With WVU Baseball ending its magical run to (and in) Omaha, one of the best years in WVU Athletics history has come to a close. I speak for the whole WV Sports Nation staff when I say we picked quite the first full year to sink our teeth into when it comes to coverage.
Historic moments, conference and tournament titles, and attendance records — all part of one single year. It’s hard to pick just five days on the calendar that stand out amongst the others, but I’ll do my best. Read more: Top five days from the 2025-26 WVU Athletics calendar.
I can already give flowers for a few honorable mentions.
Both soccer programs stood out once again, earning NCAA Tournament berths. Wrestling, gymnastics, swim & dive, golf, and volleyball — all making waves in some form. The following five moments are what I find to be department-defining.
March 21, 2026: WBB vs. Miami (OH) in NCAA Tournament
“We’re gonna party like it’s 1992!”
I swear I heard and read this sentence everywhere following the announcement that WVU Women’s Basketball was going to host the NCAA Tournament’s first and second rounds at Hope Coliseum. It had only happened the one other time.
A program attendance record-breaking crowd of 13,504 packed into the venue to watch the Mountaineers pick up a first round victory for the third straight season. They took down the Miami (OH) Redhawks in an 82-54 show of force.
Related: WVU rolls over Miami in front of a sold-out crowd
While the season ended a day later in the second round to Kentucky, which seems to be a round the program can’t get past, this was a signature day in program history.
I could’ve also chosen the Big 12 Tournament Championship win, but I believe this meant more to the state.
It’s nice that first round wins have become the standard under head coach Mark Kellogg, but the hosting bid and the crowd size is what landed this date on the list.
March 14, 2026: WVU Rifle goes back-to-back, wins 21st title
There’s no better dynasty in college athletics than WVU Rifle. I don’t want to hear about it not counting, because it does. Any other school would love to raise an NCAA National Championship trophy of any sort 21 times.
It may not be a revenue driver for the department, but they’re dominant in a sport built for Mountaineers. It’s only right.
The team rallied from behind on the second day of the championships in Columbus, Ohio, making a successful comeback for the second year in a row.
Related: WVU Rifle comes back to win 21st NCAA National Championship
This squad has experienced returning members with two titles under their belts and has every good reason to believe they’ll be at the top of podium again come next spring.
April 5, 2026: WVU Men’s Basketball takes the College Basketball Crown
Maybe it was just me, but a chance $300,000 in NIL funds sounded like a fine consolation prize for not making March Madness. So when I learned the Mountaineers were heading to Las Vegas to battle for the much-needed money, I was all in.
A couple of heart attacks later — WVU overcame an old, pesky foe of prior Big 12 days. The Mountaineers, who entered the title bout against Oklahoma winning just one of the past nine matchups against the Sooners, made sure they brought home the bacon.
Related: West Virginia tops Oklahoma for Crown title, $300k prize
The home wins against Pitt and Kansas are obvious honorable mentions, but this win will have a long-term positive impact on the program.
June 6, 2026: WVU Baseball punches its ticket to Omaha
This is a no-brainer.
Again, ridiculously high honorable mentions for the comeback against Kentucky and the program’s first two wins in the Men’s College World Series — but this was a special moment. Not just for this season, either. This is the stuff they’d put toward the front of a WVU Athletics textbook for Mountaineer Sports 101 with professor Wren Baker.
Admittedly, it was the only game I was able to attend this year. Boy, did I pick a good one.
Related: Consistent onslaught propels Mountaineers to Super Regional title, Omaha
Sitting in the press box and feeling it quake when Ben Lumsden and Tyrus Hall went back-to-back is something I’ll never forget. Seeing the smiles, tears, and an all-time great rendition of Take Me Home, Country Roads made me remember why I love what I do.
On top of it all, it was the perfect ending to the first-ever Morgantown Super Regional. Thank you, UCLA.
Seeing a West Virginia native finish the 17-1 affair off, with Ben McDougal mercifully slamming the door on Cal Poly, was icing on the cake.
Oh, and it all happened in front of a program record 4,675 fans. That’s not counting the brave folks on the recently-coined “Randy’s Ridge.” I heard there are people still trying to get in.
Remember this one for eternity, Mountaineer fans.
September 13, 2025: All is right in the world for a night
You probably saw this one coming from a mile away.
WVU. Pitt. Backyard Brawl. Rich Rodriguez. 9/13.
A match made in hell, if you ask certain fans. A match made in heaven, if you ask the right fans.
It was an ugly affair, incredibly fitting for a bitter rivalry with even more on the line than just a notch in the win column.
WVU did everything they could to try and give the game away for the majority of the game. But you could feel something palpable in a sold-out, raucous Milan Puskar Stadium.
Related: WVU wins OT thriller 31-24, beating Pittsburgh in 108th meeting
When this game somehow got to overtime, it was over for the Panthers. The Mountaineers drew first blood in OT, and the defense made sure Pitt didn’t extend the contest further.
“Mountaineers don’t ever quit!”
Amen, Rich.
WVU went on to finish 4-8 after the win marked a 2-1 start. As for classmates and friends I spoke to on campus leading up to the game, a lot of them shared the same sentiment… “I don’t care if we go 2-10 as long as we beat Pitt!”
Well, they weren’t far off.
For a night though, couches burned. It felt like Mountaineer football was back. It may return to its full glory with a more prepared staff and new talent in 2026, but time will tell.
Here’s to 2026-27
Outside of football, this is a year that will go down in the history books for WVU Athletics. If the 2026-27 calendar is even remotely close to this one, fans will be incredibly lucky.
Related: WVU is raising the Mountaineer Athletics Advantage Fee; where does the money go?
Related: West Virginia Day: built, not given
Expect a more formal and well-rounded breakdown of the 2025-26 calendar in the coming days, showcasing every accolade and moment.
Stay up to date with WV Sports Nation for more WVU Athletics coverage.
