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Meet All the Virginia Tech Hokies Competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics
The 2024 Opening Ceremony is over, and the 2024 Paris Olympics are here. Most of the athletes with Virginia Tech ties are competing in a swimming event, with the Hokies sending seven swimmees to Paris.
Let’s meet all of the Hokies in the 2024 Paris Olympics:
Neil Gourley competed at Virginia Tech from 2014-2018 as a middle distance runner, where he anchored the men’s distance medley relay, securing a NCAA Championship title. Gourley has been great outside of his career as a Hokie, and in 2023 he placed second at the European Indoor Championships in his signature 1,500 meter race. Gourley is in the position to challenge for a bronze medal, it’s unlikely that he can finish higher than Jakob Ingebrigtsen or Josh Kerr, but if he has a better kick late than Yared Nuguse of the U.S., don’t be shocked if Gourley medals.
Alexander-Walker played at Virginia Tech from 2017-2019, leading the Hokies to a Sweet 16 appearance, and was drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft. Alexander-Walker has a history of playing in international events for Canada. He appeared in the 2016 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship, and led the team to a silver medal. Coming into the 2024 Olympics, the USA men’s basketball team has been tagged as the favorite, but Alexander-Walker could help Canada compete for a silver, and maybe upset the USA’s super team.
Hill, the former Virginia Tech Hokie who graduated in 2017, is competing in her first Olympics at Tokyo. Sami currently plays for the Araski AES in Spain and helped Canada to a fourth-place finish at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2022. Canada’s team is currently fifth in FIBA’s ratings, and is hoping to havea similar finish in the 2024 Olympics. Canada probably will not rival the USA team at the top, but is hoping for a top-five finish, and has an outside chance at a medal.
Miró is a legendary former top swimmer, who is the head coach for the Virginia Tech Swimming & Diving program. Sergio was selected for the ISCA Hall of Fame Class of ’23, and has led the Virginia Tech Swim & Dive team to historic heights. He led the Hokies to a ninth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Championship, the highest in program history. He will be tasked with coaching Anton McKee, who competes in the Men’s 200m Breaststroke, and Snæfríður Jórunnardóttir, who competes in the Women’s 200m Freestyle.
Carles Coll Marti is a Virginia Tech Hokie who first competed for Virginia Tech in the 2020-2021 season. According to Swimcloud, Marti’s 956.95 grade places him as the 10th best college swimmer nationally. Spain’s 4×100 Medley Relay probably won’t compete for a medal, but Marti should compete as a part of it.
Ian Ho is looked at as having an outside chance at a medal, or any placement, but was very valuable to the Hokies when he swam for them. A Blacksburg local, he recalled being chosen to represent Hong Kong as “pretty surreal”. It’s going to be so interesting to see Ho compete at the highest level, and he said in a recent interview with Virginia Tech Athletics, that he would not be there without his coaches at Tech.
Dominguez Calogne is one of three Hokie swimmers who is competing in two or more events at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. At the 2023 US Open, Luis Dominguez Calogne placed 24th overall in the men’s 200 free finals, with a time of 1:51.60.
Mario Molla Yanes is the only Hokie that will compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics who will appear in three events. Mario Molla Yanes’ 4x100m Freestyle Relay team for Spain, which also includes Luis Dominguez Calogne, has an outside chance at making magic happen at the Olympics. The Spain Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay Team is +10000 at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the event.
Carmen Weiler Sastre is a sophomore at Virginia Tech who placed 10th in the ACC at the 200m backstroke, finishing with a time of 1:55.15. When she qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games, she called it a “dream come true” and thanked her coaches at Virginia Tech. She is a top 100 college swimmer in the USA, according to Swimcloud, and will compete in two events at the Paris Olympics.
Emily Santos is a class of ’24 swimmer, who is comitted to swim at Virginia Tech. Santos’ 748.85 Swimcloud score places her as the ninth best high school swimmer located in Florida. Santos, who was born in 2005, also competed at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. She swam the 100m breaststroke, and finished with a time of 1:12.10, besting Alicia Kok Shun from Mauritius and Kirsten Andrea Fisher-Marsters from Cook Islands.
Incoming freshman at Virginia Tech, Maxine Egner, is set to represent Botswana at the 2024 Olympics. This will be her first ever appearance at the Olympics, and will compete in her 100m Freestyle on July 30th.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Five people were charged after Virginia Beach Police conducted a two-day human trafficking and vice operation on July 3, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
The department’s Special Investigations Bureau conducted the operation, which was aimed at identifiying human trafficking victims, reducing the demand for commercial sex and targeting individuals seeking to exploit or recruit children for prostitution.
Detectives used many investigative techniques to proactively identify individuals involved in criminal activity related to prostitution, human trafficking and offenses against children. The operation was conducted in Virginia Beach, involving personnel from all of the bureau’s squads.
As a result of the operation, five people were identified and charged with offenses ranging from solicitation of prostitution to sex trafficking and crimes involving minors. Two vehicles and U.S. currency were seized during the operation. Other people were connected to victim services through Samaritan House.
The operation led to the following people being charged:
- Shane Carter, 28, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
- Robert Harris, 64, of Virginia Beach, was charged with solicitation of prostitution and assault and battery.
- Larry Pittman, 53, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking and use of electronic devices to facilitaate certain offenses involving minors.
- Kenric Frazier, 46, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking, use of electronic devices to facilitate certain offenses involving minors and solicitation of child pornography.
- Cameron Lewis, 24, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
Investigators also developed leads about people who are suspected of trafficking and exploiting others for commercial sex. Those are now active and ongoing investigations. There may be more charges and arrests pending further investigation and consultation with the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
If you’re a human trafficking victim or know someone who is, you can report it to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
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