By Mark Robinson

Mallory Baker, a senior at Greenbrier East High School, will attend West Liberty University this fall, and will play soccer.

“Their coach, Barry Christmas, is a lot like my middle school coach,” says Baker. “I really like the way he coaches and runs drills and practices. I went up there in November for a visit, and fell in love with the campus, and the girls, and the coach.”

Baker is the daughter of Sheri and Travis Baker. Baker’s soccer coach at East is Courtney Hudnall. West Liberty is located in West Virginia’s northern panhandle, north of Wheeling. The teams are called the Hilltoppers, and compete in the NCAA Division II Mountain East Conference. There are about 2,500 undergrads enrolled at West Liberty.