Wheeling, W. Va. – During the 2021-2022 season, the Wheeling University Swimming team went through a lot of changes. They competed in their first full season since the 2016-2017 season, and swam in just their second season since that time. Head Coach Danny Murphy has brought in some bright young swimmers in his first season of recruiting and has the team trending in the right direction as the program heads into its second full off-season. 

This year, the Cardinal swimmers competed with a roster that consisted mostly of freshman and sophomores. On the Men's Side, sophomore Ethan Banks swam his second season with the team while former high school teammate Nathan Yost joined him for his first collegiate season. On the women's side, the team had a veteran leader in Meredith Mandal, and surrounded her with young talented freshman who look to help the program as it continues to grow. 

One of those standout women freshman swimmers was Jade Miller, who ended up winning her first Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championship in the 200-yard backstroke. It was just one of several big wins for the freshman this season as she established herself as a top competitor. Another freshman who came on strong at the end of the season was Macie Williams. In her final three meets of the year, Macie picked up at least one gold medal in three different events and looks to continue to grow as the team moves into the off-season. 

On the men's side, Ethan Banks took on the leadership role, and was a strong distance swimmer for the team. He regularly swam the longer events and put his name in the program record books in the 500-yard swim. His teammate Nathan Yost was a regular in the short-distance events, including the 50-yard freestyle, and had some big moments throughout the season. The Men's team will look to continue to grow throughout the off-season as head coach Danny Murphy hits the recruiting tour to bring in the next generation of swimmers. 

With their first full season under their belts since 2016/2017, the Wheeling Swimming program is officially back up and running. As they continue to grow and recruit they are trying to rebuild the winning legacy of the program and bring an MEC Championship back to the Wheeling pool.