Looking Back On West Virginia Sports in 2017

Some amazing things happened in 2017 for the Mountaineers

By WVUNite@NiteStare Dec 31, 2017, 10:26am EST

West Virginia Football

David Sills V led the nation in touchdown receptions with 18
Sills was named to multiple All-American teams
David Long was graded as one of the top linebackers in the country by Pro Football Focus and made PFF’s second team All-American list with a 90.4 grade.
Quarterback Will Grier was national leader in touchdown passes before his season-ending injury against Texas.

Bob Huggins’ squad made it to the Big 12 Championship Game before losing 80-74 to Iowa State
The Mountaineers advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time under Huggins.
Jevon Carter won the National Association of Basketball Coaches prestigious Defensive Player of the Year.
Carter set the all-time steals record against NJIT and now continues to put the record further and further out of reach.
WVU ends 2017 ranked #7 as they begin Big 12 play

Mike Carey guided the Mountaineers to an impressive title run in the Big 12 tournament beating: #19 Oklahoma, #12 Texas and #2 Baylor in three consecutive days to win the Big 12 Tournament.
The Mountaineers advanced to the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament for the eighth time under Carey.
Lanay Montgomery was selected with the 30th overall selection in the WNBA by the Seattle Storm.
Montgomery became the sixth Mountaineer to be drafted in the WNBA.

Following a loss in the championship game a year ago, Nikki Izzo-Brown and her Mountaineer squad started the year ranked at #1, becoming the first Big 12 team to reach pre-season #1 status.
The Mountaineers made it to the Big 12 Semi-finals.
Despite losing two international-caliber players in Buchanan and Lawrence, the Mountaineers hosted three NCAA tournament games in Morgantown before losing to Penn State in the Sweet 16 (Third Round).

WVU beat #18 Coastal Carolina twice in the span of two days to win the Caravelle Resort Tournament.
The boys of summer won series against: #10 Baylor, #23 Oklahoma State, and #3 TCU.
The Mountaineers were selected as part of the Winston-Salem Regional, falling to Wake Forest in the double-elimination tournament.

The volleyball team made the post-season for the second time in school history and the first time since 1991.
The Mountaineers exceeded preseason expectations by finishing 5th in the Big 12.
West Virginia advanced all the way to the semi-finals of the National Volleyball Invitational Championship tournament.
The Mountaineers won 21 games, the second highest total in school history.

#RIFLESCHOOL
WVU won its fifth straight national title and 19th overall.
The Mountaineers continue to set match score records nearly every time they compete.

West Virginia University resumed golf as a varsity sport three years ago in 2015 and this year the Mountaineers won two tournaments.
One tournament was the Janney VCU Shootout.
The Mountaineers shot a record-low 22 under par with five players in the top 20.
The team also won the 2017 East Carolina Intercollegiate

Roane County native Dylan Cottrel earned the first Big 12 Championship for WVU Wrestling at 165 weight-class.
Cottrel ended a decorated career with an NCAA tournament invitation before losing in the consolation round.
Junior Jacob Smith also qualified for the NCAA tournament but was forced to withdraw after suffering an injury in the Big 12 tournament.
Smith and Cottrel’s placement in the tournament marked the 10th players to place under coach Sammie Henson.

The Mountaineers ended the season ranked #20, their highest final ranking since finishing 18th in 2007.
Junior gymnast Zaakira Muhammad set a program NCAA Championships record score of 9.9125 on floor exercise.
Muhammad earned All-American honors at the NCAA tournament, the first West Virginia gymnast to do so since 2007.

Senior runner Amy Cashin competed in the NCAA Indoor Championships for the first time in her career.
Cashin set a WVU record in the 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 10:01.19, breaking the previous record by over 4 seconds.
Junior Shamoya McNeil also competed in the NCAAs and holds the second best mark in the triple jump with 13.21 meters (43’-04 ¼”).