Wheeling, W. Va. – On Tuesday, the Mountain East Conference (MEC) unveiled their 2022 All-MEC teams for the 2022 Football season. The Wheeling University Football team had a strong season, finishing 7-4 overall and 6-4 in conference play and had three players honored on the All-MEC First Team and eight total players honored. Running back Sy Alli IV, offensive lineman Cade Raudebaugh, and linebacker Jason Simon each earned All-MEC First Team honors after having strong seasons.
One of the leaders for the Cardinals offense during the 2022 season was Alli, who played a strong Wheeling ground game. While he finished just shy of 1,000 yards for the season, he still finished fifth in the conference in rushing, ending with 936 net rushing yards on the season while averaging 4.8 yards per carry. He picked up four 100-yard rushing games during the season, with his highest season total coming against UNC Pembroke when he carried the ball 17 times for 126 yards and a touchdown. One of the highlight moments of the season for Alli came against the University of Charleston in the second to last week of the season. He finished with 65 total yards rushing, but reached the 3,000 career rushing yards mark, becoming the first Cardinal to reach the milestone.
One of the guys leading the way up front for Alli was senior Cade Raudebaugh, who took home All-MEC Honors for the fourth time in his career and his first All-MEC First Team Honor. Raudebaugh helped lead an offensive line that paved the way for the fourth highest rushing attack in the conference. As a unit, the offense averaged 4.7 yards per carry this season and finished third in the conference with 21 rushing touchdowns. Raudebaugh has been a mainstay on the Cardinal's offensive line since his freshman season, earning two All-MEC Honorable Mentions and an All-MEC Second Team award in his career. This is his first All-MEC First Team Honor as he brings a strong career to an end.
The final First Team All-MEC honoree came on the defensive side of the ball as Linebacker Jason Simon earned his first All-MEC First Team honors and the second All-MEC honors of his career. He finished as the Cardinal's second leading tackler this season with 72.0 tackles, 47 solo and 25 assisted, while picking up four tackles for loss. Simon played big in pass coverage for the Cardinals as well, finishing with two interceptions and four pass break ups this season. He was among the conference leaders in tackles and solo tackles, finishing in the top 20 in both categories this season.
Overall, the Wheeling University Football team had eight players honored as part of the All-MEC teams as either First Team, Second Team, or Honorable Mention. Check back a little later to see which players earned All-MEC Second Team and All-MEC Honorable Mention honors here on wucardinals.com.
