(Editor’s Note: Story will be updated upon completion of the MEC Men’s Championship Game)
On the women’s side, it was Erykah Russell, not conference player of the year Brooklyn Pannell, who brought the title home for the Charleston Golden Eagles.
Russell exploded for 39 points and 16 rebounds on 16 of 26 shooting in the championship game to lead UC to a 87-80 win against Glenville State, snapping the Pioneers three-year tournament championship streak.
The two teams split head-to-head action this regular season, with the Pioneers winning the most recent matchup, 83-81, at Charleston on Feb. 24.
In that meeting, Russell also led the Golden Eagles with 26 and 12, but it wasn’t enough as Zakiyah Winfield led a late flurry to come from six down with less than 3 minutes to play. Winfield totaled 36 points, including the final four to ice the win.
This time, it was a 13-2 run by the Golden Eagles during the final 3:19 that gave UC the crown. Winfield fouled out and three other Pioneers’ starters finished with four fouls, hampering their effectiveness defensively late in the game.
UC advanced to the finals after withstanding a spirited effort from Wheeling in the semifinal round. The Cardinals, behind a team high 14 points from Jacqui Hinesmon and 12 from Lily Ritz, led 33-27 at halftime and held the Eagles to just 26 percent from the field.
But Charleston came out hot, as the trio of Russell, Dakota Reeves and Anastasiia Zakharova combined for 42 points to quickly erase the halftime deficit and put the game out of reach.
Wheeling went nearly 9 minutes without scoring while UC’s 16-3 run to end the third quarter ballooned to a 23-3 run. The Cardinals were never able to recover.
Glenville, meanwhile, took care of Notre Dame 88-69 to reach the finals.
Watson led a balanced scoring effort with 25 points, while Dazha Congelton and Abby Stoller combined for 25. Jada Marone led the Falcons with 25 in a losing effort.
MEC Volleyball Tournament Set
West Liberty’s senior night upset of No. 15-ranked Wheeling University did more than just put a feather in the cap of head coach Riley Schenk’s first regular season at the helm. It did the seemingly unthinkable.
The loss left the Cardinals with an 8-2 conference record and a tie for the North Division title with Fairmont State.
The Falcons split with Wheeling during the regular season after handing the Cardinals their first conference loss since the MEC formed. Fairmont earned the North’s top seed for the upcoming MEC tournament, dropping Wheeling down to No. 2.
The Cardinals first-round opponent? An immediate rematch with West Liberty. The defending MEC champions will be ready but for the first time, an early-exit from the MEC tournament for Wheeling is an actual possibility.
The quarterfinal round matches take place Tuesday at the site of the higher-seeded team. So, while Fairmont hosts No. 4 seed in the North, Notre Dame, the No. 2 seeded Cardinals will be hosting West Liberty in the McDonough Center.
West Virginia State, which owns a 7-game winning streak, earned the No. 1 seed in the South and hosts Charleston while West Virginia Wesleyan will travel to Davis & Elkins.
The semifinals and finals will be held at a single site, which will be determined following the quarterfinal round.
All MEC Basketball Honorees Announced
West Liberty’s Dalton Bolon earned his second-straight MEC Player of the Year honor and was joined by teammates Pat Robinson and Will Yoakum on the all-conference first team.
Wheeling’s Jordan Reid was named second team while Davis & Elkins freshman Sam Rolle took home Freshman of the Year honors. UC’s Dwaine Osborn was named Coach of the Year.
On the women’s side, West Liberty and Wheeling each placed a player on the first team, with the Hilltoppers’ Olivia Belknap and the Cardinals’ Lily Ritz garnering a spot. The Hilltoppers’ Audrey Tingle earned a second-team spot.
Charleston’s Brooklyn Pannell edged Ritz for Player of the Year Honors while Fairmont State rookie Alyssa DeAngelo was the Freshman of the Year. The Golden Eagles’ Tianni Kelly was named Coach of the Year.
Weekly Conference Honors
The following athletes were honored last week by the MEC as the top performers in their respective sports:
| Players of the Week |
| Men’s Basketball: Jordan Reid, Wheeling/Pat Robinson, Wheeling |
| Women’s Basketball: Zakiyah Winfield, Glenville State; Riley Fitzwater, Concord |
| Men’s Cross Country: Isaac Prather, Concord |
| Women’s Cross Country: Hannah Kemp, West Liberty |
| Wrestling: Llukas Martin, Fairmont State |
| Women’s Indoor Track & Field: Elizabeth Fleming Wheeling |
| Women’s Volleyball: Jenna Dufresne, West Virginia State (Offensive); Audrey Francis, Wheeling (Defensive) |
| Men’s Soccer: Daniel Cerezo, Davis & Elkins (Offensive); Marc Torrado, Charleston (Defensive) |
| Women’s Soccer: Leah Foster, Concord (Offensive); Taylor Kennedy, Fairmont State (Defensive) |
| Softball: Emily Moore, West Virginia State (Player); Caitlyn Kassay, Fairmont State (Pitcher) |
| Women’s Lacrosse: Tess Yuhas, Charleston (Offensive); Elisha Davis, Charleston (Defensive) |
| Acrobatics & Tumbling: Angela Perez, Glenville State |
