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Mountaineers beat Kentucky for first time, advance to Sun Belt title game – WV MetroNews

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Mountaineers beat Kentucky for first time, advance to Sun Belt title game – WV MetroNews


MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia isn’t striving to play from behind, but that method has done nothing to harm the Mountaineers through a pair of matches in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

On Wednesday, the top seed Mountaineers allowed No. 4 seed Kentucky to score 2:15 into the contest at Dick Dlesk Stadium, creating an early deficit for the home team.

Less than 3 minutes later, Sergio Ors Navarro provided the equalizer, and the WVU defense buckled down the rest of the way, while Carlos Hernando scored what proved to be the winning goal less than 10 minutes into the second half as the Mountaineers picked up the program’s first win over Kentucky in six tries, 2-1.

“The goal didn’t phase us and we got the equalizer very quickly, but incredibly proud with the quality of performance tonight. Really professional and mature at times and some really nice football at times and felt we were dominant the entire way through,” WVU head coach Dan Stratford said. “The way the guys approached the game and the quality and brand of football the guys played, we very much deserved to win this.”

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The result allows West Virginia (12-1-6) to welcome Marshall for Sunday’s Sun Belt title game. It’s a rematch of last year’s final, which the Herd won, 3-2. Marshall blanked James Madison 1-0 in the other Sun Belt semifinal Wednesday.

“It’s the game we wanted,” Stratford said. “It’s the best RPI game and the best chance of us squeaking us into the top 8 from a RPI perspective and hopefully having as many home games as possible in the NCAA Tournament. It’s the type of game you want to play in.” 

After rallying from a 2-0 first-half deficit for a 3-2 victory over Georgia Southern in Sunday’s Sun Belt quarterfinal, West Virginia was again forced to play from behind after UK’s Logan Dorsey made the most of extended space after receiving a pass, maneuvered around the Mountaineer defense and blasted a shot with his right foot that got by Marc Bonnaire.

WVU got even 4:55 into the match following a corner kick taken by Frederik Jorgensen that was initially touched by teammate Felix Ewald and wound up off the head of Sergio Ors Navarro and into the back of the net.

It was the 14th goal this season for both Dorsey and Ors Navarro.

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“We started the game well and it helps to have such a mature group that has been in this position before,” Stratford said. “It’s something that hasn’t phased us. I assure you it’s not the game plan, but this group has shown time and time again they’re capable of showing really good resilience and coming through adverse moments like this.”

Neither team scored again for the remainder of the first half, though the Mountaineers generated more quality chances.

“We felt like we were the better team. We felt like we had played well. I didn’t feel like a great deal needed to change,” Stratford said. “There were some minor details and the alertness and awareness in some of our communication to nullify their capacity to get behind us or nullify moments where we would lose territory and we’re defending a long throw with a difficult wind. Those details are really important against a team with Kentucky’s athleticism and size. The message was kind of stay the course and continue to trust that the longer the game goes on, the more our depth and energy levels will kick in and we’ll be the team that finishes stronger.”

Jorgensen delivered another gem off a set piece to give WVU its first lead less than 9 minutes into the second half. This time, Jorgensen sent a ball into the box on a free kick and it found the head of Carlos Hernando, who made the most of the golden opportunity and sent it past UK goalkeeper Casper Mols.

“We’ve never beat Kentucky as we talked about,” Jorgensen said. “You could tell from everybody today we wanted to beat Kentucky and be in that final Sunday. It’s a little sweet that it’s against Marshall. We want to beat Marshall at home in the final and get that revenge from last year.”

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It marked WVU’s second goal off a set piece in the match and its third goal off a set piece over its last two games.

“Two games ago, we ripped up everything we were doing and started again,” Stratford said of the team’s approach to set pieces. “Sometimes you just have to give a fresh pair of eyes to it and for the players to see it that way as well.” 

Bonnaire stopped one shot and Mols made two saves.

The Wildcats fell to 6-6-6. They entered the match 3-0-2 all-time against the Mountaineers.

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Kentucky Basketball Roster Tracker: Jasper Johnson are Brandon Garrison going portaling

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Kentucky Basketball Roster Tracker: Jasper Johnson are Brandon Garrison going portaling


The transfer portal doesn’t officially open until Tuesday, April 7, but players are already announcing their plans — over 500 so far, in fact. On Kentucky’s end, Jaland Lowe was the first, announcing on March 28 that he would head elsewhere. Since then, it’s been crickets, but Jasper Johnson and Brandon Garrison quickly changed that, with news breaking of their plans to transfer happening within an hour of each other on Friday.

More announcements could be on the way before Tuesday. We’re still waiting on decisions from seven Wildcats, eight if you include Jayden Quaintance, who is expected to enter the NBA Draft, but has yet to officially declare. Redshirt big man Reece Potter has publicly stated that he will run it back in Lexington. Mark Pope got his first 2026 commit this week in four-star point guard Mason Williams, the son of former NBA All-Star Mo Williams, who will also come to Kentucky as an assistant coach.

It could be a newsy weekend. KSR will be tracking all of Kentucky’s offseason roster movements. Consider this your one-stop shop for all roster additions and departures.


GRADUATED (2)

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PORTAL DEPARTURES (3)

REMAINING ELIGIBILITY – STATUS UNKNOWN (8)

EXPECTED RETURNERS (1)

HS SIGNEES (1)

PORTAL ADDITIONS: N/A

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IMPORTANT DATES

  • April 7: Transfer Portal Opens
  • April 21: Transfer Portal Closes
  • 60 days before NBA Draft: NBA Early Entry Deadline
  • May 8-10: NBA G League Combine (Chicago)
  • May 10: NBA Draft Lottery
  • May 10-17: NBA Draft Combine (Chicago)
  • May 27: NCAA Division I Early Entry Withdrawal Deadline
  • 10 days before NBA Draft: NBA Early Entry Withdrawal Deadline
  • Late June: 2026 NBA Draft (Date not announced)

Take advantage of our KSR+ SPRING SALE to get bonus coverage of the Cats, including the latest intel on Kentucky’s efforts in the Transfer Portal, Spring Football, and the search for a new Athletic Director — plus a year of access to The Athletic. Annual subscriptions are 50% off for a limited time.


UPDATES

April 3: Brandon Garrison joins Johnson in the portal

  • After two seasons with the Wildcats as the team’s backup center, Garrison will look for a starting job going into his final college season.

April 3: Jasper Johnson will enter the Transfer Portal

  • Mark Pope‘s highest-ranked recruit of all time will look for a fresh start elsewhere after an up-and-down freshman season.
  • The other finalists in his high school recruitment were Alabama and North Carolina.

March 30: Mo Williams to join staff as assistant

  • Expected to join his son, Mason, in Lexington, filling one of the vacant assistant coaching positions
  • Head coach at Jackson State (2022-26) and Alabama State (2020-22), Assistant coach at Cal State Northridge (2018-20)
  • Played 13 seasons in the NBA for 7 different franchises; NBA All-Star (2009), NBA Champion (Cleveland Cavaliers, 2016)

March 28: Jaland Lowe will enter the Transfer Portal

  • Leaving UK after one season, which was cut short by a shoulder injury.

March 27: Associate head coach Alvin Brooks will not return next season

March 27: 4-star Mason Williams commits to Kentucky

  • Son of former NBA All-Star/current Jackson State head coach Mo Williams
  • 6-foot-2 point guard ranked No. 124 overall in the 2026 recruiting class by Rivals
  • Held offers from Ole Miss, Jackson State, Memphis, Louisiana, New Mexico State, Stephen F. Austin, Washington, and Texas Tech
  • Averaged 15.1 points, 5.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.5 steals per outing in 2025-26 while shooting 41.2 percent from deep (8-game sample size)

March 26: Keegan Brown announced as Director of Roster Management

  • Worked with Mark Pope for five seasons at BYU
  • Most recently worked as head video coordinator of the Wisconsin Herd, the Milwaukee Bucks’ G League affiliate.

March 24: Jason Hart leaves for SMU

  • Left Kentucky after two seasons to become the associate head coach under Andy Enfield
  • Lead recruiter for Dink Pate and Tyran Stokes



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Roadway in Northern Kentucky could be designated ‘Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway’

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Roadway in Northern Kentucky could be designated ‘Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway’


FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKRC) – A measure that includes naming a highway in Northern Kentucky after conservative activist Charlie Kirk is awaiting action from the governor.

Senate Joint Resolution 139, an omnibus bill designating honorary names for roads and bridges across the state, was delivered to the governor Thursday after clearing both chambers of the Kentucky General Assembly.

Among its provisions is the designation of a portion of Kentucky Route 18 in Boone County as the “Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway.”

The resolution passed the Senate 36-0 in March and later cleared the House 86-4 on April 1 before final concurrence in the Senate.

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Lawmakers considered removing the Kirk designation during debate. A House floor amendment that would have deleted the “Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway” provision was defeated.

The measure includes several other highway and bridge designations statewide, including memorials for fallen service members and local leaders.

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If signed, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet would be directed to install signage marking the honorary highway names.

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Lexington veteran’s remains found in Indiana park

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Lexington veteran’s remains found in Indiana park


CLARKSVILLE, In. (WKYT) — The remains of a Kentucky veteran who was the subject of a Green Alert were found in a park.

The remains of Jyronna Dione Parker, 54, were found March 22 by officers from the Clarksville Police Department. His body was found in Ashland Park on the river’s shoreline.

Jyronna Dione Parker, 54.(Lexington Police Dept.)

In late 2025, a Green Alert was issued for Parker. This alert was cancelled by the Lexington Police department after they determined he was not at risk.

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Despite the cancellation of the alert, Parker had been reported missing from Lexington since Oct 17.

What is a Green Alert?

Under Kentucky law, a Green Alert is issued when a veteran at risk goes missing. It’s designed to help first responders and the public locate missing veterans who may be in danger by quickly notifying emergency management agencies, search and rescue teams, and local media outlets.

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