Alliance, OH. – After a long preseason of training, the Wheeling University Wrestling team took the mat for the first time in 2024-2025. With one of their biggest rosters since the program came back from hiatus, with 10 wrestlers taking the mat. The team had four placers on the day, and finished 7^th overall scoring 42.5 points on the day.

Leading the way for the Cardinals was Austin Hinzman, who went 2-1 and took second overall in the 197lb weight class. After getting a bye in the first round of the bracket, Hinzman would take on Britton Sorenson (Southern Virginia) in the quarterfinals. He would make quick work of his opponent, picking up a pinfall in just 31 seconds to move to 1-0 on the day. His first MEC battle of the day would come in the semifinals, when he met West Liberty's Luke Justice and edged out a 3-2 Decision. It would be another MEC matchup in the finals as Hinzman would take on West Liberty's Devon Bell. The two battled back and forth for three and a half minutes, but Hinzman's night would come to an end as he was pinned at the 3:47 mark, earning him second place in the 197lb weight class.

The other three Cardinals to place on the day were Brian Crevar, Isaac Valdez, and Zach Kuneff. Crevar would finish just outside the top five, taking 6^th place in the 167lb weight class. Crevar tied for the team lead with three wins on the day, finishing 3-3 in six matches. He picked up a 6-1 decision to start the day and moved to the consolation bracket after a pinfall loss at the hands of Nicholas Coreno and began a run. He earned a 15-3 Major Decision over Seth Holt (Hiram) and a 5-4 decision over Anthony Lahoski (Ohio Northern) before falling to the 5^th Place match. He would battle Albion's Brixton Bright and fell in an 11-1 Major Decision that earned him sixth place in the weight class.

Isaac Valdez would take a 7^th place finish in the 174lb weight class, finishing 2-2. He would fall in his first match of the night l, and moved to the consolation bracket where he earned a 7-4 decision over Jimmy Thomas (Hiram). His final win came over West Liberty's Gabe Blissenbach as he earned an 11-9 win and earned seventh place in the tournament. Zach Kuneff was the final placer for the Cardinals, taking 8^th in the 285lb weight class. He started his day with a 2-1 Decision over Scotty Edwards (Muskingum) before falling to the consolation bracket. He would pick up a 4-1 Decision over Trent Ray (Ferrum College) and earned a pinfall over Jonathan Cox (Southern Virginia) in 2:13. He would fall in his final two matches and earned 8^th place to finish the night.

The final Cardinal wins on the day came from Gavin Harper, Chris Johnson, and Caden Canning. Harper would finish the day 2-2, earning a pair of pinfall victories, beating Scotty Edwards (Muskingum) in 4:20 and Zach Babizuk (West Liberty) in 47 seconds Chris Johnson finished 1-2 in the 197lb weight class, picking up his lone win over Loyal Holme (Southern Virginia) as he picked up a 4-2 decision. The final Cardinal win of the night came courtesy of Caden Canning, who finished 1-2 in the 149lb weight class. His win came in the form of a 19-3 tech fall over Brandon Lee (Ohio Northern). It rounded out a big day for the Cardinals as they get ready to head down a long road of competition in 2024-2025.

The Wheeling University Wrestling team returns to action when they compete in their first dual meet against Frostburg State on Wednesday, November 6^th.