Wheeling, W. Va. - With the first wave of Wheeling University Student-Athletes on campus, the buzz is beginning to build for the 2024-2025 athletic season. The rest of the fall sports teams will report in two weeks, and Men's and Women's Golf are preparing with the release of their 2024 fall schedules. Both teams have four events throughout the fall, as they pave the way to the MEC Championships at the end of October as they battle to be on top of the MEC.
2023-2024 was a growing year for both programs as they gained experience on the course and began to build the foundation for success. On the men's side, Head Coach Rich Conwell completely rebuilt the program, bringing in a class of eight freshmen to go along with the veterans on the team. The Cardinals would end up finishing ninth in the team standings, and had a golfer crack the top 20 of the event for the first time since the 2021 championships. That golfer was freshman Phillip Halvorsen, who finished just one stroke away from becoming the first Cardinal golfer to make it to day three of the event since the 2019 season.
On the women's side, the Cardinals had small numbers, with four golfers taking the field, but plenty of experience to go around. Led by two-time Honorable Mention All-MEC golfer Nicole Lincicome, the Cardinals would make day three of the MEC Championships for te sixth season in a row. They ended up taking fourth in the event, with a combined team score of 1044 across three days of play. The Cardinals had two golfers finish in the top 20 of the event and, with experience coming back in 2024, the team looks to build on their success and continue battling for one of the top spots in the MEC Tournament field.
Both teams will kick-off the Fall 2024 season right away with MEC play as they travel to the University of Charleston Invitational, September 9th and 10th. It will give both teams a chance to see where they are right from the get-go as they begin the run towards the MEC Championships. Both teams will face an All MEC schedule throughout the fall, with all four tournaments coming against MEC opponents. The teams will have their first split weekend as the men take on the Davis & Elkins Invitational and the Women head to Fairmont State. The Men are up next as they head up the hill on September 22nd for the West Liberty invitational at Oglebay Resort.
The women's team competes in the final regular season event of the fall when the team heads to West Virginia Wesleyan for their final tune-up. Then, the teams will head to Avon Lakes Resort for the 2024 MEC Men's and Women's Golf Championships. For the men, they will be looking to get to the third day as a team for the first time since the 2018 MEC Championship event. On the women's side, the Cardinals are looking to not only compete individually but compete for one of the top spots in the conference for the first time since 2021. Both teams feature a mix of new faces and experience and look to use that combination to their advantage in 2024.
The Men's and Women's Golf teams kick-off their seasons on Monday, September 9th, when they head to the Charleston Invitational.
