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From the AD's Desk: Fall Sports Update
October 19, 2016 03:55 PM | General
As we continue to prepare for another big football weekend in Morgantown, I thought it would be a perfect time to update Mountaineer Nation on the many great things going on at West Virginia University right now.
Of course, our football team continues to play well after its impressive win at Texas Tech last weekend. Coach Dana Holgorsen and his staff have done an outstanding job getting the Mountaineers back into the top 15, and we certainly look forward to the game Saturday against TCU in front of another sellout crowd at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Although the TCU game is sold out, there are still plenty of opportunities to catch the Mountaineers against Kansas on Saturday, November 5, against Oklahoma on Saturday, November 19 and against undefeated Baylor on Saturday, December 3 to conclude the regular season.
Our fan support so far has been tremendous and it really made a difference in our victory over Kansas State earlier this year and will help our team with its remaining home games.
Be sure to visit our ticket website, WVUGAME.com, and learn more about our special Hail West Virginia Mini Plan for those remaining three home dates.
And football is not the only fall sports program performing well right now. For the second straight week, women’s soccer sits No. 1 in all of the major polls with big matches coming up this weekend at TCU on Friday night and at Texas on Sunday.
Locally, fans can catch West Virginia’s Sunday match against the Longhorns on ROOT Sports beginning at 6 p.m. The regular season concludes for the women on Friday, October 28, at 7 p.m. in Morgantown against Oklahoma State.
I encourage you to bring the entire family out to catch the last regular season home match for one of the finest senior classes in West Virginia University women’s soccer history!
Speaking of soccer, despite a couple of recent setbacks, the men’s team performed well in September with big victories over seventh-ranked Georgetown, Princeton and UNC Greensboro to make a brief return to the top 25. The Mountaineers have three important conference matches coming up on the road at Akron, Western Michigan and Northern Illinois before tournament play begins.
Women’s cross country had a strong performance recently at the Penn State National Open to return to the national rankings. Up next for coach Sean Cleary’s team is the Big 12 Championship in Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday, October 29.
Another important date to keep in mind is Friday, November 11, when the women compete at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional in State College, Pennsylvania, to qualify for NCAA nationals.
Meanwhile, I have been very impressed with the progress coach Reed Sunahara and his staff have made with our volleyball team this year. We had a nice victory out at Cal and also got a couple of good wins in conference play late last month against Texas Tech and TCU.
The team has already doubled its victory total from a season ago and remains on pace for a winning season, which is very pleasing to see.
Overall, I’m excited with the momentum created so far during the fall and I anticipate that to continue as our winter sports begin competition.
As for the WVU Coliseum, concourse work continues to progress and we are still on schedule for our target dates.
A lot of the work is now becoming visible to the naked eye and we are planning another video tour similar to the one we did with the east side of Milan Puskar Stadium earlier this summer to give Mountaineer fans a look at the improvements being made, including more points of sale, more restrooms and much more room to move around in a building that is now nearly 50 years old.
I encourage you to remain patient as we wrap up construction work toward the end of the calendar year. When completed, I am confident Mountaineer fans are really going to enjoy the finished product as we update one of college basketball’s most iconic venues.
Finally, I urge you to join us as we salute our legendary coach, Don Nehlen, on Friday, November 4, at 7 p.m. at Waterfront Place Hotel.
WVU Varsity Club Director Dale Wolfley has put together an outstanding lineup of former Mountaineer players to “roast” coach Nehlen and I can’t wait to listen to what they have to say. I am told coach Nehlen gets the mic last, so that will be interesting to listen to as well.
On a personal note, I can’t begin to describe how much Don Nehlen has meant to West Virginia University and how respected his name continues to be nationally. There is not a place I go or a meeting I attend where his name isn’t brought up positively in some manner or form.
Coach Nehlen is a true West Virginia University treasure and someone I am proud to call a friend.
Those interested in attending must purchase tickets by Friday, October 28. You can do so by logging on to WVUMAC.com or by calling the Mountaineer Athletic Club toll-free at 1-800-433-2072.
I look forward to seeing you at a West Virginia University athletic event this year.
Until then,
Let’s Go Mountaineers!
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