Wheeling, W. Va. - On Wednesday, the Wheeling University Wrestling program secured their first dual win since the 2019 season when they defeated Bluefield State 25-24 in the Alma Grace McDonough Center. On Saturday, the Cardinals look to take some of that momentum on the road as they head to Tiffin, Ohio for a non-conference dual meet with Tiffin. It is the second of three duals on the road to the NCAA Super Regionals as Wheeling prepares to make a splash.

On Thursday, Wheeling welcomed in Bluefield State for a rescheduled dual that was supposed to happen back on January 7th. Wheeling had three wrestlers in the dual, and all three were able to win their matches. However, they also had to forfeit five matches which gave the Great Danes 24 points and brought it down to the final match of the night. Wheeling trailed 24-19 and needed the six points to be able to claim their first dual win since 2019. They would get it done as sophomore Clarouly Meca secured a pin at the 1:44 mark that gave Wheeling the 25-24 win.

Meca's match was the most exciting of the night as he took on Brian Shaw in the heavyweight bout. Early on, both wrestlers went back and forth looking for an advantage, but it was Meca that got the first takedown. He held his opponent down as the two moved to the outside of the ring. Meca still had the advantage and kept his toe on the line as he accumulated riding time. They sat deadlocked for a solid minute before Meca was able to gain the advantage and secure the pin. It was his fifth victory by pinfall this season and gave him his eighth win of the season. Meca has beaten nationally ranked wrestlers this season already and is looking to make his way to regionals with momentum on his side.

The other two matches featured sophomore Chase Montgomery at 133 and freshman Brennon Reid at 157. Christian Zickefoose was also scheduled to wrestle but received a forfeit victory at the 125-pound weight class. Montgomery was next up, and right from the start of the match, he had momentum on his side. He scored 10 points in the first three minutes of the match and eclipsed the 15-point mark as the match moved into its second period. In the end, Montgomery would pull out the 17-5 Major Decision and get Wheeling out to a 12-0 lead. Reid came up next in the 157-pound match and was able to grab an 8-3 decision. Reid had two takedowns in the first period and was up 7-1 by the end of period two. He would ride that to victory and win his ninth match of the season.

The Cardinals will have two more dual meets separating them from the NCAA Super Regionals on February 26th. They take on Tiffin first on Saturday, and have one final dual meet against rival West Liberty on Tuesday, February 15th. The top three finishers from each weight class at Regionals will advance to Nationals, which will be held on March 11th and 12th in St. Louis, Missouri. This will be the first regional event for all of Wheeling's wrestlers, and they look to make their mark on the regional and national stages.

The Matchup

Saturday will mark the first time that the Cardinals and Dragons will be meeting in team history. For Tiffin, it will also be their first dual meet of the season after competing in opens the rest of the year The Cardinals will be looking for back-to-back dual wins for the first time since they beat Lake Erie College and Seton Hill in back-to-back duals back in 2019.

The Details

Saturday's dual meet is set to begin with the 125-pound weight class beginning at 6 pm.