Wheeling, W. Va. - Last week, the Wheeling University Men's Rugby team had an unexpected bye week after Trine University forfeited their match against the Cardinals. With that in mind, National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) released their Top 20 Coaches Polls Tuesday night, and the Cardinals maintained their top five ranking. They would slip one spot in this week's rankings, coming in at #4 as they wait for the start of the Big Rivers Rugby Conference (BRRC) playoffs.

Last time the Cardinals took the field was on October 5th, when they traveled to Crestview Hills, Kentucky to take on Thomas More. After allowing the opening try to Thomas More, the Cardinal offense got going, scoring 19 unanswered points. The Cardinals would score three tries by three different players, and they held the Saints to single-digits in the first half. Wheeling entered the half with a 19-8 lead, and scored back-to-back tries to push that lead to 26-8 with just over 20 minutes to play. However, Thomas More would not roll over and play dead as they rallied back scoring 12 unanswered points and making it a 26-20 game. The comeback was almost complete as the Saints crossed the try line in the final minute, but a penalty called back the play and secured the Cardinal victory.

It was another big day for Alex Nyamunda, who picked up two more tries on the day for his second multi-try effort of the season. He currently sits as the team leader with five tries on the season. He had a three-try effort in the team's lone home game of the fall against the University of Rio Grande, and has totaled 25 points on the season. In the kicking game, the Cardinals have had a star of their own, with Shadreck Mandaza taking a majority of the kicks. He did not attempt a conversion kick against Thomas More, but sits 12-12 in conversion kicks over the team's first two games of the season. The Cardinal offense has averaged 39.5 points per game this season, and they are chasing down a second National Championship, this time in 15's season.

Leading the way in the weekly Top 20 Coaches Poll was Queens University of Charlotte, who jumped into the #1 spot for the first time this season. Brown holds the #2 spot while St. Bonaventure rounds out the top three. The rest of the NCR Top 20 Coaches Poll looks like this:



The Wheeling University Men's Rugby team returns to action on Saturday, October 26th, when they are still awaiting to hear their BRRC Quarterfinal opponent and match location.