WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Earlier this week, West Liberty University and its fellow members of the Mountain East Conference made the difficult but necessary decision to cancel all athletic-related activities for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year as part of the ongoing response to the COVID-19 crisis.
    As was the case with most NCAA conferences, the MEC had already suspended its spring sports for an indefinite period while awaiting further guidance from government officials. The total shutdown merely confirmed what most had been expecting.
    West Liberty's student-athletes were no exception. More than half of our university's nearly 500 student-athletes compete in spring sports. Many of them saw their seasons brought to a half before they had even started. Others saw great starts to the season brought to an abrupt and untimely end.
    The MEC reached out to its student-athletes affected by the decision, providing a forum for them to talk about what it meant to them now and what it means going forward. Dozens of MEC student-athletes responded to the request including a number of current Hilltoppers and even a West Liberty alumnus.
    We wanted to share those reflections on a silent spring with Hilltopper friends, fans and alumni everywhere as we shelter in place on an abnormally quiet March weekend.
    Stay safe!
 
Cole Wright, Jr., Wheeling, W.Va. (Track & Field/Cross Country)
    "After hearing the news over the past few days, I was sadly not surprised to hear that our track season was over. We had just finished a hard workout on the track this past Wednesday and were joking about not being able to race again until cross country season. But you never know what the next day will bring.
    Something I will remember through these months of uncertainty is that it is always worthwhile to put in a hard day's work. Though we don't have any immediate races to prepare for, that doesn't mean we've lost the opportunity to become better runners (and athletes) every day. So while it is sad that we've lost a season of the sport we love, I'm also considering how many others have been affected by this virus in a much more serious way than we have.
    I'll miss lacing up my Nike 'Pegs' with Jordan and Mike and going for a cool-down jog after a hard workout. I'm sad to see their college careers end on such a sudden note but I'm thankful for all the ways they've made me into a better athlete and friend these past three years.
    To be really honest, it sucks losing this season. But I am thankful to the MEC for allowing us to compete and ultimately caring about our safety. So while we are on break, let's keep working hard. We haven't lost the ability to be better than we were yesterday."
 
Sydney Schumacher, Soph., Elkins, W.Va. (Acrobatics & Tumbling)
    "My heart breaks for everyone who lost opportunities that they'll never get back. I have two more years of college remaining after this semester but some people don't. Some student-athletes will never get back the missed games, the memories left un-made, the national championships they qualified for, and the opportunity to display the hard work they put in all season.
    It was an awesome decision that an extra year of eligibility is being granted to all of us but the truth is, most people won't be able to take advantage of it. They have to graduate and move on with their life instead of sticking around strictly for athletics.
    This situation has taught me that you can't take anything for granted, to practice and perform every day like it will be the last time you ever will. In the end, I hope everyone – especially the seniors – will somehow find a way to get whatever closure they need."
 
Eric D. Croasmun, Proud West Liberty Alumnus
    "While I wasn't an athlete at WLU, I was at almost every football and basketball game. I attended a ton of volleyball, baseball, and softball games, as well.
    I love the Mountain East Conference. I was a student at its birth and watched it grow as its members soared to new heights. Some of my best memories were attending the great MEC match-ups with my friends on our own campus or even traveling to Wheeling's court.
    When things started to be canceled earlier this month, my thoughts went to not only what the athletes are missing and have worked for, but also what the students are missing. Even after graduation, I have been on hand for all but two MEC Basketball Tournaments.
    I believe there exists a special connection between not only fellow alums at my own school but with those at other member schools. The MEC creates a shared bond that goes beyond just the individual institution."
 
Grace Henley, Soph., St. Albans, W.Va. (Track and Field)
    "This was only my sophomore year, but that doesn't mean it hurt any less to hear the season was over before it started.
    At the close of the MEC Indoor Championships, the bulk of our distance team had either PR'd or set a school record in their event. While we didn't win any fancy team awards, we took pride in our achievements during the weekend. We did so well that our coach had to take the weekend to understand what happened and reset our plans for the season. We were strong, we were fast, and we were ready for outdoor season.
    Of course, not everything can go perfectly all of the time. When I heard the season was over, I was crushed. This was going to be my year to accomplish a goal I'd set as a high school senior. I was going to break 20 minutes in the 5K. I still have time to do it but I have to live with the idea that I came so close, only to fall short. That feeling will continue to sit with me for the next year.
    My team is hurting but my team is also strong. We will hold each other up until we can learn to hold ourselves up. I love my team, and I know how hard they are going to work for the fall season. This is only going to make us better.
    To the seniors on my team, I love you and I will miss you in the fall. I could never have imagined saying good-bye like this. Thank you for the things you have taught me in the last two years; you have helped shape the college athlete that I am. I would not have been as successful without you to guide me."
    "We must face tomorrow, whatever it may hold, with determination, joy, and bravery."  
Aubrey Harriman, Sr., Wheeling, W.Va. (Track & Field)
    "It still doesn't seem real. This was supposed to be my senior season. I'm heartbroken that I will never be able to have one last track meet with all of my buddies. I will never be able to set a new PR officially.
    You never know when the last time something may be.
    Nevertheless, I'm so thankful for all my coaches, friends, and family for supporting me. I can't wait to watch my team grow as the years go on after I graduate. I will never forget all the memories I made with my teammates.
    Once a Topper, always a Topper!"
 
Dezirae Middleton, Sr., Paden City, W.Va. (Women's Golf)
    "The West Liberty University women's golf team is much more than just a team – we're a family!
    I have met so many great people along the way on and off the course!
    I have created such a bond with my teammates that they are now like sisters to me!"
 
Lexus Ficca, Jr., Weirton, W.Va. (Acrobatics & Tumbling)
    "West Liberty University started its Acrobatics and Tumbling program during my freshman year in 2017.
    Through my eyes I have watched this team start from barely not knowing anything about the sport to being ranked No. 2 in the preseason for the MEC!
    Walking into my junior year with two new coaches was a totally different atmosphere from the past. We have recruited some talented amazing girls that made our roster spark. I have never seen a team put in so much blood, sweat, and tears as we did starting way back in August. What we do is hard on our bodies but together we help each other succeed.
    This season was based on goals we have made so it's heartbreaking that we weren't able to finish what we started. We are more than a student on campus; we are student-athletes that are also in other curricular activities. Some athletes like me use their sports to cope with their struggles and anxiety. I was one of those students that loved practice and competing just to take my mind off of the more stressful things I had going on.
    Next year, I will be a senior and my lesson that I learned this year was to not take anything for granted, including the precious time I had on the mat. Lastly, my heart goes out to all of the seniors in any sport that won't be able to finish their last year strong."
 
Alexis Pasquinelli, Sr., Gnadenhutten, Ohio (Track & Field/Cross Country)
    "Over the past few days I have been at a loss for words for how this has really affected me.
    For 15 years I competitively ran cross country and track and this year was my senior year of college. The love and compassion I have for both cross country and track has tremendously shaped me as a person. In the 15 years that I have been running, I have also met so many people who have made me into the person I am today.
    With these two sports, you put in so much work each day to get the results that you want. I want to take a minute to thank my coaches for always inspiring me and motivating me to work hard for a new PR. A special thank you goes out to my parents for going to literally every single meet that they could have gone to for me. I could not be more thankful for my teammates, coaches, and parents who have supported me on this journey.
    As sad as it is that I will no longer be able to compete as a college athlete, I am looking forward to my future and for the opportunity to watch my teammates when they are able to compete again."
 
Theresa Evangelista, Soph., Zebulon, N.C. (Acrobatics & Tumbling)
    "Heartbreaking.
    There really are no words to describe what I'm feeling but heartbreaking is a good place to start. I never would have imagined something I love so much could be taken away in what felt like the blink of an eye.
    Most people do not realize these athletes do not just dedicate themselves to the countless practices, morning workouts and lifts but go above and beyond with extra practice and extra workouts on our own. We do all of this to be the best we can be, not just for ourselves but for our teammates and our coaches.
    My favorite part of acrobatics and tumbling is competing. I work so hard in practice because I love the adrenaline of competing; for me it is a feeling that is unmatched. There is so much pain and tears that athletes have to go through in order to get to the season and be able to compete. We had made it through the hard part only to be unable to finish what we started so yes, it is heartbreaking.
    Having said this, I could go on forever but I am happy that I am a sophomore and have more years to compete. None of our efforts will go to waste because we will come back stronger next season and have even more appreciation. But for all the seniors my heart goes out to you!"
 
Mareena Scalia, Fr., Morgantown, Pa. (Acrobatics & Tumbling)
    "As a first-year freshman who came in new to the sport as a whole, the abrupt stoppage due to the virus hit me and my teammates hard. Our West Liberty team trained so hard morning through night, inside, outside, rain or shine, no matter the occasion, we were training or conditioning.
    Kelsey Kyle and Mariah Ack, our two wonderful coaches, have pushed this team past our limits and past what I thought was possible as an athlete. Our team bonded so well and so quickly and our performance showed it.
    This season I was a tumbler and a flyer. From past experience and being a gymnast my entire life, I only knew how to tumble. Being a flyer was completely new to me but through our hard training and the help of our very knowledgeable coaches, I learned and picked up how to do it fairly quickly. Personally this season was going great for me. As a strong tumbler I was looking forward to taking my talent and my team to nationals, winning titles, winning MEC championships, winning rings, just winning in general and all of my teammates were thinking the same thing.
    We met and crushed so many goals as a team after our very first competition. West Liberty Acrobatics & Tumbling was predicted to finish second in the MEC just from viewers and what other teams thought about us during preseason. The sudden stop to our season broke all of our hearts and felt horribly unfair after all the hard work we shared.
    Nothing will break the bond we formed but it hurts that what we could have done as a team – what I as a freshman could have experienced – was pulled away from us due to tragic circumstances beyond our control. This year we were supposed to rise above."
 
Meghan Hawthorne, Soph., Weirton, W.Va. (Track & Field)
    "The balance between working hard toward your goals while maintaining a level of enjoyment in a collegiate sport is hard for some people to keep.
    Being a collegiate athlete requires you to be able to juggle your responsibilities of academics and athletics on a daily basis. Some weeks are easier to juggle than others, but in the end, many aspects of this way of life keep you coming back for more.
    As a sophomore athletic training major, honors student, and pentathlete/heptathlete, there were weeks when it felt like I was constantly running from classes to practices to athletic training hours and everything in between.
    This sounds like I'm complaining about what I have on my plate, but I am not whatsoever. I have a love, passion, and desire for everything I partake in; I understand the time and dedication it takes to improve and succeed in the tasks at hand. This is the reason I became a part of this amazing track and field program at West Liberty University in the first place.
    In high school, I did an array of events from throws to hurdles to middle distance. I did not know what my future in athletics held; if I would be a collegiate athlete, I assumed I would end up playing soccer.
    Due to this uncertainty, I chose to go into a sports medicine field because I knew I wanted athletics to be in my life somehow and in some way. I toured many schools before and during my senior year of high school, and West Liberty University was a place I honestly felt I could envision myself at.
    My senior track season was beginning and I was debating between West Liberty and another school. Less than halfway through my season, Coach Simpson and Coach Cicogna began contacting me about track. I was surprised to say the least because I felt I was average but they saw someone who worked hard and put her mind to whatever she wanted to accomplish. Shortly after the West Virginia State Track Championships, I was a signed scholarship track athlete at West Liberty University.
    I didn't want to talk about myself so much but I wanted to give some background on my journey to become a part of this incredible team. I do not say "incredible team" lightly, either; they are the only reason I'm even writing this. The individuals and coaches on West Liberty's track and field team are like no other people I have ever met. These people have such a fight and drive to be better today than they were yesterday, while still being able to joke around and make you feel a part of our track family.
    People who know me have heard multitudes of times how much the people in my life mean to me. The way I see it is if you appreciate someone, you should tell them; make sure the important people in your life know they're important. My coaches and teammates on West Liberty's track and field team are many of my important people. The amount of hard workouts, laughs shared, meters run, jokes said, weights lifted, and meals ate together do not even sum up the amount of hours we have spent together and what these people mean to me.
    There are too many moments from last year and this year that I can so very clearly remember that I replay or look to in order to give me motivation and to remind myself why I love this sport and team so much. I have to share one specific moment that I know I will remember for the rest of my life, and I mean that when I say it.
    At (the MEC Indoor Championships) this year, the final event of the men's heptathlon is the 1000 meter run. I had competed in the pentathlon the day before but was still throwing shot put individually. Minutes after I finished throwing, the gun went off for the 1000 meter run.
    Our two multi guys, Adam (O'Donnell) and Jhett (Slusser), were in first and fifth place, respectively, going into that race. I had trained with both of them week in and week out with multiple practices each day. We went through days where everything was going right and days where everything was going wrong; no matter what kind of day it was though, we had each other.
    I feel that when you get to the last event of a pentathlon, heptathlon, or decathlon, you are ready to give everything you have left after all of those events on the line. The respect us multis have for each other is so high because we know how much it takes to compete as a multi; whether you are on the same team or not, you cheer and love to see each other improve.
    In the blink of an eye, the guys were on their last lap; I was cheering as loud as I could and they were having the race of their lives. I sprinted down the infield of the home straight to meet them at the finish line, and the feeling was truly indescribable. I have never felt that emotional after a race – especially after one I didn't even compete in. The pride and joy I felt for them really couldn't be measured. I've described that race and moment way too many times since but it really encapsulates the bond many of us share on this team.
    Adam and Jhett, you guys know how much you mean to me; I truly mean thank you for everything.
    Uncertainty is the word to describe many aspects of life at the moment, but the positive certainties in life can help you overcome these negative uncertainties. We should all look to our teammates, coaches, friends, family, and others of our support systems to realize we have each other to lean on and help each other in this foggy time.
    I'd like to end this by showing my unwavering gratitude and appreciation I have.
    Coach Simpson, I cannot thank you enough for allowing me to continue my track and field career. Being a multi and thrower on your team has helped me grow as a person in varieties of ways and allowed me to meet some of the most amazing people. You make us all feel so important and like family because we are a part of your team; you believe in us and support us in an amount no one can describe. Being a part of your team and you being our coach has impacted and changed our lives in ways you do not even know. I can speak for everyone when I say that we can't thank you enough and can't wait to be back wearing the black and gold.
    Coach Theo, I do not think I can find the right words to sum up what you have done for us this year and the impact you have had on this team. Especially us multis can't thank you enough for everything, even the hard distance workouts and fartleks. This indoor season was more than I could have imagined, and you know how motivated we were to finally be outdoors. I have envisioned competing in the heptathlon ever since I finished the 800 meter of last year's heptathlon at conference. Everyone has been so invested in this progress and programming since September, and it breaks our hearts that we cannot utilize this hard work for our outdoor season. I just hope you truly realize how thankful and grateful we are for you and everything we have accomplished this year.
    Coach Cicogna, your energy and happiness at practice every day radiates. You are always so kind and concerned with our well-being as athletes, students, and people. Saying thank you seems like it doesn't encompass our thankfulness. My teammates, we all are very disappointed right now and honestly do not know how to feel. We have put so much time, effort, love, and dedication into this sport; we were all ready for outdoor season to begin. We all realize the talent and potential this team has, and although this situation affects it, it doesn't change it completely. We are still such a talented team with so much potential. We need to utilize this obstacle to home in on why we do this sport and to reevaluate that we need to appreciate every day we can practice and compete in this sport. The phrase I have used for many years is that hard work pays off, so I will look to that phrase in this difficult time; I encourage you to utilize it as well because working hard always pays off in the end. Whenever I see you again, I hope it is in happier times, but one thing I know for certain is that these Hilltoppers will be fit, motivated, and ready to get after it."