Wheeling, W. Va. - For the first time in 2022, the Wheeling University Swimming team took the pool against West Virginia Wesleyan (WVWC) on Saturday and racked up 10 wins. Three of those wins came courtesy of freshman Nathan Yost, and the effort earned him this week's Mountain East Conference (MEC) Men's Swimmer of the Week. 

Yost competed in three different events at the West Virginia Wesleyan dual meet and took home first place in all three of those events. It was the most first-place finishes for the freshman in any single event, as he and teammate Ethan Banks led the men's swimming team. This is the second time this season that Yost has been honored with the MEC Men's Swimmer of the Week award, after he won it back on November 2nd, 2021, for his work against Bethany. 

Yost's day began with the 200-yard freestyle as he went up against Jake Bohland and Nick Gerosa from WVWC. He won his first gold medal of the day with a time of 1:53.83 and got some confidence on his side. After a short break, it was time for the 100-yard freestyle, where he competed against three other racers from West Virginia Wesleyan. He would collect his second gold of the day, finishing with a time of 51.98, a full two seconds faster than the next racer, and had confidence heading into his third and final event. 

This time, it was a one-on-one race for the 200-yard Individual Medley, and Yost was set to go up against Santiago de Stefano Cavazos. Yost ended up winning the event by a mere .38 seconds but was able to win his third gold of the day with a time of 2:11.40. He equaled his effort from the Bethany meet, where he also won MEC Men's Swimmer of the Week and has had a strong season so far in his first collegiate swimming season. 

Yost is the 14th Wheeling University Cardinal to win MEC Weekly honors this season and is the third member of the Wheeling University Swimming team to win the award. The last Cardinal to be honored with weekly honors was Men's Basketball player Jordan Reid back on December 6th, 2021. For Yost, it is the second time he has won the award this season, with his first MEC Men's Swimmer of the Week award coming back on November 2nd. 

The Wheeling University Swimming team is back in the pool on Saturday, January 29th, when they head to Fairmont State for a tri-match against the Falcons and Alderson Broaddus at 1 PM.