Wheeling, W. Va. – After opening the 2023-2024 season against some of the best in the region at the West Virginia State Games a week ago, it's time for conference action for the Wheeling University Men's and Women's Swimming teams. They open Mountain East Conference (MEC) play with a home tri-meet as they play Frostburg State and West Virginia Wesleyan at The Linsly School. It will be the first time the team gets to swim in front of their home fans as they kick-off the conference season.
Last time out, the team took on the two-day West Virginia State Games at Mylan Park Aquatic Center in Morgantown, West Virginia. It was the season-opening event a year ago, and the Cardinals once again were in action against some of the top teams across the region. Included in the bunch were several of the team's MEC Competitors, with Davis & Elkins, West Virginia Wesleyan, and Fairmont State all among the teams at the event. Both teams were able to finish middle of the pack in fifth place, with the men placing fourth among MEC opponents and the women placing third among conference competition. The Cardinals also picked up nine top 10 finishes across the two days of competition as they look to build off that success in their first MEC Tri-meet of the season.
Leading the way on the Men's side in his Cardinal debut was graduate student Jiwh Santos. He picked up three of the team's nine top 10 individual finishes on the day and swam as part of two of the men's relay teams, the first time they have had multiple relay races since the program's rebirth. His best finish of the event came in the 200-Yard Breaststroke on day one, when he took home a 7th place finish with a time of 2:24.32. He also added a pair of eighth place finishes in the 200-Yard Individual Medley (IM) (2:05.02) and the 100-Yaed Breaststroke (1:02.35). Santos is the fourth highest scoring swimmer in the MEC through the first event, putting up 520.55 points, and sits 103.40 points off the pace of the conference leader, Marcus Walker of West Virginia Wesleyan.
On the women's side, it was a night of debuts as several freshmen got their first taste of collegiate swimming. Leading the new crop of swimmers was Sofia Castillo, who drew the highest placing among freshman in individual events. That honor came in the 200-Yard Butterfly, where Castillo finished 17th with a time of 2:35.98. She also saw action in the 100 and 200-Yard Freestyles and picked up 27th place finishes in both events. Chelsea McIntosh was the other freshman to make her debut, with her highest mark coming in the 100-Yard Freestyle when she placed 31st with a time of 1:05.65. The highest individual placer for the Cardinals was junior Jade Miller, who competed on day two. The two-time MEC 200-Yard Backstroke champion competed in the event for the first time this season, and finished 12th with a time of 2:17.37, just nine seconds off last year's pace.
As the Cardinals jump into their MEC schedule, they will be preparing for the mid-season meet, hosted by Malone University. It is a heavy slate of events, with six meets leading up to the midseason event, running November 16th – 18th in Canton, Ohio. Of those six meets, two of them, including Saturday's contest, come at home as the Cardinals will get familiar with their home pool. Saturday's meet will be held at nearby the Linsly School due to repairs to the Cardinal's home pool, but the team is excited to welcome fans for their first taste of Cardinal swimming in 2023-2024. They already got a chance to see West Virginia Wesleyan at the West Virginia State Games and both teams will look for their first dual meet wins of the season.
The Matchups
West Virginia Wesleyan: The Cardinals and Bobcats will be meeting for the eighth time in program history, with the Cardinals holding the series lead on both sides. The men are 4-2 against West Virginia Wesleyan, while the women hold a 5-2 record against the Bobcats. Both teams are averaging 100 points per meet or greater, with the men sitting at exactly 100 and the women averaging 106.71. Last season, the two teams split the meet with the men falling 109-48 while the women picked up a 159-89. Marra Johnson and Jade Miller led the way with two golds each on the women's side, while Nathan Yost won all three events, he swam in.
Frostburg State: The Cardinals and Bobcats will be meeting for the third time in program history, with Frostburg State leading the season series on both sides. The Cardinal men are 0-1 against the Bobcats while the women hold an 0-2 record with programs looking for their first win. It will be the first time the two teams will meet in Wheeling, West Virginia, with the previous two meetings coming in Maryland. Last season, the Women fell to the Bobcats 147-107 while the men dropped a 170-19 affair at Frostburg State. Nathan Yost led the way on the men's side with three third place finishes on the afternoon, while Jade Miller added two gold medals of her own at the event.
The Details
Saturday's tri-meet will be held at The Linsly School, with the first events beginning at 1 PM and admission is free! You can watch the event live by clicking HERE.
