West Virginia Athletics Department Leaders Prepare for Student-Athletes, Staff, and Fans to Return

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Football

WVU’s Wells Planning For College Football This Fall

Matt Wells, West Virginia’s senior associate athletics director for external affairs, was a guest on the Mountaineer Insider Podcast last Friday evening to provide some insight on the ticketing process as the season ticket deadline approaches. Wells discussed how the WVU athletic department is preparing for student-athletes, staff, and fans to return to campus and Mountaineer sports venues.

Shane Lyons says managing risk is key to return of football

College sports have been turned upside down and West Virginia University athletic director Shane Lyons is trying to navigate the path toward a new normal. On this episode of “Three Guys Before The Game” Lyons answers a series of questions regarding the resumption of practice and games, and whether or not fans will be in attendance at games.

Edwards Recalls Win Over Syracuse to Conclude First Unbeaten, Untied Regular Season in 1988

The Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College is playing classic West Virginia radio broadcasts from recent history. Today’s replay is West Virginia’s 31-9 victory over 14th-ranked Syracuse at Mountaineer Field in 1988 to conclude the first-ever unbeaten, untied regular season in school history. WVU’s Willie Edwards snagged a pick-six, which gave the Mountaineers a safe lead and the momentum to win the game.

Linebacker Shea Campbell Transfers

West Virginia senior linebacker Shea Campbell has entered the transfer portal and will be immediately eligible at his next school. Campbell, who had 79 tackles and 3 sacks in the past two seasons, will likely transfer down to the Division II level.

WVU football’s 5th Quarter Program is “All About Player Education”

West Virginia football coach Neal Brown has made it a priority to educate his Mountaineers about more than just football, and this is best exemplified by his team’s 5th Quarter Program. The program, which will be overseen by Brown and his staff, will aid WVU student-athletes in building their brands with content on social media.

Former WVU fullback Adam King enters 11th year on Bridgeport coaching staff

Adam King’s football career has included individual honors and state championships at the high school level and Big East title at the college level. After wrapping up his playing career at West Virginia in 2003, King transitioned into the coaching ranks and is now entering his 11th season on the staff at Bridgeport High School.

West Virginia Athletics

West Virginia Athlete of the Year Nominees

2019-20 Big 12 Athlete of the Year candidates have been announced. West Virginia’s candidates are Mountaineer wrestler Noah Adams and Rylee Foster of the women’s soccer team. Fans can vote for the WVU candidates here.

Wrestling Adds 2020 NCAA Qualifier

West Virginia wrestling coach Tim Flynn has announced the addition of Killian Cardinale, a qualifier for the 2020 NCAA Championships, to the Mountaineer wrestling roster. Cardinale, a native of Bristow, Virginia, has spent the previous two seasons at Old Dominion and will have two years of eligibility left.

College Baseball Proposal Similar to Mazey’s Gaining Momentum

A proposal to push back the beginning of the college baseball season four weeks is getting endorsements from some of the most prominent coaches in the sport. West Virginia head coach Randy Mazey has long been a champion of moving college baseball into the summertime and plans similar to his have been proposed in the past.

Stratford sets out to show young players that college soccer is a viable path to the pros — and he’s the proof

Dan Stratford is hoping to build a winning program at West Virginia, and part of his plan is to bring overseas players in to do it. A product of both the youth academy and intercollegiate systems, Stratford has seen firsthand how young players can benefit in the college game.

Rowing Announces 2019-20 Team Awards

Five members of the West Virginia rowing team earned awards to cap the 2019-20 season, as the team selected this year’s award winners on Sunday.

Duo Earns All-District Academic Honor

A pair of West Virginia Mountaineers were named to the 2019-20 Academic All-District II Men’s and Women’s At-Large First Teams, announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Former Mountaineer Smith Re-Signs With Seahawks

The most prolific passer in West Virginia history has re-signed with the Seattle Seahawks. Geno Smith has signed a one-year contract to compete with rookie Anthony Johnson for the Seahawks’ backup quarterback spot behind starter Russell Wilson. Smith was on the Seahawks’ roster in 2019, but did not see any action.

TBT to be 24-team tournament in single quarantined location; Dates to be announced

Best Virginia, the WVU alumni basketball team, will be getting another shot at a championship at The Basketball Tournament, but the competition will look different this year. The tournament, which was supposed to have a regional location in Charleston, West Virginia, will be played at a single quarantined location.

WVU’s Paul Popovich Profiled on Pirates Prospects

Paul Popovich, a West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame inductee, was recently profiled on Pirates Prospects website in its “Obscure Pittsburgh Pirates” series. Popovich played two seasons with the Bucs in 1974-75 as a utility infielder. Most of Popovich’s career was spent with the Chicago Cubs, and he played one season with the Dodgers in 1968.

WVU alum Tynice Martin waived by Los Angeles Sparks

Former West Virginia women’s basketball standout Tynice Martin has been waived by the Los Angeles Sparks. Martin was selected by the Sparks in the third round of the 2020 WNBA Draft.

Around the Big 12

Mac McClung transfer: Former Georgetown guard chooses Texas Tech as destination

Former Georgetown guard Mac McClung is transferring to Texas Tech. McClung is one of the top sit-out transfers in college basketball after averaging 15.7 points and 3.1 rebounds last season. He chose the Red Raiders over Wake Forest, Memphis, Auburn, Arkansas, BYU, and USC.

Big 12 announces plan for returning student-athletes to campus

Hours after the NCAA announced that Division I athletic activities can begin next month, the Big 12 Conference affirmed its stance in returning student-athletes to campus. The Big 12 announced that, beginning on June 15, football student-athletes may return to campus and “access campus athletic facilities and support personnel for voluntary conditioning and training exercises.”

Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year Candidates Announced

A total of 19 student-athletes have been nominated for Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year. The Sportsperson of the Year Awards began in 2000-01 to annually recognize student-athletes who displayed an extraordinary degree of sportsmanship, community service, and academic achievement.

TCU Athlete of the Year Nominees

2019-20 Big 12 Athlete of the Year candidates have been announced. TCU’s candidates are Desmond Bane of the Horned Frogs men’s basketball team and women’s soccer player Messiah Bright.

Texas Tech Athlete of the Year Nominees

2019-20 Big 12 Athlete of the Year candidates have been announced. Texas Tech’s candidates are Brittany Brewer of the women’s basketball squad and TTU golfer Sandy Scott.

Texas Athlete of the Year Nominees

2019-20 Big 12 Athlete of the Year candidates have been announced. The Texas candidates are Claire Adams and Jordan Windle of the swimming and diving teams.

Around the NCAA

NCAA announces voluntary activities for DI athletics can begin on June 1

The NCAA announced Friday that beginning on June 1, student-athletes in all Division I athletic programs will be allowed to participate in voluntary athletics activities. The NCAA’s Division I Council voted on the decision last week. The Council also voted to disallow countable athletics activities for football and basketball student-athletes through June 30.

100 days to college football: The biggest questions as the sport looks to return

When will players be allowed back on campus? What kind of environments await them when they return? What kind of season schedule will they use? With less than 100 days to go until the scheduled kickoff on August 29, here is where things stand.

College football’s strange but true historical facts for each Top 25 team

Here are the strangest historical facts for each top 25 team. Some of these fun facts are more surprising and more recent than others, and they all showed how random college football can be sometimes.

The NHL’s wild alternate season plan, explained

On Tuesday night the NHL unveiled its plan to resume play this season in spite of the coronavirus pandemic. The 2020 regular season is over. The league will now transition into a 24-team playoff format, which rewards teams that had the best records entering the suspension of play, while widening the field to give more teams a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup.

The NBA’s possible July return at Disney World, explained

The NBA may be finally making its 2019-20 season return after suspending its season on March 11th in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Here is what we know so far, including when it could happen, where it could happen, and who could be playing or in attendance.

Dunks, game winners and a TD pass: Our favorite play of the season for all 30 teams

It has been two and a half months since we have seen a poster dunk, an ankle-breaking move, or a buzzer-beating shot on an NBA court. But that won’t stop us from reliving some of the best plays we have already witnessed from the 2019-20 season.

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