A lot happened over the weekend in West Virginia Athletics. WVU Rifle won its 21st NCAA National Championship and set records in the process. Women’s Basketball earned a top-16 seed (four seed) in the NCAA Tournament and is hosting three other teams for the first weekend of the tournament. Men’s Basketball also accepted an invitation to the College Basketball Crown tournament. WVU Baseball won two of three games against Baylor to open Big 12 play. A lot more happened, which you can read about below. Read more: WVU weekend recap: Rifle wins title, tournament games in Morgantown.
Rifle
WVU Rifle overcame a deficit after day one of competition to win the NCAA National Championship. They put themselves in a position to win the competition after the first day, but it took some work. WVU set an NCAA Championship record with an aggregate score of 4748, and matched a record with a 2395 air rifle score on the second day. Griffin Lake was named the NCAA National Championships Most Outstanding Performer. Read this article for a more in-depth analysis of the victory.
Women’s Basketball
The NCAA Tournament is coming to Morgantown, WV, for first- and second-round games. WVU earned a four-seed and is playing 13-seed Miami (OH). The Big 12 Champions are also hosting five-seed Kentucky and 12-seed James Madison at Hope Coliseum. Read more about the matchups and history of the NCAA Tournament in West Virginia at this article, and get tickets at 10 a.m. ET on March 16 to fill the seats!
Men’s Basketball
WVU did not receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but they will play in the postseason. They accepted an invitation to the Crown tournament, which begins April 1 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Read this article to learn more about the men’s postseason schedule.
Baseball
The Mountaineers opened Big 12 play in Waco, Texas, over the weekend, and won two of three games. The Mountaineers are 13-4 this season, and 2-1 in the Big 12. They play Penn State at home on Tuesday, March 17, at 6:30 p.m. ET at Wagener Field at Kendrick Family Ballpark. They welcome BYU to town on Thursday for a three-game Big 12 series.
Gymnastics
WVU Gymnastics wrapped up the regular season on Sunday, March 15, with a tri-meet in Pittsburgh, PA. The team scored 195.35, placing second behind Pitt and ahead of Illinois State in the final meet of the regular season. The team’s score was the fifth consecutive score of 195+. It was made up of scores of 48.95 on vault, 48.925 on uneven bars, 48.3 on balance beam, and 49.175 on floor exercise.
Emerson Smith matched her season-high of 9.9 on floor exercise. Taylor Tuohy posted a new career-high on vault with a 9.875. Carlee Nelson also tied her career-high of 9.85. WVU’s best performance was on uneven bars. Jurnee Lane led the way with a career-high of 9.85, and Kayla Smith posted a career-high of 9.825. Jayden McDonnell had a season-high of 9.8, to go along with a 9.75 from Haley Mendoza and 9.7 from Kaelyn Skeel. Smith earned first place on all-around with a 39.175.
WVU Gymnastics heads to West Valley City, Utah, for the 2026 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship on Saturday, March 21. The competition is inside the Maverik Center and starts at 2 p.m. ET.
