WHEELING, W.Va. — The Mountain East Conference announced Sunday that it has agreed to a three-year extension with the City of Wheeling to keep the annual MEC Basketball Tournament at WesBanco Arena through 2028, with The Health Plan continuing as the event’s Title Sponsor.
The announcement was made by MEC Commissioner Reid Amos during the broadcast of Sunday’s MEC Men’s Basketball Tournament championship game between No. 1 seed West Liberty University and No. 2 seed Fairmont State University.
Sunday’s championship doubleheader culminated the five-day, 18-team event that has called Wheeling home for the past seven years. The Mountain East Conference has 11 colleges and universities in three states: West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, which makes Wheeling a fit for its geographic footprint.
“WesBanco Arena and Wheeling have proven to be an ideal home for the Mountain East Conference Basketball Championship,” Amos said. “We are grateful that The Health Plan, our title sponsor and MEC corporate partner, The City of Wheeling and their CVB, and Wheeling’s many local sponsors will continue to provide their tremendous support to ensure an outstanding championship experience for our institutions, our fans, and most importantly, our student-athletes.”
“This arena has an ideal capacity for our event while still having a big-arena feel that provides a great atmosphere, with great sightlines for every seat in the house, along with a four-panel video board, and so much more that provides our fans with an elite experience.
The Wheeling CVB has publicly noted that the MEC Basketball Championship is an economic catalyst each year during tournament week, estimating greater than $3 million annual in economic impact in the Ohio Valley.
“We are thrilled that our partnership with the Mountain East Conference will become a decade old when this extension is completed,” The Health Plan CEO Jeff Knight stated, “we are so pleased that so many have served as sponsors to support this great event in Wheeling as community is at the center of all that we do. We intend to make every effort to support this being a longstanding tradition in Wheeling.”
The MEC first held its annual basketball tournament in Wheeling from March 6-12, 2019. The three-year extension includes the March 2026, 2027 and 2028 events.
