By Emily Salvatori, Contributing Writer

The Topper’s Den, a new and improved student section in the ASRC, made its appearance at West Liberty in November and provides a fun way for students to come together to support and cheer on their fellow Hilltoppers.

This relatively new student section is currently being organized by graduate student Hannah Walters and undergrad Elena Romanek. They put together activities, events and themes, and they lead the student section to cheer on the Hilltoppers.

While basketball is the main sport that is being promoted right now, they are hoping to have a student section for all sporting events. They are encouraging students to go to wrestling matches and, hopefully, baseball and softball games once their seasons start. There are also intentions to have the Topper’s Den continue into the fall semester for those sports as well.

“We are trying to get a Topper’s Den at every sporting event,” Walters said. “No matter how big or small, we want our student athletes to know that we support them.”

All students are encouraged and welcomed to be a part of Topper’s Den. “Anyone who wants to cheer for Topper sports can come and sit under the Topper’s Den section of the gym,” Romanek said.

Besides simply cheering for the Hilltoppers, the Topper’s Den also has events like t-shirt giveaways, half court scholarship competitions, and theme nights. Additionally, the Topper’s Den is hoping to see even more expansions.

“We are trying to make it bigger all the time with new ideas and promotions,” Walters said. “SGA helps tremendously with this!”

The Topper’s Den provides an exciting and fun way to show school pride.

“Participating in Topper’s Den is a great opportunity for students to cheer on their fellow student athletes and gives the athletes motivation during their competitions,” Romanek said.

If you are interested in becoming more involved and want to help plan events for the Topper’s Den, you can contact Walters and Romanek, or email Campus Activities Coordinator Kate Billings at [email protected]. 

“Elena and I will be graduating, so hopefully we can pass the reigns down to someone who loves West Liberty as much as us,” Walters said.

The new and improved student section is an exciting way to show school pride, support athletic teams, and have fun on the hilltop. All students are welcomed to get involved with Topper’s Den. If you would like to stay up to date on upcoming themes and games, follow the Topper’s Den on Twitter.

Photo credit: Daniel Morgan