MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Mountaineer Athletic Club is getting pretty good at these virtual events.
 
Thursday evening, the MAC conducted its first-ever Virtual Ladies Huddle with more than 200 participants taking part. In prior years, this event took place inside Milan Puskar Stadium with entrants going through practice drills, a chalk talk and a question and answer session with Coach Neal Brown and his staff.
 
This year, with the coronavirus pandemic severely limiting social interacting, the popular event had to be moved to cyberspace.
 
"There were some unknowns and we weren't completely sure how it would work out but, overall, we were really pleased," Jamie Hall, assistant athletics director for donor relations and administration, said. "We tried to incorporate everything from the physical event into the virtual event."
 
Following a Virtual Cocktail Hour that included introduction of the signature drink "Almost Heaven", an online reception, auction, shopping and video presentation led into the Virtual Fashion Show, led by Amanda Mazey, Ann-Katherine Lesley, wife of assistant coach Jordan Lesley, Mountaineer Athletic Club supporter Terry Sigley and Mary Krosnjar, a fashion blogger and WVU graduate.
 
Then, veteran play-by-play announcer Tony Caridi took over to lead the group through different aspects of the Mountaineer football program.
 
Deputy Director of Athletics and Mountaineer football's senior administrator Keli Zinn took the participants on a virtual tour of the football complex, including an update on the renovations to the Milan Puskar Center.
 
Strength and conditioning coach Mike Joseph delivered a pre-recorded workout program followed by a tour of the team's modified weight room in the stadium concourse.
 
"Usually, we do the weight demo but that turned into a weight room tour of the concourse because of the social distancing requirements for the players," Hall explained.
 
Senior Associate Athletics Director and Executive Director of the Mountaineer Athletic Club Ben Murray made a presentation about the Climbing Higher Campaign and then Emily Lyons, wife of WVU Director of Athletics Shane Lyons, discussed the vital role women play in supporting Mountaineer athletics. 
 
Approximately 40 minutes of coaching drills preceded the featured event: Neal and Brooke Brown.
 
"Coach Brown and Brooke, they always crush it when it comes to this," Hall said. "The guests ate it up."
 
The Browns were available for a question and answer session before the two-hour event concluded with an online auction.
 
Athletics' Director of Digital Media Grant Dovey handled the technical aspects of the program.
 
Hall said $5,000 was generated from the auction and $34,000 overall was raised from this year's virtual event to support West Virginia University's student-athletes.
 
"It was all good, all around," Hall concluded.