Wheeling, W. Va. – After almost making it to day two of the Midwest Classic for the first time since the 2019 season, the Wheeling University Wrestling team (1-1, 0-1) is ready to take the mat for the first time in 2025. The team will be bringing wrestling to the Alma Grace McDonough Center for the first time in over a year when they host a Tri-Meet on Friday with the first match beginning at 5 PM. The night will start with Muskingum taking on Waynesburg at 5 PM, followed by Muskingum vs. Wheeling at 6 PM, and Waynesburg vs. Wheeling at 7 PM.
Before the holiday break, the Cardinals competed at one of the premiere NCAA DII Tournaments at the Midwest Classic, hosted by the University of Indianapolis. The Cardinals would send seven wrestlers to the event, their most since the 2019 season, and combined to pick up three wins on the day. In their third season under Head Coach Shane Brown, the Cardinals have improved in each of their three showings at the event, and this year was no exception. For the second year in a row they had a wrestler compete to advance to the second day of competition, and they had two wrestlers pick up a win at the event for the first time under Head Coach Shane Brown. They look to continue that growth throughout the season as they begin the run towards the MEC Championships.
The Cardinal wrestler who competed for a chance to wrestle on day two was Gavin Harper, who finished 2-2 on the day. After falling and a 7-1 decision to start the day, Harper would make his run in the consolation bracket. He began things by pinning Montevallo's Willie Cox in 4:12 and came back with a 9-0 Major Decision over King's Jacob Telles. Harper needed just one more win to be the first Cardinal wrestler to advance to day two of the event since 2019. However, it wasn't meant to be as he fell via pinfall to finish 2-2 on the day. Harper has been the Cardinal's leader throughout the season, going 9-9 across 18 matches this season. He leads the Cardinals in Pinfalls (4), Major Decisions (4), and winning percentage (.500) on the season.
The other Cardinal to pick up a win on the day was Isaac Valdez, who finished 1-2 on the day. Like Harper, Valdez would fall in his opening match and headed to the consolation bracket. That's where he would pick up his lone win on the day in his closest match, beating Seton Hill's Collin Hearn in a close 2-1 Decision. With the effort, Valdez moved to 6-7 on the day, and continued his success in decisions, with each of those six wins coming via decision. After getting his feet wet on the mat during his freshman season, sophomore Brian Crevar has taken his game to the next level. He sits third on the team going 5-8 on the season, with half of those wins coming via Major Decision. Crevar and Valdez look to continue leading the Cardinals as they head into Friday's Tri-Meet.
The event will be the first home event for the Cardinals since November 1st, 2023, and the first Tri-Meet event in over five seasons. The Cardinals have been slowly rebuilding the program, and have a full lineup set for Friday night as they look to continue their dual meet success. The Cardinals are 1-1 in dual meets this season, falling to Frostburg State 41-8 to start the season before beating Washington & Jefferson 35-11 in their second dual meet. Friday will be the final two duals for the Cardinals before the MEC Championships on February 1st, and the Cardinals are hoping to head into the tournament with a winning record and continue to climb the conference ladder.
The Matchups
Muskingum: The Cardinals and Muskies will be meeting for the first time in program history when they face each other on Friday night. Like the Cardinals, the Muskies are a younger program, entering the night sitting at 0-6, but have some significant pieces in their lineup. Leading the way is Scotty Edwards, who leads the team in wins (12), Winning percentage (.632), Pinfalls (4), Points (52), and Takedowns (29). The Cardinals look to open the all-time match strong on their home mat.
Waynesburg: The Cardinals and Yellow Jackets are meeting for the first time in program history when they face off on Friday night. Waynesburg is a historic program that also features a young roster, entering Friday night's match at 0-8. The Yellow Jackets are led by Jessie Orbin, who enters the match sitting at 22-4, with a perfect 8-0 record in dual meets. The Cardinals look to takedown the Yellow Jackets and start the all-time series with a win.
The Details
Friday night's tri-meet is scheduled for 5 PM inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center with Muskingum and Waynesburg kicking things off. You can watch the event live by clicking HERE.
