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Five WVU students named prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellows

Monday, April 22, 2024

Five West Virginia University students have joined an elite group of researchers who’ve been awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, a program aimed at supporting graduate education in STEM-based fields. They are Austin Braniff, Kara Cunningham, Courtney Glenn, Ashley Martsen-Poulin and Megan Weaver.

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Rugby Celebrates 50 Years radio spot - April 5, 2024

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Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first. For 50 years now, WVU students have been playing rugby, making it the oldest recognized club sport on campus. Twenty-fourteen graduate. Trevor Stiefken from New Jersey is one of them.

Trevor Stiefken: It was a sport that I knew that I would find success in, mainly from my wrestling background, but also because there is a position for everybody. Generally, your bigger, heavier guys are going to be up front in the scrum and your smaller faster guys are going to be in the backs.

Shauna Johnson: More than 120 former men's and women's rugby players are joining Stiefken, along with 50 current players, in Morgantown, April 19th and 20th. To mark the milestone anniversary, a reception is planned at the Erickson Alumni Center. Alumni rugby matches with varying degrees of contact will be played on the rec center fields.

Trevor Stiefken: Rugby has always been near and dear to my heart. I grew up watching it, didn't start playing until I was in college. After I got out of college, I played for men's club for 10, 11 years before I joined the union. I took a little bit of a hiatus and this will be my first time stepping on a rugby pitch since the fall of 2019. So I'm excited to kind of get back into the swing of things.

Shauna Johnson: A portion of the proceeds from the weekend will benefit current players, helping to cover costs for equipment jerseys and other needed team items. More than anything though, Stiefken says he's hoping the Golden Anniversary weekend can help strengthen the ties that bind former and current players in a physical club sport that in his words, "You really have to love to play." So let's go. Follow our stories at WVUtoday.WVU.edu.

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