Glenville State celebrates women’s basketball national championship win

GLENVILLE, W.Va (WDTV) - After winning the program and school’s first national title on March 25, the Glenville State Lady Pioneers were celebrated by the community Wednesday for their championship efforts.

Local schools bussed in their students from at least four different counties, a testament to how the program has inspired youth around the state.

“We already do play basketball,” Lost Creek Elementary students Olivia Hitt and Audrey Burnside said. “It just makes you want to get to that point where you can win the national championship one day.”

For the current Glenville State athletes, being supported by their community just one more time this year meant everything to them, especially after their fandom all season long.

“One thing about Glenville is they’ll support you,” senior guard Abby Stoller said. “It’s a great feeling. It’s the best feeling in the world. I wouldn’t change this for the world.”

The Lady Pioneers participated in a meet and greet at the Waco Center, followed by a parade down Main Street in Glenville. The day culminated in the unfurling of the championship banner from the scoreboard above center court, and a special visit from WVU men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins.

The support extended beyond Gilmer County and Glenville, something the NCAA DII National Coach of the Years said matters most.

“That’s probably the best part, to be honest. Hearing people’s stories about where they were when they watched the game and what Glenville has meant to them, or them watching the kids when they were little or me when I was little,” head coach Kim Stephens said. “We didn’t have the easiest road last year but we worked really hard this year for it. To have the state’s support...again, that’s probably the best part. It speaks to West Virginia, it speaks to Gilmer County, it speaks to the people here who care about us, and women’s basketball.”

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