The Mountaineers are squeezing in some excitement as the athletic calendar begins to run dry, as a successful weekend for track and field was followed by some history-making for the golf squad.
Here’s what you may have missed, and what to look out for moving forward:
Golf
Last week: West Virginia golf made its first return to Prairie Dunes since 2017 for the Big 12 Golf Championship, completing the event 67-over for a ninth-place finish. While the Mountaineers might not get excited about their final placement, they can get excited about marked improvement from their last appearance at Prairie Dunes, when they finished 131-over in their first-ever run at the Big 12 Championship.
Logan Perkins was the low man for West Virginia, posting a 72-hole score of 16-over-par, which was good for a T-35 finish. Mark Goetz helped bring the team’s score down as well, finishing 18-over, but notching a final day 2-under 68.
Oklahoma State took home the title at 9-over, while Cole Hammer of Texas shot the lowest 72-hole score of the event at 4-under.
This week: Goetz made West Virginia golf history on Wednesday as he was invited to the NCAA Regional at The Sagamore Club in Noblesville, Indiana as a No. 4 seed individual qualifier.
Goetz is the first Mountaineer to make an appearance at an NCAA Regional since the program’s reinstatement in 2015-16, and the first-ever individual qualifier. In fact, West Virginia hasn’t made it this far in the postseason since 1947.
“We are very happy for Mark to have been selected to participate in the NCAA Regional,” coach Sean Covich said. “He has worked hard on his game ever since his freshman season and improved each year.”
Practice rounds for the regional tee off on Sunday, May 16, with the 54-hole competition running from May 17-19.
Track and Field
Last week: West Virginia had a strong performance while hosting the Mountaineer Twilight at Mylan Park, earning four first place finishes in nine events.
The first gold went to freshman Abigale Mullings in the high jump, while freshmen Sarah Stair and Lydia Moell each earned a winning height of 3.69 meters in the pole vault. Ceilie McCabe won the 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing in 9:58.62 for the second-best time in program history.
McCabe went on to earn the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week award.
This week: The Mountaineers are still at home as they prepare to host the Mountaineer Last Chance meet at Mylan Park, which runs from May 7-8.
Elsewhere in Mountaineer Nation
One of the men in charge of keeping the Mountaineers in the right shape is earning the highest honor in his profession.
WVU Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning Tanner Kolb will be named a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach by the CSCCa, one of seven strength and conditioning coaches to get the nod in 2021.
“This is an incredible honor for Tanner,” CSCCa Chief Executive Officer, Scott Bennett, said. “Being named a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach signifies a commitment to the student-athlete, the West Virginia University athletics programs and the strength and conditioning profession. We are honored to have Coach Kolb as a member of our association and to have him join the ranks of the Master Strength and Conditioning Coaches. He is truly a model of an outstanding strength and conditioning professional.”
Kolb joined the Mountaineers in 2012 and works with WVU’s rifle, men’s soccer and wrestling teams. He also spent time at East Carolina, working with a host of programs for the Pirates.
Kolb will receive his blue MSCC jacket on Thursday from Gary Calgano of Oklahoma State at the CSCCa’s national conference in Fort Worth, Texas.
