| March 2023 |
| Our Hilltopper coaches, student-athletes and the Alumni Affairs team send special thanks to all our alumni who came out to support West Lib basketball at the Topper Takeover during the MEC Tournament at WesBanco Arena this past week! We look forward to seeing you again soon! |
| Enjoy the video profile above telling the story of Hilltopper Athletics! |
 Campbell Hall of Health Sciences plans to add a Healthcare Professional Training Center to its student services thanks to a recent $500,000 federal grant received due to the efforts of Sen. Joe Manchin to kickstart the project. More fundraising is now in the works to finish the space. $500,000 Grant Supports New Healthcare CenterWEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Feb. 28, 2023 — Thanks to a $500,000 federal grant, West Liberty University’s College of Sciences will be able to begin work on a new Healthcare Professional Training Center. “This award of $500,000 will support the beginnings of our Healthcare Professional Training Center, to be created on the fourth floor of Campbell Hall. We are so grateful to Senator Joe Manchin who secured these federal funds for us. It represents a critical investment to our mission of higher education for our region,” said Dr. Cathy Monteroso, interim WLU president. The award is one of the Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) projects that were funded through the Fiscal Year 2023 omnibus passed in December and signed into law by President Joe Biden on Dec. 29, 2022. “The Healthcare Professional Training Center will support the education of all health science and biomedical science programs, including undergraduate psychology, speech pathology and audiology, medical laboratory science, nursing, dental hygiene, and biology students, as well as graduate clinical psychology, speech-language pathology, biology, and physician assistant studies majors,” explained Dr. Karen Kettler, dean of the College of Sciences. Read More |
 WLU Foundation Director Betsy Delk thanks The Health Plan President and CEO Jeff Knight for his title sponsorship for Day of Giving 2023, coming up on April 5.Thank You Health PlanWEST LIBERTY, W.Va., March 2, 2023 — The West Liberty University Foundation has announced that The Health Plan will sponsor its seventh annual Topper Day of Giving. The 24-hour online giving event is set for Wednesday, April 5 and is expected to generate vital financial support for West Liberty University’s mission of higher education. “We are pleased to welcome The Health Plan as our Title Sponsor for Topper Day of Giving. With its support as a valued partner, we expect this year’s Day of Giving to be our most successful yet,” said Betsy Delk, executive director of the WLU Foundation. “Topper Day of Giving is one of the Foundation’s most important and successful fundraisers each year. Donations from alumni, faculty, and the community help grow scholarship opportunities for students and funding for programs across campus.” President and CEO of The Health Plan Jeff Knight acknowledged the importance of supporting educational opportunities in the Ohio Valley. “As one of the largest employers in Wheeling, The Health Plan has a vested interest in promoting West Liberty University and helping WLU students achieve their academic and career goals. It’s important for The Health Plan and all local employers to have a solid source of local talent,” he said. Read More |
 From left, Kathleen Wack, Lou Karas and Kate Billings look over plans now developing for BikeWestLib. BikeWestLib BeginsWEST LIBERTY, W.Va., March 6, 2023 — Thanks to a $5,000 grant received from the Be Active West Virginia Grant Program, West Liberty University will add six bike racks to its campus this spring. “We are so grateful to the Be Active program and the West Virginia Division of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease, for the assistance in adding this much needed feature to our rural campus,” said Kathleen Wack, associate professor of Health and Physical Education. “This is just the first step in what we are calling ‘BikeWestLib.’ This continued initiative will grow to include mapping safe riding routes, designating bike lanes and adding signage,” added Lou Karas, the Director of WLU’s Center for Arts and Education. Both Wack and Karas were joined by Director of Student Activities Kate Billings in writing the grant and are overseeing the project. “We hope to cultivate a culture of cycling and add to the campus wellness and student intramural program in this manner,” Billings said. A bike-rental or lease program also is part of the long-term plan. Read More |
 President Dr. Cathy Monteroso & Head Men’s Basketball Head Coach Ben Howlett following the Hilltoppers MEC Championship victory on Sunday evening inside WesBanco arena.Hilltopper Athletics NewsflashWEST LIBERTY, W.Va. March 5, 2023 — The top-seeded West Liberty University men’s basketball team put on a dominating performance Sunday evening, downing No. 2 Fairmont State, 112-82, to secure a second straight and fifth all-time Mountain East Conference Tournament title.The Hilltoppers become the first team in MEC history to win back-to-back tournament titles and the +30 margin is the largest victory in a championship game in tournament history. The Hilltoppers secured the MEC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division II National Tournament and play next in the Atlantic Region Tournament vs. University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown at 2:30 pm, Saturday, March 11. Wrestling has eight national qualifiers who will travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the NCAA DII National Championships on March 10 and 11, after claiming its third straight team title at the NCAA Super Region 3 Championships. All spring sports are in full swing. Softball will play its home opener this week, Baseball is gearing up for its conference opener on March 18, both men’s and women’s tennis are on spring break trips competing in Florida and South Carolina. Outdoor track & field and men’s golf are both set to begin their spring seasons this month. |
