Red, White, Gold and Blue

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – For every West Virginia University student-athlete, two key, emotional songs bookend an athletic competition – “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Country Roads.”“Oh say can you see..” signifies the start of an event. Nerves begin to ramp up, or settle in, and an athlete focuses in on the task at hand.

“Almost heaven, West Virginia…” can mean only one thing – the Mountaineers are victorious.

Both songs may be a part of many WVU fans’ holiday festivities this weekend, as the United States collectively slows down, heads outdoors and celebrates the Fourth of July.

One particular Mountaineer student-athlete has heard a lot of those special tunes as of late, and for good reason -…