Wheeling, W. Va. - After having their 2022 opener delayed due to COVID-19 protocols last week, the Wheeling University Wrestling team is back in action on Thursday when they head to Notre Dame College for their first dual event of the year. It is the first of three straight Mountain East Conference (MEC) duals before the team competes in the 2021-2022 MEC Wrestling Championships on January 29th.
It has been nearly a month since the Wheeling Wrestling team last took the mat, with their last event coming at the 42nd Midwest Classic back on December 18th. Wheeling had three different wrestlers pick up wins at the event and had five wrestlers competing at the tournament. The Cardinals are a young up and coming program, and their leaders are paving the way to bringing the program back to prominence as it was just a few years ago.
Leading the way for the Wheeling Wrestlers was sophomore Clarouly Meca, who went 2-2 in the 285-pound bracket. In his three tournaments so far this season, Meca has compiled five wins, four of which came via pinfall. He picked up one of those pin falls to start his day at the Midwest Classic and added a 7-4 decision in the first round of the consolation bracket. However, his night would end when he faced Sammy Deseirie and fell in a 13-6 decision. Overall, Meca is 5-3 this season and looking to continue to build on that record through duals season.
The other two wrestlers that grabbed wins were freshmen Josh Sharron and Brennon Reid, who each picked up one win at the event. Sharron's win came in the 141-pound weight class when he picked up his first collegiate pinfall over Newman's Caleb Streeter. Reid would get a win in the 167-pound bracket when he won a medical forfeit to advance. Reid now has nine wins on the season and leads Wheeling in that department as he continues to grow and improve.
With dual season set to begin, the Cardinals now focus on getting better for the MEC Championships which will be held on January 29th. They will face Notre Dame College (1-13), Fairmont State (1-15), and Davis & Elkins (1-21) prior to that event. The last dual that Wheeling competed in came on February 18th, 2021, when they hosted West Liberty at the Alma Grace McDonough Center. Wheeling is looking to start dual season on the right foot against a Notre Dame team that is 0-1 in their only dual this season that came against Ohio State University.
The Match-up
The match-up between the Cardinals and Falcons is a fairly new rivalry, with the teams only competing in two duals previously. Notre Dame has taken each of the first two duals between the two teams, one in Wheeling and one in South Euclid, Ohio. Their last dual meet came on January 4th, 2019, in an event that Wheeling would drop to the Falcons 21-9.
That dual was part of the 2018-2019 National Duals event, where Wheeling finished in fifth place in the tournament, knocking off #8 Lindenwood before falling to Notre Dame. Former Cardinal wrestlers Connor Craig, Tyler Warner, and Dalton Hoover all picked up wins. Craig led the way winning by pin fall, one of three pin falls on the day for him.
The Details
Thursday night's dual is expected to begin at 6 PM on the campus of Notre Dame College. There are no spectators allowed at the event.
