Bill Text: VA HJR302 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University women's basketball team.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-06 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ302ER) [HJR302 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HJR302-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, for the first time in program history, the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University women's basketball team advanced to the Final Four of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Women's Basketball Tournament on March 31, 2023; and
WHEREAS, the starting line-up for the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Hokies—Georgia Amoore, Liz Kitley, Taylor Soule, Kayana Traylor, and Cayla King—each made a host of contributions throughout the regular season and the national tournament; and
WHEREAS, after winning their first ever Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title, the Virginia Tech Hokies entered the national tournament as a No. 1 seed and defeated talented teams from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, South Dakota State University, the University of Tennessee, and The Ohio State University; and
WHEREAS, in the first round matchup against Chattanooga, Georgia Amoore scored a game-high 22 points and set the single-season three-point record for the Virginia Tech Hokies; and
WHEREAS, Liz Kitley followed up with a record of her own in the second-round win against South Dakota State, registering a game-high five blocks to reach 261 overall and break the program's career blocks record previously held by Ieva Kublina; and
WHEREAS, in the Sweet 16 win over Tennessee, Liz Kitley also recorded her 2,000th career point in the third quarter to become only the fifth men's or women's Virginia Tech basketball player to reach that incredible milestone; and
WHEREAS, during the first four games of the tournament, junior guard Georgia Amoore led the Virginia Tech Hokies with an average of 24 points per game and 20 three-point shots; she ultimately set a new tournament record for three-pointers with 23; and
WHEREAS, in their Final Four matchup, held at American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas, the Virginia Tech Hokies faced the eventual champions, the Louisiana State University Tigers; and
WHEREAS, throughout her 2022–2023 season, Georgia Amoore became the first Virginia Tech women's basketball player to record a triple-double, set the single game record for assists, and the record for assists in ACC play; she was selected to the All-ACC First Team, the ACC Tournament First Team, and as the most valuable player of the ACC Tournament; and
WHEREAS, over the course of the season, Liz Kitley became Virginia Tech's all-time leader in points, field goals, blocks, and double-doubles, while also reaching 1,000 rebounds and 2,000 career points; she repeated as the ACC Player of the Year and was named to the All-ACC First Team for the third time in her college career; and
WHEREAS, a graduate student during the 2022–2023 season, Taylor Soule started in every game and was named to the All-ACC Second Team, the ACC Tournament Second Team, and the ACC All-Academic Team for the second time; she was drafted 28th overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2023 Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) Draft; and
WHEREAS, Kayana Traylor finished the 2022–2023 season as a member of the ACC All-Academic Team and was drafted 23rd overall by the Chicago Sky in the 2023 WNBA Draft; and
WHEREAS, Cayla King also started in every game during the 2022–2023 season and was selected to the ACC All-Academic Team for the third consecutive year; a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, she proudly helped the Virginia Tech Hokies win the program's first ever conference title at the ACC Women's Tournament Championship, which took place in her hometown; and
WHEREAS, the successful season was a tribute to the skill and dedication of all the student-athletes, the leadership and guidance of coaches and staff, and the passionate support of friends, family members, faculty, and fans of the Virginia Tech Hokies throughout the Commonwealth and across the nation; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University women's basketball team for advancing to the Final Four of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Women's Basketball Tournament in 2023; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Kenny Brooks, head coach of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University women's basketball team, as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the team's historic achievements.
