Georgia Tech’s student-athletes excel in numerous venues, especially the classroom and the playing field. The Institute is committed to providing the resources they need to succeed.

Aileen Morales Returns to Tech to Coach Women’s Softball

Aileen Morales, one of the most decorated student-athletes in Georgia Tech’s softball history and a former highly successful assistant coach at her alma mater, has returned to campus as the program's sixth head coach.

“It’s with great excitement for the future of Georgia Tech softball that I welcome Aileen Morales back to The Flats as head coach,” said Athletic Director Todd Stansbury. "For nine seasons, Aileen was a major part of the most successful stretch in Georgia Tech softball history, first as a student-athlete, then as an assistant coach. I am confident that she is the right person to lead our program back to the national prominence that it has enjoyed for much of this millennium.”

In her nine seasons as a student-athlete (2005-08) and assistant coach (2009-13) at Georgia Tech, she helped lead the Yellow Jackets to four Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season championships (2005, 2009-11), four ACC Tournament titles (2005, 2009-10, 2012), eight NCAA regionals (2005-12), and an NCAA Super Regional (2009). The Jackets averaged 43 wins per season during her years with the program.

Since her 2013 departure from Tech, she has added four seasons as a successful head coach to her resume, first at Young Harris College and most recently at Radford University in Virginia.

After inheriting a program that won just 12 games in 2015, Morales engineered the biggest turnaround in NCAA Division I softball when she led Radford to a 35-26 record in her first season at the helm. Radford’s success continued in 2017 with 27 victories, including a 3-2 record against opponents from the ACC, and two more all-Big South selections.

Women’s Tennis Reaches No. 3 Ranking

A successful showing against North Carolina last March propelled the Georgia Tech women’s tennis team to No. 3 in the national rankings.

Finishing the regular season winners of the last six matches, the team earned the No. 2 seed in the 2018 ACC Championship and received a double-bye to the quarterfinals.

In addition, the tennis team inked three future Yellow Jackets to National Letters of Intent. The Jackets signed Valeriya Deminova, Baijing Lin, and Dalila Said to the 2018-19 roster. 

“We are excited to be bringing in three very talented athletes into our program next year,” said head coach Rodney Harmon. “Valeriya, Baijing, and Dalila all showcase what we look for in a recruit having great juniors records and excellent academic achievements.”

Ice Hockey Team Participates in ACHA National Tournament

Georgia Tech’s club ice hockey team traveled to Columbus, Ohio, last March to compete in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division III National Tournament.

It was the team’s first time advancing to the tournament in more than 10 years.

The tournament was the culmination of a breakout season for the Yellow Jackets that included an 18-4-1-1 record. Notable wins included two victories in the ACHA South Regional Tournament and winning the Scholar Shootout and ACC-South Challenge. The team only had four wins the previous year.

The team’s vice president and goalie, Caleb Rudnicki, said that much of the season’s improvement was due to “team cohesiveness” and retaining players.

“We did a lot better about keeping guys around this year,” he said. “It means a lot to the older guys to make it this far.”

While in Columbus, players also volunteered at an elementary school — teaching, talking about, and playing pickup hockey with students.  

Watch an interview with the team captain

Stansbury Named to College Football Playoff Selection Committee

Athletic Director Todd Stansbury was named to the 13-member College Football Playoff selection committee.

Stansbury is serving a three-year term on the committee, which annually selects the 25 best teams in college football, ranks the teams for inclusion in the four-team playoff and other selected bowl games, and assigns teams to bowl sites.

“It is a great honor to be selected to serve on the College Football Playoff selection committee," Stansbury said. “The opportunity to play college football and be close to the sport for the majority of my career has given me so much. I hope to give back just a little bit by serving on this committee and helping choose the very best teams to compete for the ultimate prize each of the next three years.”

Student-Athletes Set Record Graduate Success Rate

For the fifth consecutive year, Georgia Tech athletics has posted its highest NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) ever. The Institute’s 88 percent GSR is its highest since the NCAA began using the metric in 2005, topping last year’s record of 87 percent.

Georgia Tech’s GSR surpasses the Division I average of 87 percent, which is also an all-time record.

Individually, 10 of Georgia Tech’s 13 sports have GSRs higher than the national average for their respective sports. Five programs – men’s cross country/track and field, women’s cross country/track and field, golf, women’s tennis, and volleyball – own perfect 100 percent GSRs.

The golf team has posted a 100 percent GSR for 13 consecutive years.

Football and men’s basketball (82 percent each) are among the other Georgia Tech programs that exceed the national average for GSR in their respective sports.

“I am extremely proud that Georgia Tech continues to have record-setting NCAA Graduation Success Rates,” said Athletic Director Todd Stansbury. “By producing market-ready graduates at a record pace, we will continue to differentiate ourselves by the success of our former student-athletes five and 10 years after graduation and beyond.”