In the hills of West Virginia sits Moundsville, a city known for many of its historical sites ranging from the former West Virginia State Penitentiary to the Grave Creek Mound and also known to be the neighboring town of Glen Dale, West Virginia – the hometown of Country Music Star, Brad Paisley. However, some of the most notable athletes started their athletic careers in the 26041 Moundsville zip code.
Moundsville native, Ed Pastilong, a star quarterback at West Virginia University from 1963-1965, became a profound member of the Mountaineer family where he cultivated both sports and academics importance with student-athletes. From 1976-2010 Pastilong held many different positions within the Mountaineer athletic organization from holding the title of Football Recruiting Coordinator to the Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Operations to becoming the Assistant Athletic Director. Pastilong spearheaded many of the Mountaineers key components for student-athletes such as the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, which has generated the recognition of over 4,000 student-athletes for their success within the classroom as well as bringing the “Athletic Scholarship Endowment Fund” to the athletes in Morgantown which has totaled over 30 million dollars to student-athletes. Ed Pastilong was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
National Women’s Hockey League standout forward, Kristin Lewicki, also reigns from Moundsville, West Virginia. Beginning her professional career in 2018 with the Buffalo Beauts, Lewicki was also named Team Levellie during the NWHL All-Star Game and won the fastest skater in the Skills Competition.
Former West Virginia University Men’s Basketball star, Chase Harler, is also a product of Moundsville. During his reign with the Mountaineers, Harler garnered many accolades such as being named to the Academic All-Big 12 Men’s Basketball First Team, Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, and Garrett Ford’s Academic Honor Roll just to name a few.
The Highlands Sports Complex now serves as a hot commodity for Moundsville athletes to sharpen their skill-sets year round. A mere 23-minute drive to the complex allows athletes from Moundsville to continue their training and conditioning both during season and off-season as the complex generates a multifaceted space for athletes to garner success.