MEC tourney may never leave Wheeling

February 9, 2020

WHEELING - It was a slam dunk no-brainer. Mountain East Conference Commissioner Reid Amos announced Tuesday that the conference basketball tournament will remain in Wheeling in 2021, exercising its third-year option. It was not a tough decision. The Friendly City knocked it out of the park last year, hosting the event for the initial time, setting attendance records at gorgeous WesBanco Arena. Total attendance nearly reached 14,000 fans - easily an MEC Tournament record. Attendance records — along with strong sponsorship support — made for a very nice payday for the ...

Ferry, St. Clairsville will both grapple ways to Columbus

February 6, 2020

The Road to Columbus and the 8th annual Ohio State Wrestling Dual Meet Championships begins this weekend with regional competition for 13 Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Eastern District schools, with seven of those being located in Division III. The remaining half-a-dozen are in Division II. Only three OVAC schools have ever advanced to the state duals, which are held inside venerable St. John Arena on the campus of Ohio State University. They are Beaver Local, Shadyside and Steubenville. The Beavers reached the state semifinals last season. Big Red made the semis in 2016. The ...

New Wheeling U. A.D. living the dream

February 2, 2020

WHEELING - Garett Sherman was named Wheeling University’s new athletic director last week. With that appointment, the Cumberland, Md., native realizes a dream. Sherman comes to the Friendly City after most recently serving as athletic director at West Virginia University Potomac State College in Keyser. In that realm, he directed 11 sports and provided strategic planning and policy development for the Catamounts’ athletics program. Sherman replaces Rudy Yovich as the Cardinals’ athletic director. “I am humbled to be here. It has been a dream of mine to work at the NCAA ...

UL graduate Kemp cited by USTFCCA, sets WLU mile mark

January 31, 2020

WEST LIBERTY — Whether it’s on the cross country course, indoor track or classroom, Union Local grad Hannah Kemp has simply gotten it done since she arrived on the Hilltopper campus in August. Kemp was bestowed another academic honor Thursday when she was honored by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. This award combines the academic side of college with the athletic performance because to be recognized, a student-athlete must finish in the top 30 percent of his or her respective regional meet. Kemp was one of 403 female runners to be ...

Jenkins left indelible legacy in St. C. sports

January 30, 2020

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Gentleman, successful, passionate and dedicated. Those were just some of the adjectives that were used to describe John Jenkins. Let me just confirm that all were 100 percent accurate. Jenkins — the long-time St. Clairsville businessman, Red Devil athletic supporter and fan — died last week in Morgantown at the age of 79. Whether it was the school, athletics or the community, Jenkins was always involved. He was involved with countless civic organizations and served on numerous boards during his lifetime. So much so, that former OVAC Executive ...

Area teams hitting the road for state dual regionals

January 30, 2020

Assignments for the 8th annual Ohio Dual Team Regional Tournaments, set for Saturday, Feb. 8, were released last week, and for the local schools competing, they had better gas up the buses. St. Clairsville is the lone Division II entrant from the local area. The Red Devils, who were runnersup at Granville a year ago, will make the trek to Duncan Falls, where Philo High School is located, for Region 13 action. Other schools heading to the “Power Plant” are Athens, River View, Fairfield Union, Meadowbrook, West Holmes, Tri-Valley, New Lexington, Sheridan, Claymont, defending ...