Wheeling, W. Va. – During the 2023 season, the Wheeling University Football team kept their streak of four straight seasons of playing .500 ball or better alive when they finished 5-5 overall and 4-5 in Mountain East Conference play. On Thursday, the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) released their annual All-Region teams and, for the first time ever, a Cardinal was represented. Wheeling defensive back Aaron Davis earned D2CCA Second Team All-Region honors, making him the first Cardinal to ever win an All-Region award.
The Cardinals had a year full of ups and downs in 2023 and got off to a hot start. The offense put up 35 points in their week one opener against Seton Hill and went on to go 3-1 over their first four games. Their lone loss during that stretch came in the conference opener, when they fell to Frostburg State, but as they entered their final game of September, the team was riding high at 2-1 in MEC play. After a road loss to UNC Pembroke, the Cardinals made history when they came back home, breaking the program points record with a 58-3 win. However, they faced a tough road schedule to finish things off, playing three of their final four games away from Bishop Schmitt Field. Their last win of the year came in a senior day victory over West Virginia State as the Cardinals finished 5-5.
The Cardinal's defense was a big part of their success in the early going and allowed just 26 points per game this season. Davis was the leader in the Cardinal's secondary, with his receivers targeted the most times, and he was able to step up to the challenge. He finished the year with 25 passes defended, coming up with 21 pass break-ups and four interceptions to lead the team in both categories. As the year went on, Davis would step up in all facets of the defensive game, finishing third on the team with 42.0 tackles, 32 solo and 10 assisted, to go along with 1.5 tackles for loss. He played in 10 games for the Cardinals, starting nine of them and stepped up big in the wake of injury to add some stability to the Cardinal's secondary.
Along with leading both the team as well as the Mountain East Conference (MEC) in pass defense, Davis established himself as one of the best defenders in all of Division II Football. His 25 passes defended and 21 pass breakups both led all of NCAA Division II as he finished with four more pass breakups than the next closest defensive back, Saginaw Valley's Micah Crestsinger. His top performance came in the home finale against West Virginia State as he helped lead his team to a 29-22 senior day victory. He finished with five solo tackles in the effort, including two of his four interceptions on the season and one pass breakup. It was the first multi-interception game of Davis's collegiate career and wrapped up what was a strong sophomore campaign.
With Davis's honor, the Cardinals have now had six different student-athletes earn All-Region honors this past fall season. Davis is the first-ever Wheeling Football player to garner All-Region honors and joins former Cardinals Sy Alli IV and Richard White III as the only players to win postseason honors in program history. Wheeling Volleyball leads the All-Region group with four of their players earning recognition while Women's Soccer's Mary DiFonzo rounds out the Fall All-Region honorees.
Davis and the Wheeling University Football team are now in their off-season as they prepare to grow and come back even stronger for the 2024 season.
