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

Local schools have bussed their students from at least four different counties, a testament to how the program has inspired young people across the state.

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

For current Glenville State athletes, being supported by their community just once this year meant everything to them, especially after their season-long fandom.

“One thing about Glenville is that they will support you,” said main guard Abby Stoller. “It’s a great feeling. It’s the best feeling in the world. I wouldn’t change that for anything in 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 ended with 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, which the NCAA DII national coach for years said was most important.

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

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