West Liberty Men Receive Top Spot In MEC Preseason Poll
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WHEELING - For the sixth time in the last seven years, the West Liberty men's basketball program finds itself atop the Mountain East Conference preseason poll, which was released Tuesday afternoon during MEC Basketball Media Day in the lobby of WesBanco Arena.
The defending MEC Tournament champion Hilltoppers received 11 of the 12 first-place votes for 121 points. The vote of the MEC head coaches cannot be unanimous as a head coach is prohibited from voting for his own team. Glenville State, which received the other first-place vote, and Fairmont State tied for second with 101 points. The University of Charleston and Wheeling University rounded out the top 5 with 98 and 84 points, respectively.
"In my young coaching career, I've been part of three conferences and three different regions," second-year West Liberty head coach and alum Michael Lamberti said. "Just seeing how the Mountain East Conference does things, it would've been real easy for us to do some videos and send them in, but Commissioner (Reid) Amos and his staff do a wonderful job in getting everybody together to talk about our league. I also think our conference tournament is top-notch."
West Liberty enters the 2026-27 campaign following another championship season in 2025-26. The Hilltoppers finished 27-5 overall and 18-2 in conference play, capturing their fifth MEC championship and extending the program’s NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament appearance streak to 17 consecutive seasons. However, West Liberty advanced to the NCAA Atlantic Regional as the No. 2 seed but saw their season end with a 52-46 loss to Virginia Union in the opening round in Erie, Pa.
"We have eight returners from last season," Lamberti noted. "We have some good resources going on at West Liberty that made these guys want to come back and the fact that we didn't represent ourselves very well in the Atlantic Regional last year also fueled their desire to return."
Wheeling University head coach Chris Richardson, the reigning MEC Coach of the Year, said the MEC fits right in with the love for sports that the Ohio Valley has.
"Everything moves at a fast pace in the Mountain East Conference, and the offseason is no different," Richardson said. "The addition of Point Park University as a full-time member and Shawnee State joining the conference will only make it stronger."
On the women's side, Fairmont State and Charleston each received five of the 12 first-place votes, but the Cardinals finished with 113 points to 111 for the Golden Eagles. Glenville State received the other two first-place votes, finishing third with 101 points. W.Va. Wesleyan and Concord were fourth and fifth, respectively, with 84 and 77 points.
West Liberty was seventh with 68, one spot and 18 points ahead of Wheeling University.
"We have some very high expectations this season," Hilltoppers' head coach Kyle Cooper said. "We are very talented. We have experience. We have balance. Everyone of our players brings a value in their own way.
"We challenge this team every day in practice with adversity, and they have responded really well."
Wheeling University second year head coach Ella Skeens is excited about the upcoming season.
"Looking back at last year, we finished 17-12 and gained valuable experience throughout the year," she said. "We have a strong foundation to build upon as we move forward. We've added nine freshmen and three transfers to the roster to go along with a good nucleus of returning players."
The MEC Tournament will once again be held inside WesBanco Arena on March 3-7, 2027. It will be the ninth straight year the event is hosted by the Friendly City.