Meet The Team
Staff
Will Stewart
Founder and General Manager
Will Stewart is a 1987 Electrical Engineering graduate of Tech and the founder of Tech Sideline. Will graduated from Virginia Tech in 1987 with a degree in Electrical Engineering.
Will grew up in Charlottesville and was a Tech and UVa fan, but when the two went face to face, he always rooted for Tech. Will attended Tech from 1983-87, and after graduation returned to Charlottesville and worked from 1987-1994 as an engineer at Sperry Marine, Inc.
Will eventually made his escape back down to the New River Valley in 1994 and after doing contract work for a year spent four years as a programmer at Kollmorgen in Radford, from 1995-1999. While working at Kollmorgen, Will decided to learn HTML and produce a web page on the Internet. TechSideline.com was the result and has been Will’s full-time job since the summer of 1999, when Tech Sideline joined the SportsWar network. In addition to owning Tech Sideline, Will owns the parent company, SportsWar, which he purchased in 2021.
Will sets the strategic direction for Tech Sideline, creates and manages partnerships, and generally has his hands in everything TSL.
Chris Coleman
Lead Analyst and Columnist
Chris Coleman is a 2005 graduate of Virginia Tech with a B.A. in History. Chris is from Chatham, VA and has a strong background in covering Virginia Tech sports on the Internet, including stints with VTInsider.com (part of the Scout.com network), where he wrote game previews and other articles from 2002-2004. Chris joined Tech Sideline in July of 2005 and was named Managing Editor in January of 2009. With the hiring of David Cunningham as Managing Editor in 2021, Chris was named Lead Analyst and Columnist. In addition to writing about all sports and recruiting and making regular podcast appearances, Chris helps plan, edit, and post subscriber content to the site.
David Cunningham
Managing Editor
David joined Tech Sideline as Managing Editor in July of 2021. David is a 2021 graduate of the Sports Media & Analytics (SMA) Program at Virginia Tech, where he also minored in Business Leadership. David learned the crafts of sportswriting and broadcasting under former long-time Virginia Tech play-by-play announcer Bill Roth, who launched the SMA program in 2016. As a student at Virginia Tech, David was instrumental in the creation of 3304 Sports, the hub for student sports journalism at Virginia Tech, and he established the group’s website as a junior. As Editor-in-Chief for two years, he edited and published over 400 stories while overseeing more than 15 beat writers for every sport at Virginia Tech. A Yorktown, Va. native, David grew up a Hokie, thanks to both of his parents being Virginia Tech alumni. According to David, his first Hokie memory is from when his parents took him to the 1999 National Championship between Virginia Tech and Florida State in New Orleans as a six-month-old.
Andy Bitter
Senior Staff Writer and Lead Football Beat Writer
Andy joined Tech Sideline in March of 2023. Winner of the 2022 Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award, Andy has covered Virginia Tech football since 2011. He needs no introduction, but here’s his bio, anyway: A native of Minnesota and a 2001 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Andy has spent most of his sports writing career in the state of Virginia, including stops at the Danville (VA) Register and Bee (2002-2003), the Lynchburg (VA) News & Advance (2003-2008), the Columbus (GA) Ledger-Enquirer (2008-2011), the Virginian-Pilot (2011-2013), the Roanoke Times (2013-2018), and The Athletic (2018-2023). Andy resides in Christiansburg with his wife Annie, a Virginia Tech employee and former newspaper reporter (they met at the Lynchburg News & Advance), and their daughter Emily.
(SMA) Student Team, 2023-24
Giovanni Heater, SMA ’25
Podcast Host, On-air Talent, Graphics Production
Giovanni Heater is a Junior at Virginia Tech in the Sports Media and Analytics program, set to graduate in May of 2025. “Gio” was born and raised in Syracuse, New York and currently serves as the Broadcast Coordinator of Special Content on the leadership team for Virginia Tech’s student media network, 3304 Sports. He began broadcasting in high school, founding “The Northstar Network” at Cicero-North Syracuse High School. Gio has called play-by-play of Hokies football, basketball, baseball, softball, lacrosse, soccer, and volleyball while also working as a Production Assistant for the ACC Network. Gio has also called basketball play-by-play with the Syracuse Stallions and was a baseball broadcaster for the Syracuse Salt Cats of the NYCBL. In 2022 he was the voice of Galax High School Football on WCGX 96.5 The Cat.
Nick Brown, SMA ’24
Head of A/V Production
Nick Brown grew up in Blacksburg attending Virginia Tech football and basketball games every season and this grew his passion for sports. He is a Senior at Virginia Tech studying in the Sports Media and Analytics program while also minoring in finance. He is expected to graduate in the Spring of 2024 and will look to pursue a career in play-by-play or sports media. Nick is the play-by-play voice of his alma mater Radford High School football and is the head producer of the Tech Sideline Podcast.
Carter Hill, SMA ’25
On-air Talent, A/V Production Assistant
Carter is currently a student in the Sports Media and Analytics Program at Virginia Tech with plans to graduate in May 2025. Although born in Williamsburg, Virginia, Carter has lived in Blacksburg since August of 2013, graduating locally at Blacksburg High School back in May 2021. An avid sports fan, Carter grew up idolizing Virginia Tech Athletics, and now has been fortunate enough to have covered his dream school for The Tech Lunch Pail, Fifth Quarter and 3304 Sports, the student sports media outlet on campus. Carter also works behind the scenes writing feature stories and press releases for HokieSports, hosts his own Virginia Tech podcast with fellow TSL-er Jack Brizendine and has broadcasted seven different sports for 3304 Sports in addition to summer collegiate baseball with the Tarboro River Bandits in the Premier Collegiate League.
Kyle Marchak, SMA ’25
On-air Talent
Kyle Marchak is a Junior in the Sports Media and Analytics program at Virginia Tech, set to graduate in May of 2025. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Kyle was intrigued by the budding broadcasting program at Virginia Tech, and has loved Blacksburg ever since his arrival. He now serves as Broadcast Coordinator of Special Content for 3304 sports, acting as a member of the leadership team for Virginia Tech's student media outlet.
Despite thoroughly enjoying his broadcasting career since high school, Kyle's life is mainly headlined by his undying passion for dogs, and eating pasta.
Jack Brizendine, SMA ’24
Wrestling Writer, A/V Production Assistant
Jack is a current student in the Sports Media and Analytics program at Virginia Tech and plans to graduate in May 2024. He has worked at Tech Sideline for three years, serving as our wrestling specialist for covering Tony Robie's program. Jack is also an associate editor for 3304 Sports, the student sports media program on campus, covering football and women’s basketball. He spends his summers as a bartender for the Richmond Flying Squirrels.
Robert Bateman, SMA ’26
On-air Talent, A/V Production Assistant
Robert is currently a sophomore at Virginia Tech studying Sports Media and Analytics with a minor in Organizational Leadership and plans to graduate in 2026. He is from Syracuse, NY and graduated from Cicero-North Syracuse High School. After graduation Robert plans to pursue a career in play-by-play broadcasting. Over the summers he works as a bartender at Colloca's Winery in Fair Haven, NY and as a Ropes Course instructor at Camp Talooli. His broadcasting experience consists of being a Co-Studio Director and On-air talent of 3304 sports, a broadcaster with the Northstar Network, and a PA announcer for the Syracuse Spartans in the NYCBL.
Braden Schenck, SMA ’27
Tech Talk Live Notes, (future) On-air Talent
Braden is a freshman at Virginia Tech in the Sports Media and Analytics program, set to graduate in May of 2027. Braden is from Darien, Connecticut where he spent four years calling play-by-play of Darien High School athletics on DAF Media. In high school, Braden also freelanced at Fairfield University and Iona University as a Broadcaster and Production Assistant for their coverage of MAAC athletics on ESPN+. Currently Braden is a Play-by-Play Broadcaster and Production Assistant for Virginia Tech athletics on the ACC Network Extra. In addition, Braden is also a member of 3304 Sports and a Broadcast Intern for the Virginia Tech Sports Network from LEARFIELD. This past summer he worked as a Broadcast Producer for the Wareham Gatemen in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League. Braden will be returning to the Cape in 2024 to work as a triple threat Play-by-Play Broadcaster, Sideline Reporter and Broadcast Producer for the Falmouth Commodores. Braden is ecstatic to be in Blacksburg and at Virginia Tech!
Contributors
Jason Stamm
Recruiting Writer
Jason Stamm is the recruiting writer for Tech Sideline. Jason covered Virginia Tech men’s basketball, football and recruiting as the publisher for HokieHaven.com on the Rivals network from 2012-2016, and publisher for TheVTZone.com on the Scout network from 2016-17. He’s covered recruiting for TSL since April of 2017. Jason’s favorite season is football and he is a proud graduate of Western Kentucky University (B.A. ’07), Radford University (M.S. ’17) and soon to be The University of Tennessee (Ph.D ’21).
Brandon Patterson
Football Analyst
Brandon Patterson graduated from Virginia Tech in 2004 with a BA in English. He’s been a Tech Sideline Tereader since his college days, and in 2015 he joined TSL as a writer. In-season, you can read Brandon’s weekly scouting reports and game recaps; in the off-season, he covers football schemes, recruiting, history, and operations. Before he became a regular at TSL, Brandon was the sport-science columnist for elitefts.com and a contributor at other publications.
Chip Grubb
Softball Writer
Chip Grubb has been our Virginia Tech Softball writer since the beginning of the 2021 season, producing many preview and series recap articles. Chip has been following the Virginia Tech program closely since the mid-2000s and became an expert on the topic over time, and he has proven to be a skilled writer. As the popularity of the program increased, we felt the need to add a softball writer, and Chip volunteered his considerable expertise on the topic. Chip attends not just most Virginia Tech home games, but a large number of the road games as well, and he is credentialed media at every venue where he’s present.
Ivan Morozov
“Russian Hokie” on the message board Photographer
Born in USSR, Ivan came to the United States in 1991. Under patronage of his host family he earned several degrees, among them two from Virginia Tech (MS in 1998 and PhD in 2004). He has been attending Tech football games since 1991, and had not missed a single Tech vs UVA game (in Charlottesville or in Blacksburg) since then. While a student at Virginia Tech, Ivan became interested in photography. In 1997, Ivan joined TechSideline (HokieCentral at the time) and has contributed photography to the site since 2001. His photos have been featured in numerous Virginia Tech publications (from game programs to media guides, to freshmen orientation and “class ring” brochures, to Alumni Magazine and Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets publications), as well as regional and national media, including Sports Illustrated among others. A self-professed amateur, Ivan is notorious for his accent and his infamous tailgating skills are legendary. Known as Russian Hokie, Ivan is a proud US Citizen.
Jon Fleming
Photographer
A native of Rural Retreat, VA who now resides in Blacksburg, Jon holds three degrees from Virginia Tech, all in Aerospace Engineering. (Yep, he’s a Ph.D.) The father of two accomplished long-distance runners, both of whom ran at Virginia Tech, Jon has shot hundreds of high school and college sporting events.
Welcome to Tech Sideline, the premier unofficial Virginia Tech sports media company. For uncompromised Hokie sports entertainment and commentary, Tech Sideline is the place to be.
Tech Sideline is an independent publication, not affiliated with the university or its athletic programs, so we provide a unique perspective that appeals to the large and growing fan base of Virginia Tech Athletics.
Tech Sideline was launched on March 12, 1996 by 1987 Tech graduate (BSEE) Will Stewart as a small, personal web page. In 1997, the site evolved into HokieCentral.com, and in August of 1999, joined the SportsWar network of college sports web sites. In November of 2000, the site changed names to TechSideline.com, or TSL.
Over the years, TSL has grown into what you see before you: a full-time Virginia Tech sports media company, complete with web site, podcast, YouTube channel, and large and active social media presences.
TSL is a member of the SportsWar network of college sports web sites. Visit SportsWar.com for more information.
Will Stewart
Founder and General Manager
[email protected]
Follow Will Stewart on Twitter — @WillStewartTSL
Will Stewart is a 1987 Electrical Engineering graduate of Tech and the founder of Tech Sideline. Will graduated from Virginia Tech in 1987 with a degree in Electrical Engineering.
Will grew up in Charlottesville and was a Tech and UVa fan, but when the two went face to face, he always rooted for Tech. Will attended Tech from 1983-87, and after graduation returned to Charlottesville and worked from 1987-1994 as an engineer at Sperry Marine, Inc. Will eventually made his escape back down to the New River Valley in 1994 and after doing contract work for a year spent four years as a programmer at Kollmorgen in Radford, from 1995-1999. While working at Kollmorgen, Will decided to learn HTML and produce a web page on the Internet. TechSideline.com was the result and has been Will’s full-time job since the summer of 1999, when Tech Sideline joined the SportsWar network.
Will sets the strategic direction for Tech Sideline, creates and manages partnerships, and generally has his hands in everything TSL.
Chris Coleman
Lead Analyst and Columnist
[email protected]
Follow Chris Coleman on Twitter — @ChrisColemanTSL
Chris Coleman is a 2005 graduate of Virginia Tech with a B.A. in History.
Chris is from Chatham, VA and has a strong background in covering Virginia Tech sports on the Internet, including stints with VTInsider.com (part of the Scout.com network), where he wrote game previews and other articles from 2002-2004.
Chris joined Tech Sideline in July of 2005 and was named Managing Editor in January of 2009. With the hiring of David Cunningham as Managing Editor in 2021, Chris was named Lead Analyst and Columnist. In addition to writing about all sports and recruiting and making regular podcast appearances, Chris helps plan, edit, and post subscriber content to the site.
David Cunningham
Managing Editor
[email protected]
Follow David Cunningham on Twitter — @therealdcunna
David joined Tech Sideline as Managing Editor in July of 2021. David is a 2021 graduate of the Sports Media & Analytics (SMA) Program at Virginia Tech, where he also minored in Business Leadership. David learned the crafts of sportswriting and broadcasting under former long-time Virginia Tech play-by-play announcer Bill Roth, who launched the SMA program in 2016.
As a student at Virginia Tech, David was instrumental in the creation of 3304 Sports, the hub for student sports journalism at Virginia Tech, and he established the group’s website as a junior. As Editor-in-Chief for two years, he edited and published over 400 stories while overseeing more than 15 beat writers for every sport at Virginia Tech.
A Yorktown, Va. native, David grew up a Hokie, thanks to both of his parents being Virginia Tech alumni. According to David, his first Hokie memory is from when his parents took him to the 1999 National Championship between Virginia Tech and Florida State in New Orleans as a six-month-old.
Andy Bitter
Senior Staff Writer and Lead Football Beat Writer
[email protected]
Follow Andy on Twitter — @AndyBitterVT
Andy joined Tech Sideline in March of 2023. Winner of the 2022 Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award, Andy has covered Virginia Tech football since 2011. He needs no introduction, but here’s his bio, anyway:
A native of Minnesota and a 2001 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Andy has spent most of his sports writing career in the state of Virginia, including stops at the Danville (VA) Register and Bee (2002-2003), the Lynchburg (VA) News & Advance (2003-2008), the Columbus (GA) Ledger-Enquirer (2008-2011), the Virginian-Pilot (2011-2013), the Roanoke Times (2013-2018), and The Athletic (2018-2023).
Andy resides in Christiansburg with his wife Annie, a Virginia Tech employee and former newspaper reporter (they met at the Lynchburg News & Advance), and their daughter Emily.
Katie Adams, SMA ’23
Podcast Host
Twitter: @Katie6Adams
Instagram: @katie6adams
Katie is a current student in the Sports Media and Analytics Program at Virginia Tech, with a minor in Organizational Leadership and Event and Experience Management, with plans to graduate in May 2023. She grew up in Richmond, VA before moving to Blacksburg in 2015. Katie was raised in a sports-driven household and is a 4th generation Hokie. She has spent time working in athletics throughout her college career with the Hokie Club, VT Student-Athlete Development, and VT Football Recruiting. Katie appears on the Tech Sideline Podcast as a host or in the “4th chair.”
Giovanni Heater, SMA ’25
Podcast Host, Head of Graphics
Twitter: @gioheater
Instagram: @giovanniheater
Giovanni Heater is a Sophomore at Virginia Tech in the Sports Media and Analytics program, set to graduate in May of 2025. “Gio” was born and raised in Syracuse, New York and currently serves as the Broadcast Coordinator of Special Content on the leadership team for Virginia Tech’s student media network, 3304 Sports. He began broadcasting in high school, founding “The Northstar Network” at Cicero-North Syracuse High School. Last summer, he called basketball play-by-play for the Syracuse Stallions of the TBL and called play-by-play of the TBL Summer League in Las Vegas, NV. Gio has called play-by-play of Hokies football, basketball, baseball, softball, lacrosse, soccer, and volleyball while also working as a Production Assistant for the ACC Network. This past summer, Giovanni was back with the Syracuse Stallions and was a baseball broadcaster for the Syracuse Salt Cats of the NYCBL, and this year, he is the voice of Galax High School Football on WCGX 96.5 The Cat.
Nick Brown, SMA ’24
Head of A/V Production
Twitter: @Nickbrown33
Instagram: @Nick33Brown
Nick Brown grew up in Blacksburg attending Virginia Tech football and basketball games every season and this grew his passion for sports. He is a junior at Virginia Tech studying in the Sports Media and Analytics program while also minoring in finance. He is expected to graduate in the Spring of 2024 and will look to pursue a career in play-by-play or financial planning. Nick is the play-by-play voice of his alma mater Radford High School football and is now the newest head producer of the Tech Sideline Podcast.
Chris Hirons, SMA ’23
Baseball and Women’s Basketball Beat Writer
Twitter: @ChrisHironsVT
Chris is enrolled in Virginia Tech’s SMA program with plans to graduate in May of 2023. He began work with TechSideline in September 2021 as Virginia Tech’s women’s basketball beat writer and then was named TSL’s baseball beat writer in Jan. 2022. For most of the spring, Chris exclusively chronicled the baseball team’s rise from the basement of the Coastal to Super Regional host in 2022 and the women’s basketball team’s run to the 2022 NCAA Tournament for TSL. Chris also took over the writing side of 3304 Sports, Tech’s hub of student-sports journalism, once TSL’s David Cunningham graduated in May 2020. As a co-editor for 3304, Chris oversees more than 20-to-25 writers each semester, while providing feedback and teaching classmates the intricacies of sports writing.
Jack Brizendine, SMA ’24
Wrestling Writer, A/V Production Assistant
Twitter: @jackpbrizendine
Instagram: @jack.brizendine
Jack is a current student in the Sports Media and Analytics program at Virginia Tech and plans to graduate in May 2024. He has worked at Tech Sideline for two years, covering wrestling and transcribing TTL notes. Jack is also an associate editor for 3304 Sports, the student sports media program on campus, covering football and women’s basketball. He spends his summers as a bartender for the Richmond Flying Squirrels.
Carter Hill, SMA ’25
On-air Talent, A/V Production Assistant
Twitter: @cbhill_03
Instagram: @cbhill_03
Carter is currently a student in the Sports Media and Analytics Program at Virginia Tech with plans to graduate in May 2025. Although born in Williamsburg, Virginia, Carter has lived in Blacksburg since August of 2013, graduating locally at Blacksburg High School back in May 2021. An avid sports fan, Carter grew up idolizing Virginia Tech Athletics, and now has been fortunate enough to have covered his dream school for The Tech Lunch Pail, Fifth Quarter and 3304 Sports, the student sports media outlet on campus, where he currently serves as the Podcast Coordinator. Carter also works behind the scenes writing feature stories and press releases for HokieSports, hosts his own Virginia Tech podcast with fellow TSL-er Jack Brizendine and has broadcasted seven different sports for 3304 Sports in addition to summer collegiate baseball this past summer with the Tarboro River Bandits in the Premier Collegiate League.
Abby Neilson, SMA ’26
Tech Talk Live Notes, (future) On-air Talent
Twitter: @abbyneilson15
Instagram: @abbyneilson_
Abby is a freshman in the Sports Media and Analytics program at Virginia Tech and plans to graduate in May 2026. She is from Seattle and is the first in her family to attend Virginia Tech. Abby graduated from Lake Washington High School in 2021, where she spent 3 years on the yearbook staff, one of which as an editor. Abby recently completed a gap year, which she spent coaching swim team. This is her first year working at Tech Sideline. Abby is also involved in 3304 sports, the student sports media group on campus.
Jason Stamm
Recruiting Writer
[email protected]
Follow Jason on Twitter — @JasonStammSaid
Jason Stamm is the recruiting writer for Tech Sideline. Jason covered Virginia Tech men’s basketball, football and recruiting as the publisher for HokieHaven.com on the Rivals network from 2012-2016, and publisher for TheVTZone.com on the Scout network from 2016-17. He’s covered recruiting for TSL since April of 2017. Jason’s favorite season is football and he is a proud graduate of Western Kentucky University (B.A. ’07), Radford University (M.S. ’17) and soon to be The University of Tennessee (Ph.D ’21).
Brandon Patterson
Football Analyst
Brandon Patterson graduated from Virginia Tech in 2004 with a BA in English. He’s been a Tech Sideline Tereader since his college days, and in 2015 he joined TSL as a writer. In-season, you can read Brandon’s weekly scouting reports and game recaps; in the off-season, he covers football schemes, recruiting, history, and operations. Before he became a regular at TSL, Brandon was the sport-science columnist for elitefts.com and a contributor at other publications.
Chip Grubb
Softball Writer
Follow Chip on Twitter — @HokieChip
Chip Grubb has been our Virginia Tech Softball writer since the beginning of the 2021 season, producing many preview and series recap articles. Chip has been following the Virginia Tech program closely since the mid-2000s and became an expert on the topic over time, and he has proven to be a skilled writer. As the popularity of the program increased, we felt the need to add a softball writer, and Chip volunteered his considerable expertise on the topic. Chip attends not just most Virginia Tech home games, but a large number of the road games as well, and he is credentialed media at every venue where he’s present.
Ivan Morozov
“Russian Hokie” on the message board
Photographer
www.ivanmorozov.com
Follow Ivan on Twitter — @IvanMorozov
Born in USSR, Ivan came to the United States in 1991. Under patronage of his host family he earned several degrees, among them two from Virginia Tech (MS in 1998 and PhD in 2004). He has been attending Tech football games since 1991, and had not missed a single Tech vs UVA game (in Charlottesville or in Blacksburg) since then. While a student at Virginia Tech, Ivan became interested in photography. In 1997, Ivan joined TechSideline (HokieCentral at the time) and has contributed photography to the site since 2001. His photos have been featured in numerous Virginia Tech publications (from game programs to media guides, to freshmen orientation and “class ring” brochures, to Alumni Magazine and Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets publications), as well as regional and national media, including Sports Illustrated among others.
A self-professed amateur, Ivan is notorious for his accent and his infamous tailgating skills are legendary. Known as Russian Hokie, Ivan is a proud US Citizen.
Jon Fleming
Photographer
A native of Rural Retreat, VA who now resides in Blacksburg, Jon holds three degrees from Virginia Tech, all in Aerospace Engineering. (Yep, he’s a Ph.D.) The father of two accomplished long-distance runners, both of whom ran at Virginia Tech, Jon has shot hundreds of high school and college sporting events.
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Tech Sideline Staff
Will Stewart
Founder and General Manager
[email protected]
Follow Will Stewart on Twitter — @WillStewartTSL
Will Stewart is a 1987 Electrical Engineering graduate of Tech and the founder of Tech Sideline. Will graduated from Virginia Tech in 1987 with a degree in Electrical Engineering.
Will grew up in Charlottesville and was a Tech and UVa fan, but when the two went face to face, he always rooted for Tech. Will attended Tech from 1983-87, and after graduation returned to Charlottesville and worked from 1987-1994 as an engineer at Sperry Marine, Inc. Will eventually made his escape back down to the New River Valley in 1994 and after doing contract work for a year spent four years as a programmer at Kollmorgen in Radford, from 1995-1999. While working at Kollmorgen, Will decided to learn HTML and produce a web page on the Internet. TechSideline.com was the result and has been Will’s full-time job since the summer of 1999, when Tech Sideline joined the SportsWar network.
Will sets the strategic direction for Tech Sideline, creates and manages partnerships, and generally has his hands in everything TSL.
Chris Coleman
Lead Analyst and Columnist
[email protected]
Follow Chris Coleman on Twitter — @ChrisColemanTSL
Chris Coleman is a 2005 graduate of Virginia Tech with a B.A. in History.
Chris is from Chatham, VA and has a strong background in covering Virginia Tech sports on the Internet, including stints with VTInsider.com (part of the Scout.com network), where he wrote game previews and other articles from 2002-2004.
Chris joined Tech Sideline in July of 2005 and was named Managing Editor in January of 2009. With the hiring of David Cunningham as Managing Editor in 2021, Chris was named Lead Analyst and Columnist. In addition to writing about all sports and recruiting and making regular podcast appearances, Chris helps plan, edit, and post subscriber content to the site.
David Cunningham
Managing Editor
[email protected]
Follow David Cunningham on Twitter — @therealdcunna
David joined Tech Sideline as Managing Editor in July of 2021. David is a 2021 graduate of the Sports Media & Analytics (SMA) Program at Virginia Tech, where he also minored in Business Leadership. David learned the crafts of sportswriting and broadcasting under former long-time Virginia Tech play-by-play announcer Bill Roth, who launched the SMA program in 2016.
As a student at Virginia Tech, David was instrumental in the creation of 3304 Sports, the hub for student sports journalism at Virginia Tech, and he established the group’s website as a junior. As Editor-in-Chief for two years, he edited and published over 400 stories while overseeing more than 15 beat writers for every sport at Virginia Tech.
A Yorktown, Va. native, David grew up a Hokie, thanks to both of his parents being Virginia Tech alumni. According to David, his first Hokie memory is from when his parents took him to the 1999 National Championship between Virginia Tech and Florida State in New Orleans as a six-month-old.
Andy Bitter
Senior Staff Writer and Lead Football Beat Writer
[email protected]
Follow Andy on Twitter — @AndyBitterVT
Andy joined Tech Sideline in March of 2023. Winner of the 2022 Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award, Andy has covered Virginia Tech football since 2011. He needs no introduction, but here’s his bio, anyway:
A native of Minnesota and a 2001 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Andy has spent most of his sports writing career in the state of Virginia, including stops at the Danville (VA) Register and Bee (2002-2003), the Lynchburg (VA) News & Advance (2003-2008), the Columbus (GA) Ledger-Enquirer (2008-2011), the Virginian-Pilot (2011-2013), the Roanoke Times (2013-2018), and The Athletic (2018-2023).
Andy resides in Christiansburg with his wife Annie, a Virginia Tech employee and former newspaper reporter (they met at the Lynchburg News & Advance), and their daughter Emily.
Tech Sideline Sports Media & Analytics (SMA) Student Team
Katie Adams, SMA ’23
Podcast Host
Twitter: @Katie6Adams
Instagram: @katie6adams
Katie is a current student in the Sports Media and Analytics Program at Virginia Tech, with a minor in Organizational Leadership and Event and Experience Management, with plans to graduate in May 2023. She grew up in Richmond, VA before moving to Blacksburg in 2015. Katie was raised in a sports-driven household and is a 4th generation Hokie. She has spent time working in athletics throughout her college career with the Hokie Club, VT Student-Athlete Development, and VT Football Recruiting. Katie appears on the Tech Sideline Podcast as a host or in the “4th chair.”
Giovanni Heater, SMA ’25
Podcast Host, Head of Graphics
Twitter: @gioheater
Instagram: @giovanniheater
Giovanni Heater is a Sophomore at Virginia Tech in the Sports Media and Analytics program, set to graduate in May of 2025. “Gio” was born and raised in Syracuse, New York and currently serves as the Broadcast Coordinator of Special Content on the leadership team for Virginia Tech’s student media network, 3304 Sports. He began broadcasting in high school, founding “The Northstar Network” at Cicero-North Syracuse High School. Last summer, he called basketball play-by-play for the Syracuse Stallions of the TBL and called play-by-play of the TBL Summer League in Las Vegas, NV. Gio has called play-by-play of Hokies football, basketball, baseball, softball, lacrosse, soccer, and volleyball while also working as a Production Assistant for the ACC Network. This past summer, Giovanni was back with the Syracuse Stallions and was a baseball broadcaster for the Syracuse Salt Cats of the NYCBL, and this year, he is the voice of Galax High School Football on WCGX 96.5 The Cat.
Nick Brown, SMA ’24
Head of A/V Production
Twitter: @Nickbrown33
Instagram: @Nick33Brown
Nick Brown grew up in Blacksburg attending Virginia Tech football and basketball games every season and this grew his passion for sports. He is a junior at Virginia Tech studying in the Sports Media and Analytics program while also minoring in finance. He is expected to graduate in the Spring of 2024 and will look to pursue a career in play-by-play or financial planning. Nick is the play-by-play voice of his alma mater Radford High School football and is now the newest head producer of the Tech Sideline Podcast.
Chris Hirons, SMA ’23
Baseball and Women’s Basketball Beat Writer
Twitter: @ChrisHironsVT
Chris is enrolled in Virginia Tech’s SMA program with plans to graduate in May of 2023. He began work with TechSideline in September 2021 as Virginia Tech’s women’s basketball beat writer and then was named TSL’s baseball beat writer in Jan. 2022. For most of the spring, Chris exclusively chronicled the baseball team’s rise from the basement of the Coastal to Super Regional host in 2022 and the women’s basketball team’s run to the 2022 NCAA Tournament for TSL. Chris also took over the writing side of 3304 Sports, Tech’s hub of student-sports journalism, once TSL’s David Cunningham graduated in May 2020. As a co-editor for 3304, Chris oversees more than 20-to-25 writers each semester, while providing feedback and teaching classmates the intricacies of sports writing.
Jack Brizendine, SMA ’24
Wrestling Writer, A/V Production Assistant
Twitter: @jackpbrizendine
Instagram: @jack.brizendine
Jack is a current student in the Sports Media and Analytics program at Virginia Tech and plans to graduate in May 2024. He has worked at Tech Sideline for two years, covering wrestling and transcribing TTL notes. Jack is also an associate editor for 3304 Sports, the student sports media program on campus, covering football and women’s basketball. He spends his summers as a bartender for the Richmond Flying Squirrels.
Carter Hill, SMA ’25
On-air Talent, A/V Production Assistant
Twitter: @cbhill_03
Instagram: @cbhill_03
Carter is currently a student in the Sports Media and Analytics Program at Virginia Tech with plans to graduate in May 2025. Although born in Williamsburg, Virginia, Carter has lived in Blacksburg since August of 2013, graduating locally at Blacksburg High School back in May 2021. An avid sports fan, Carter grew up idolizing Virginia Tech Athletics, and now has been fortunate enough to have covered his dream school for The Tech Lunch Pail, Fifth Quarter and 3304 Sports, the student sports media outlet on campus, where he currently serves as the Podcast Coordinator. Carter also works behind the scenes writing feature stories and press releases for HokieSports, hosts his own Virginia Tech podcast with fellow TSL-er Jack Brizendine and has broadcasted seven different sports for 3304 Sports in addition to summer collegiate baseball this past summer with the Tarboro River Bandits in the Premier Collegiate League.
Abby Neilson, SMA ’26
Tech Talk Live Notes, (future) On-air Talent
Twitter: @abbyneilson15
Instagram: @abbyneilson_
Abby is a freshman in the Sports Media and Analytics program at Virginia Tech and plans to graduate in May 2026. She is from Seattle and is the first in her family to attend Virginia Tech. Abby graduated from Lake Washington High School in 2021, where she spent 3 years on the yearbook staff, one of which as an editor. Abby recently completed a gap year, which she spent coaching swim team. This is her first year working at Tech Sideline. Abby is also involved in 3304 sports, the student sports media group on campus.
Tech Sideline Contributors
Jason Stamm
Recruiting Writer
[email protected]
Follow Jason on Twitter — @JasonStammSaid
Jason Stamm is the recruiting writer for Tech Sideline. Jason covered Virginia Tech men’s basketball, football and recruiting as the publisher for HokieHaven.com on the Rivals network from 2012-2016, and publisher for TheVTZone.com on the Scout network from 2016-17. He’s covered recruiting for TSL since April of 2017. Jason’s favorite season is football and he is a proud graduate of Western Kentucky University (B.A. ’07), Radford University (M.S. ’17) and soon to be The University of Tennessee (Ph.D ’21).
Brandon Patterson
Football Analyst
Brandon Patterson graduated from Virginia Tech in 2004 with a BA in English. He’s been a Tech Sideline Tereader since his college days, and in 2015 he joined TSL as a writer. In-season, you can read Brandon’s weekly scouting reports and game recaps; in the off-season, he covers football schemes, recruiting, history, and operations. Before he became a regular at TSL, Brandon was the sport-science columnist for elitefts.com and a contributor at other publications.
Chip Grubb
Softball Writer
Follow Chip on Twitter — @HokieChip
Chip Grubb has been our Virginia Tech Softball writer since the beginning of the 2021 season, producing many preview and series recap articles. Chip has been following the Virginia Tech program closely since the mid-2000s and became an expert on the topic over time, and he has proven to be a skilled writer. As the popularity of the program increased, we felt the need to add a softball writer, and Chip volunteered his considerable expertise on the topic. Chip attends not just most Virginia Tech home games, but a large number of the road games as well, and he is credentialed media at every venue where he’s present.
Ivan Morozov
“Russian Hokie” on the message board
Photographer
www.ivanmorozov.com
Follow Ivan on Twitter — @IvanMorozov
Born in USSR, Ivan came to the United States in 1991. Under patronage of his host family he earned several degrees, among them two from Virginia Tech (MS in 1998 and PhD in 2004). He has been attending Tech football games since 1991, and had not missed a single Tech vs UVA game (in Charlottesville or in Blacksburg) since then. While a student at Virginia Tech, Ivan became interested in photography. In 1997, Ivan joined TechSideline (HokieCentral at the time) and has contributed photography to the site since 2001. His photos have been featured in numerous Virginia Tech publications (from game programs to media guides, to freshmen orientation and “class ring” brochures, to Alumni Magazine and Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets publications), as well as regional and national media, including Sports Illustrated among others.
A self-professed amateur, Ivan is notorious for his accent and his infamous tailgating skills are legendary. Known as Russian Hokie, Ivan is a proud US Citizen.
Jon Fleming
Photographer
A native of Rural Retreat, VA who now resides in Blacksburg, Jon holds three degrees from Virginia Tech, all in Aerospace Engineering. (Yep, he’s a Ph.D.) The father of two accomplished long-distance runners, both of whom ran at Virginia Tech, Jon has shot hundreds of high school and college sporting events.
