group.

A GUIDE TO SURVIVING THE SPRING SEMESTER

LEEANNA DUONG | LIFESTYLES WRITER

Follow these helpful tips to make your life easier during the busy times of this semester.

Welcome back, Hokies! A new semester has started, and it’s time to get back on track. However, being motivated during wintertime can be very difficult. Our to-do lists are getting longer while our days are getting shorter. Essentially, it’s colder and darker outside.

Luckily, I have some pointers that will help everyone get a kick-start for the semester. I’ll be covering topics like staying organized and overcoming seasonal depression. Hopefully, through my own experiences, you will be able to go through the semester as your very best self.

Adjusting to Daylight Savings

Due to daylight savings, it gets dark everyday around 5 p.m., and it’s hard to act like the lack of sunshine doesn’t affect us. If you feel super thrown off by the early sunset, don’t worry, because you are not alone. As stated in this article by The New York Times, “for many, the darker, colder days herald another type of period: one of fatigue, lethargy and depression.”

It seems that no matter how prepared we are for daylight savings, it still catches us off guard. Dr. James Reinhard, associate director for psychiatry at Cook Counseling Center, offers some good insight for adapting to daylight savings.

“Seasons and time changes are real,” Reinhard said. “It does mess with our biological circadian rhythms and the rhythm of how we function. The advice I would offer is to make sure you take advantage of what little daylight there is and get out. Getting sunlight to activate Vitamin D — we know what Vitamin D is crucial for mood.”

Reinhard also recommended a book titled“Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals” by Oliver Burkeman. The novel is a philosophical approach to time management and organization, for those who enjoy reading.

Personally, I try to stay on a strict schedule from 4–7 p.m. This took much trial and error, but I found that if I take an hour from 4–5 p.m. to relax or decompress for the day, I have enough energy for most of the night. At 5–5:30 p.m. I will get up and start cooking dinner.

After eating, I do some homework. If I’m lucky, I finish my homework by 7 p.m., which doesn’t happen often. But by the time I’m done, I treat myself and take a shower. By then, I’m ready to calm my brain down and rest up.

Dr. Gary Stocker, psychiatry resident at Cook Counseling Center, offered advice when it comes to dealing with time changes. “Whatever small steps you can take to make things easier is usually better than taking massive leaps and incurring higher risk,”

Stocker said. This advice is super important to keep in mind, especially if you’re easily overwhelmed and stressed out.

Preserving your mental health

This second topic can be triggering. If mentions of mental illness, depression, anxiety and related topics are a trigger for you, it may be best to skip these next few paragraphs.

Next, we’ll be talking about seasonal depression/seasonal affective disorder (SAD). According to the National Institute of Mental Health, seasonal depression is an issue that doesn’t have a single solution, or can technically be “solved.” Depending on the severity, many effects of seasonal depression can be extremely debilitating to an individual. Everything can feel suddenly overwhelming, you can experience feelings of hopelessness or even no feelings at all.

Again, there isn’t a “solution” to seasonal depression. But Stocker gives a very healthy reminder for all of us: “SAD is unfortunate and it hurts a lot of people, but the good news is that it’s definitely something that people get better from and get treatment for, and live full lives. I think that’s important.”

If you’re affected by SAD, you’re not alone. Having overwhelming feelings of anxiety and sadness due to the weather change is real. It’s a serious mental health crisis that needs to be discussed. Thankfully, there are many ways you can seek help.

Virginia Tech has mental health resources such as Cook Counseling Center that can give you professional help and guidance. Also, communicate with your professors if it’s affecting your productivity. Mental health struggles are valid, and you are not alone. It’s best to address these feelings rather than to sweep them under the rug.

“Isolation, loneliness, family, people getting together, good and bad memories, losses; I think it’s multifactorial and it’s a lot of pressure during that time for a lot of different reasons,” Reinhard said. “It really can be a tough time of year. The fact of identifying it and acknowledging that it’s real and not ignoring it, and then seeking out help. Not being afraid to ask for help to talk is always the first place to start.”

Staying organized and focused

Staying on top of your workload and managing time is a key factor not only during the academic year but also when the semester comes to a close. It may be overwhelming at first to write down all the assignments, finals and deadlines, but you will thank yourself in the end.

I’m a huge fan of agendas and planners. I understand this doesn’t work for everyone, but the satisfaction I get from crossing something off of my list is worth it. Planners from Erin Condren have great ratings for students looking to stay focused and productive. Many people also use online agendas such as Google Calendar. This is helpful if you want everything in one place, like your computer.

This advice sounds simple and very repetitive, but I promise you it makes more of a difference than you’d expect. The last thing you want to do is to overwork your brain by making it memorize a new schedule every single day. By organizing your schedule, you’re also keeping track of when you have free time to relax, hang out with friends or participate in extracurriculars you’re passionate about instead of worrying about remembering assignments and deadlines on your own.

Also, keeping your workspace and living space clean is super important to staying focused and organized. These environments are where you’ll be spending a lot of your time working and relaxing, so you’ll want them to be in the best shape for your own sanity — the last thing you want is to fold laundry or clean a bathroom when you could be studying.

I hope this survival guide helped with the basics of staying on top of homework during the upcoming semester. There are many obstacles you’ll face along the way. Some may not be school related, while some are. Just remember: don’t overwork yourself, prioritize your mental and physical health and everything will be okay in the end. Even if it seems like it’ll never come to an end, you will make progress and you will survive.

ETHAN CANDELARIO / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Virginia Tech campus snow, Feb. 10, 2021.

SPORTS HOKIES LOSE HEARTBREAKER, ENTEND LOSING STREAK TO SEVEN GAMES

Javier Mico-Crump | SPORTS STAFF WRITER

The Virginia Tech men’s basketball team (11–8, 1–7 ACC) lost a heartbreaker to No. 19 Clemson (16–4, 8–1 ACC) on Saturday night, falling 51–50 to the Tigers and extending their losing streak to seven games. The Tigers have now won both matchups against the Hokies this season, maintaining their place atop the ACC standings.

The low-scoring affair started with a slow back and forth between the two sides. Despite leading most of the first half, the Tigers’ nine turnovers allowed the Hokies to stay in the game early. With a little under four minutes to play in the half, Sean Pedulla

hit a big three-pointer to give the Hokies a five-point lead, one which they carried into the break.

The Hokies struggled to keep momentum in the second half, shooting 6–25 from the field including 2–11 from the three point line. The Tigers took advantage and found a way back into the game, setting the stage for a tense finish. With five minutes left to play, the Hokies and Tigers were tied at 44–44.

With a one-point lead and 21 seconds remaining, Grant Basile was fouled and sent to the line for two. Basile converted the first shot, but was unable to connect on the second; a costly miss that allowed Tigers’

forward Hunter Tyson to nail a three to take a lead 51–50 in front of an ecstatic crowd in Littlejohn Coliseum. Then, the Hokies’ potential game-winning shot from Hunter Cattoor came up short, sending Clemson fans into a frenzy as the clock expired.

Basile led the Hokies in scoring with 13 points and eight rebounds on the day, followed by Lynn Kidd with 10 points and Justyn Mutts with eight points, five rebounds and seven assists. Freshman MJ Collins was also effective off the bench, converting both of his three point attempts on the day.

Tigers’ center PJ Hall showed an

impressive performance for his team, putting up 20 points and eight rebounds that were crucial to Clemson’s second half comeback.

While a road win against the ACC leaders could have given the Hokies the confidence they needed for a late season resurgence, their attention must now turn to the Duke Blue Devils (14–5, 5–3 ACC) where they will look to defend Cassell Coliseum and snap their losing streak.

Clemson hits big three-pointer in final minute to outlast Virginia Tech.

HAMAD ALHENDI / COLLEGIATE TIMES Hokies guard Michael Collins Jr. (2) dunk attempt blocked by Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (0), Dec. 4, 2022.

NO. 8 HOKIES UPSET NO. 5 WOLFPACK IN FRONT OF A RECORD-SETTING CROWD

ETHAN OWENS | SPORTS STAFF WRITER

In front of 5,943 fans, the highest amount of people to ever gather for a wrestling match in Cassell Coliseum, the No. 8 Virginia Tech wrestling team (7–2, 1–0 ACC) upset their biggest rival, the No. 5 NC State Wolfpack (10–1, 0–1 ACC). Not only was this the biggest dual of the year for the Hokies and the Pack, but it was one of the biggest duals in the nation, with all 20 wrestlers being ranked.

The Hokies won on Friday night 16–14, the difference being a bonus point from Bryce Andonian and an unsportsmanlike call against the Wolfpack. However, most people would say that this dual came down to the 197-pound bout, where Andy Smith was able to pick up a huge upset and nearly seal the win for the Hokies.

“I just want to thank everyone that came out tonight,” said Virginia Tech head coach Tony Robie. “I have been here for a long time, and that was probably the loudest and most fun atmosphere I have seen in Cassell Coliseum.”

The loudest match of the night in Cassell was the 197-pound bout that put the Hokies in an excellent position to win the dual. No. 26 Smith, a junior from Christiansburg, Virginia, gritted out one of the biggest, if not the biggest, win of his collegiate career over No. 6 Issac Trumble by a score of 3–2.

With the score tied at one and time dwindling down, Smith got the first takedown of the match with around 20 seconds remaining to take a 3–1 lead. The crowd roared for the final 20 seconds of the match as Smith was able to fend off every attack from Trumble. Nearly 6,000 fans sounded like a packed house.

“I wasn’t going to lose,” Smith said. “I knew I could go out there, do my thing, and come out on top.”

This decision took the dual score to 16–11, making it very tough for the Wolfpack to take the lead in the final match of the night.

In the only match that awarded bonus points during this dual, No. 6 Bryce Andonian was able to defeat No. 7 Ed Scott in an electric fashion, at 157 pounds. Andonian, who has battled injuries all season, had his season dual debut and showed the Hokie fans how important he

is to this team. Andonian mentioned after the dual that he didn’t know he was going to wrestle tonight until around an hour before the dual, but he wanted to do it for his team, knowing how big this dual is for the Hokies’ squad.

“It means everything to me,” Andonian said. “Going out there, defending my brothers, and wrestling for them.”

Early in Andonian’s match, he was able to get a takedown and four more points for a near fall, which kept up the entire match. He was awarded 12 total near-fall points in the first period and took a 16–6 lead into the second period. In that period, Andonian picked up three more points, taking a 19–6 lead into the final period. In the final period, Andonian scored five more points to take his point total up to 24, but he gave up four as well. This put the final score at 24–10; Andonian flirted with a tech fall but was unable to achieve it. However, this major decision made the difference in a dual where both teams won five matches.

The other three Hokie victories came from their talent within the top 10 in the nation, No. 5 Sam Latona, No. 9 Caleb Henson and No. 3 Mekhi Lewis.

Latona picked up his decision over No. 25 Kai Orine by a score of 3–1 at 133 pounds. Like most matches on Friday night, his victory was a hard-fought battle that came down to the final seconds. He got a takedown right at the first-period buzzer, making the score 2–0, which ended up being the only takedown in this match. Latona defended off every Orine attack in the final two periods to secure the first points for the Hokies.

Henson’s victory was against No. 15 Jackson Arrington, another marquee victory for the true freshman. Henson’s match was one of the only ones on Friday night that was a clear-cut win. Getting two takedowns, an escape and a point for riding time, he cruised his way to a 6–1 victory that at the time tied up the team score 6–6.

“When I train, I envision myself winning,

COURTESY OF HOKIESPORTS

and that is what I do,” Henson said. “I think I am the best, I train like I am the best, and I am going to prove that in March.”

Lewis picked up an 8–2 decision over No. 32 Alex Faison, another match that featured a definite victory. Lewis led this match from start to finish.

This victory sets up the Hokies well for the dual ACC championship, as the Pack was their biggest competition for the title. The Hokies will be back in action for another edition of Friday Night Dual against Pitt on Jan. 27 in Cassell Coliseum.

Virginia Tech wrestling picks up third ranked win of the season.