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WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. — West Liberty University is excited to announce the formation of a new Archery Club, offering students the opportunity to learn, compete, and connect through one of the fastest-growing sports in the Ohio Valley.

“We’ve seen how strong youth and high school archery programs have become in our area,” said Katie Cooper, Vice President of Enrollment. “Our goal is to create opportunities for those students to continue doing what they love while getting a great education at West Liberty. The archery club is a perfect way to bring those interests together.”

The club will operate under the direction of the university’s Office of Student Life and have a designated certified coach. Archers will follow the guidelines of the USA Archery Foundation. Members will practice on campus and have the chance to participate in regional and national collegiate archery competitions. To learn more about USA Archery, please visit www.usarchery.org.

“West Liberty University is excited to offer archery as a club sport for our students,” said Dr. Tim Borchers, President of West Liberty University. “This sport is very popular in the Ohio Valley and we are pleased to offer the opportunity for students to continue their competition as Hilltoppers.”

Archery has become increasingly popular among youth and high school programs throughout the region, and the new club sport at WLU will provide a natural next step for those who want to continue the sport at the collegiate level. Open to students of all skill levels, the club will emphasize safety, skill development, and camaraderie, giving Hilltoppers another way to get involved on campus while representing the university in competitions.

The addition of the Archery Club Sport reflects West Liberty University’s ongoing commitment to providing diverse opportunities for students to pursue their passions both inside and outside the classroom.

WU's Fleming, Bethany's Blango Honored

Wheeling's Liz Fleming was named the Mountain East Conference's Field Athlete of the Year at the MEC Indoor Championships after capturing both the weight throw and shot put, helping the Cardinals to a third-place team finish. She managed a 17.61-meter throw in the weight throw event and a 14.31 meter put in the shot. Bethany's Chas Blango was named the PAC Field Athlete of the Week after finishing third overall in the weight throw and 13th in the shot put at the Mount Union Raider Tune-Up. Blango's put of 12.98 meters was the fifth-best mark in the PAC this indoor season. The PAC Indoor Championships get underway Thursday at Youngstown State.

Boys and Girls Sectional Action Continues

Ohio boys' basketball sectional final matchups in divisions III and IV are set after Tuesday's night's action across the Buckeye State. Division II games take place tonight, along with girls' district action. Across the river in West Virginia, girls' sectional action continues. In Class A, top-seeded Wheeling Central raced out early and put to rest any hope of a Valley Lumberjills upset, ending the first half on a 17-0 run en route to a 68-39 win. Hannah White led the Maroon Knights with 14 and Tristen White added 12. Jamey West led the 'Jills with 12. The Knights will take on Cameron Friday in Moundsville for the sectional crown. The Dragons overcame an early 8-0 hole to defeat Madonna 42-38 in Tuesday's early game. Lily Neely paced Cameron with 16 points. In Class AA, Weir fell to No. 1 North Marion, 80-38. Sophia Mikula and Isabella Aperfine led the Red Riders with 10 apiece. In Ohio, Union Local withstood a tough test early from Buckeye Local to advance 76-52 in Division III sectional action. The Jets were led by 22 from Luke Merritt and 21 from Zach Bateman. UL hosts Morgan, a 55-45 winner against Harrison Central, on Friday in a sectional co-final. Bellaire fell to two-seed Fort Frye 63-32, while Martins Ferry took care of Sandy Valley, 41-35. The Purple Riders will now face the Cadets. On the opposite side of the bracket, Barnesville bested Coshocton 65-56 and advances to play Tuscarawas Valley, a 64-19 winner against Edison. In Division IV, Hiland hammered Conotton Valley 64-13 and Rosecrans took care of Beallsville 72-26, setting up a matchup between the number one and two seeds in Friday's sectional co-final. Shenandoah beat Steubenville Catholic 79-63 and next faces Strasburg, a 47-21 victor against River. Malvern defeated Bridgeport 77-44 and faces Tuscarawas Catholic Central, a 56-41 winner against Toronto. Finally, four seed Shadyside and six seed Frontier will face off after winning their respective games against Caldwell and Monroe. The Cougars trailed late but forced overtime and beat the Seminoles 68-65.

Hilltoppers Rise in NABC Poll

Following wins against regionally ranked Fairmont State and Frostburg State, the West Liberty men's basketball team continued to rise in the NABC Division II Top 25 poll, improving three spots to No. 13. The top five remained the same, with N.W. Missouri State, Lincoln Memorial, West Texas A&M, UC-San Diego and Florida Southern. Directly behind West Liberty at No. 14 is Jim Crutchfield's 20-4 Nova Southeastern team. The Hilltoppers are streaking, winners of 16 of their last 17 and are closing in on a record 12th national scoring title. West Liberty currently scores at 105.3 points per game, one of only two Division II teams to average in triple digits. The other? Nova Southeastern. West Liberty is currently third in the regional rankings. Indiana (Pa.), No. 7 in the NABC poll, is number one, followed by Shippensburg, West Lib, Fairmont State and Charleston.

National Arena League Moves

The Carolina Cobras were active on the transaction wire recently, adding secondary help by signing 6-foot-4 defensive back Armagedon Draughn. Draughn comes from the CFL's Montreal Alouettes, played in a preseason game with the New York Jets before being cut. He played collegiality at Albany State before transferring to Tuskegee. To make room, the Cobras released receivers Marc DesRuisseaux, Jaren Colston-Green, defensive back Timothy Keith and WR/DB Andrew Williams.

Waynesburg Ousts Bethany Women

Basketball season at Bethany College came to an early end this week as Waynesburg beat the Bison 79-65 in the quarterfinal round of the Presidents Athletic Conference tournament. The Bison were led by Cameron's Courtney Walker with 22 points and four rebounds. Haylie Glass back Walker with 14 points and Monroe Central's Allison Kuhn added nine in the loss. Waynesburg was led by Brooke Fuller's 16-point, 12-rebound effort. Former Union Local standout Alli DeLaney aided Fuller with 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists.  Waynesburg advances to play Westminster, the winner of which will face second-seed Grove City. The Bethany men finished last in the PAC standings and didn't qualify for the men's tournament.

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Eclipsing 1,000 Part Deux

Beaver Local senior and further West Liberty Hilltopper Jenna Riccardo long ago scored her 1,000th point. She crossed that threshold in a January 2019 game against rival East Liverpool. Monday, Riccardo joined the 1,000-1,000 club as she reached the century mark in career rebounds. Riccardo needed six coming into the game and finished with 10 as the Beavers hammered Lisbon in the final home game of the season. Next up is a road meeting with St. Clairsville in the first round of the Ohio Division II sectional tournament. Riccardo joins Magnolia senior and Concord University signee Kyndra Pilant in the 1,000-1,000 club.

MEC Players of the Week

Lilly Ritz is at it again for Wheeling University. The Cardinals sophomore was named Player of the Week for the third consecutive week after she averaged 28 points and 23.5 rebounds in splitting games against West Virginia State and Charleston. During that span, Ritz snagged a Division-II single game record tying 36 rebounds. Ritz has four games this season with an output of at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. In baseball, Wheeling's Josh Bell pitched five scoreless innings, allowing one hit with four strikeouts as the Cardinals secured a win against Salem in their season opener. For his efforts Bell, a senior from Apollo, Pa., was named the conference's first Pitcher of the Week for the 2020 season.

Pens Wheeling and Dealing

The Pittsburgh Penguins nearly traded for Minnesota Wild winger Jason Zucker during the 2018-19 season for Phil Kessell. But Kessell put the kibosh on that deal when he exercised his no-trade clause. No such issues this season. The Pens successfully dealt Calen Addison,Alex Galchenyuk and a first-round pick to the Wild for Zucker.  Zucker will add immediate help, especially in the wake of Jae Guentzel's season-ending injury. Zucker had 14 goals and 15 assists through in 45 appearances for 29 points. During that same span, Galchenyuk had five goals and 12 assists for 17 points. It's a bit of good news for the Penguins on the same day the organization learned rookie defenseman John Marino's facial bone fracture that required surgery will require 3-6 weeks of healing before he can return. Marino was injured in Thursday's loss to Tampa Bay.

Ohio Boys' Brackets Released

The first-round matchups have been set as the OHSAA and Eastern District released the Ohio boys' basketball pairings. The Division III play-in game gets underway on Saturday, Feb. 22 with all other games for D3 and D4 starting on Tuesday, Feb. 25. The Division II play-in will take place on the 25th, with the remaining games slated for Saturday, Feb. 29. In Division II, Meadowbrook earned the top seed and play 18 seed Indian Creek in the play-in. New Philadelphia, Tri-Valley, East Liverpool and Steubenville Big Red round out the top five seeds. Big Red has Cambridge in a play-in with the winner facing eighth-seeded Carrollton. No. 7 St. Clairsville hosts No. 13 Minerva, with the winner to face either Tri-Valley or 15th seeded West Holmes. In Division III, Ridgewood garnered the top seed while Fort Frye, Union Local, Tusky Valley and Harrison Central round out the top five. The Jets open with Buckeye Local while Harrison waits for the winner of Morgan and Buckeye Trail. Seventh-seeded Bellaire travels to play Fort Frye. In Division IV, perennial power Hiland is the No. 2 seed with Bishop Rosecrans securing the top spot, followed by Malvern, Shadyside and Shenandoah. Fourteen seed Beallsville draws the Bishops in the first round while Conotton Valley gets to travel to Berlin to meet the Hawks. Malvern hosts Bridgeport, Shadyside faces off against Caldwell and the Zeps play host to Steubenville Catholic.

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