WVU Coaches Caravan Stops At Oglebay For BMAC Event
Coaches Neal Brown, Nikki Izzo-Brown; Mark Kellogg and Mahi Lisac Speak
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WHEELING -- The West Virginia University/BMAC Coaches Caravan will be visiting four areas of the Mountain State this week on successive nights. The first stop: Wheeling on Monday night.
Armed with first-year athletic director Wren Baker; head football coach Neal Brown; veteran women's head soccer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown; newly hired women's basketball coach Mark Kellogg and women's tennis coach Mika Lisac, each spoke to an audience of approximately 150 WVU supporters inside Oglebay Park's Pine Room, answering questions from the Voice of the Mountaineers, Tony Caridi.
Also in attendance were assistant men's basketball coach Ron Everhart and assistant wrestling coach Cliff Moore. The newly named Mountaineer mascot, Mikel Hager, was also in attendance.
WREN BAKER
Caridi asked Baker questions on a wide variety of topics, including what Baker's mindset is after completing his first 100 days on the job as the athletic director and evaluating.
"I've got a lot of time spent just like this, getting out and meeting people and learning about different areas of the state," Baker said. "Our next endeavor will be to build our strategic vision and initiatives of things that we want to accomplish. We want to be able to build a 4-5 year plan and be able to see where we are going."
Brown admitted that last season wasn't what he or Mountaineer fans expect.
"We've got to get better. I like the football team. Offensively, our offensive line is probably the top two in the Big 12 and our running back group is probably No. 3. We've got unproven quarterbacks, but I like them. Defensively, we will be better. We are going to change a few things that will help us better."
The Mountaineers' schedule will not be an easy one, and Brown knows that.
"We're not easing into the season at all with a Big Ten Saturday night game at Penn State," Brown noted. "That's a game that we look forward to, and then we've got Pitt coming to Morgantown. Then it's Big 12 time."
Izzo-Brown received a warm ovation as she was announced as the head coach of the Big 12 champions.
When asked by Caridi if the goal that won the Big 12 title was the best goal ever scored by the Mountaineers, she replied, 'Yes,' to the delight of the crowd.
The goal reportedly came from 80 yards away.
"It had one good bounce, too," she added.
"This team was so fun. They represented the state, university and athletic department so well," Izzo-Brown said. "It was an incredible season and we have a lot of those players coming back."
Kellogg, who was hired April 3, was in Wheeling for the first time. Caridi told him that fans from the Ohio Valley are the best around.
He then asked Kellogg, why West Virginia University?
Kellogg's reply, "Why not. I think my career path has always been blue collar. I like to say I'm 'old-school' ... grind it out."
"We just finished our season about 7-10 days ago," Lisac said. "This season was a good step for us ... a huge step forward. Two years ago we completely overhauled the program and now is starting to show success."
Tonight the caravan visits the Resort at Glade Springs in Raleigh County, while it stops at the Parkersburg Country Club on Wednesday. The caravan concludes Thursday at The Purple Iris in Martinsburg.
During the event, BMAC Director John S. Marshall presented WVU Coaches Caravan Exective Director Patrick Gray with a check for $14,000 from proceeds of the BMAC Golf Scramble.