Tech places eight on College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team

BLACKSBURG – Eight student-athletes from the Virginia Tech men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams have earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors. 

The Academic All-District Team recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.50 GPA, have a minimum of one year completed at their current institution, and be a starter or key reserve player, athletically.  

Viktor Idhammar, Antonio Lopez Segura, Jake Spotswood, Hannah Ballowe, Julia Fixsen, Journey Gurley, Barbora Malikova, and Rebecca Mammel earned the academic honor for their amazing work in the classroom. 

Lopez Segura, Fixsen, and Gurley have also been successful out on the track with all three athletes headed towards Austin, Texas for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on June 7 – 10. 

Idhammar ended the 2023 outdoor season finishing 13th in the quarterfinals at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds clocking a time of 3:49.79 in the 1500m.  Spotswood finished 15th in pole vault at the East Prelims clearing a height of  17′ 0.75″ (5.20m).  

Ballowe finished her season in the first round of the 800m clocking in a time of 2:09.62. Malikova qualified for the 400m East region quarterfinals finishing fourth in her first round heat with a time of 52.96. In the quaterfinals, she finished 15th clocking in at 53.41. 

In the field, Mammel’s collegiate career came to an end as she placed 22nd in the hammer throw with a distance of 192’3″ (58.59m). She won her first outdoor conference championships title at the 2023 ACC Outdoor Championships with a throw of 206′ 10″ (63.05m) in the hammer throw.  

Academic All-District Team –  Track and Field / Cross Country 

Men

Viktor Idhammar 

Antonio Lopez Segura

Jake Spotswood 

Women

Hannah Ballowe

Julia Fixsen

Journey Gurley

Barbora Malikova

Rebecca Mammel