A press conference to formally welcome Alderson Broaddus to the MEC will be held on Friday, June 26, at 1:30 p.m., at Burbick Hall on the Alderson Broaddus campus. The event will also be streamed live on MountainEast.tv.

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The Mountain East Conference announced today that Alderson Broaddus University’s application for full membership into the MEC has been unanimously approved by the league’s Board of Directors this morning. 

At the request of Alderson Broaddus, the Battlers will compete in the Mountain East beginning this upcoming season. AB is centrally located in the geographic footprint of the league and sponsors 19 of the conference’s 23 championship sports.

“We are very pleased to welcome Alderson Broaddus University to the Mountain East Conference,” said Dr. Stephen Greiner, West Liberty University President and President of the MEC Board of Directors. “AB is a very good fit for our league for many different reasons and we look forward to having them as a member.”

“Alderson Broaddus emerged through the membership process as an outstanding candidate due to the shared philosophy, goals, sports sponsorship, and geography with our member institutions,” stated MEC Commissioner Reid Amos. “AB has a proud and rich tradition in athletics that we expect will continue as a member of the Mountain East. I want to thank President Dr. Tim Barry and Athletics Director Carrie Bodkins for their leadership and look forward to collaborating and working with them and the rest of the AB athletics department.”

Alderson Broaddus University, as an independent institution of higher learning, has been providing a quality education for its students for 150 years. Overlooking the picturesque Tygart River Valley in Philippi, W.Va., Alderson Broaddus University students learn and grow in a faith-based community affiliated with the American Baptist Churches (USA) and the West Virginia Baptist Convention. As a health-related and professional education institution, Alderson Broaddus University educates students in the tenets of civic engagement, communication, critical thinking, diversity, and ethics which form the foundation of a liberal arts education.

“Alderson Broaddus University is delighted to join the Mountain East Conference,” said President Dr. Tim Barry. “Since it’s inception, AB athletics has had deep and meaningful relationships with many of the schools in the MEC, and we are very grateful to Commissioner Amos and the MEC Board of Directors to afford us the opportunity of joining the conference.”

The Alderson Broaddus University athletics department strives to achieve excellence in competition, in the classroom and in the community, focusing on the well-being of the student-athlete and fostering a positive student-athlete experience. AB currently sponsors 27 intercollegiate sports, and is home to 650 student-athletes representing 23 states and 15 countries.

"We are very excited to join such a strong conference with many local ties,” said Alderson Broaddus Director of Athletics Carrie Bodkins. "I would like to thank Commissioner Amos for his leadership during this process and the rest of the league for extending this invitation.

“I would also like to thank Commissioner Tom Daeger of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference for providing a home for us with great competition for the past seven years,” Bodkins continued. “We look forward to continuing to provide the best experience possible for Alderson Broaddus student-athletes.”

Established in 2013, the Mountain East Conference has quickly established itself as one of the top all-sports conferences in the country. In just seven years, MEC institutions have produced three team NCAA Division II champions, eight national finalists and 14 semifinalists. In addition to the athletic success, the MEC recognizes nearly 2,000 student-athletes annually for their academic success and has additionally had nine “NCAA Elite 90” winners, which honors the individual with the highest cumulative grade-point average at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s 90 championships.