Wheeling, W. Va. - On Tuesday, the Mountain East Conference (MEC) released their annual All-MEC teams, and the Wheeling University Football team was honored with 12 players on this year's list. Wheeling had five players earn Player of the Year, First Team, and Second Team honors, and round out the list with seven players on the Honorable Mention All-MEC list. Running back Steven Mitchell, tight end Alex Godavitarne, offensive lineman Nick Mahoney, defensive back Keenan Johnson, defensive back Kameron Reynolds, kicker Conor Fitzpatrick, and kick returner Nasir Rhem were all honored to round out the list.
Steven Mitchell is taking home the second All-MEC award of his career, taking home Honorable Mention honors in 2025. Mitchell was the Cardinal's leader in the ground game, carrying the ball 152 times for 639 yards and eight touchdowns. He would average 4.2 yards per carry, and 58.09 yards per game as he split the reps throughout the season. He would finish with one 100-yard rushing effort on the season against Lake Erie, where he carried the ball 28 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns. He would finish as the conference's eighth leading rusher on the season, and finishing tied for fifth in the conference with eight rushing touchdowns this season. He was the veteran leader for the Cardinal offense and rounded out his career as the Cardinal's top running back.
Alex Godavitarne earns the first All-MEC honor of his career after having a breakout season as the Cardinal's Tight End. He was one of two redzone options for the Cardinals, finishing with 19 catches for 255 yards and five touchdowns on the season. He would set career-highs in all three categories, while tying for the team lead in receiving touchdowns. As the season went on, Godavitarne got more and more involved in the passing game, with his biggest performance coming against Glenville State. He would finish with two catches for 22 yards and two touchdowns as he helped lead the Cardinals to a 38-35 victory. Godavitarne switched positions from quarterback to tight end just last year, and has flourished into a strong endzone option for the team.
Nick Mahoney is also taking home his first career All-MEC honor in his second full season as a starting offensive lineman for the Cardinals. He spent the majority of his time at left guard for the Cardinals, helping in both the run and passing games. He would start all 11 games for the Cardinals this season, and has been a presence on the offensive line for the team over each of the last two seasons. He helped the Cardinal's offense grow throughout the season, finishing as the third most efficient redzone offense in the conference. Mahoney was one of four seniors on the offensive line for the Cardinals this season as he helped headline a veteran group.
The first defensive honoree was defensive back Keenan Johnson, who earned his first career All-MEC honor. Johnson was the Cardinal's fifth leading tackler, finishing with 47.0 total tackles, 24 solo and 23 assisted, and filled spots all over the field for the Cardinals, He would play his biggest role in the passing game, where he finished with four passes defended, including three pass break ups and an interception, while also providing pressure with one quarterback hit on the season. However, he would also come up and play the run well, finishing with 4.0 tackles for loss on the season. Johnson served as the veteran in the Cardinal's secondary, and put together his best game of the season when he finished with nine tackles, eight solo and one assisted, in the MEC opener against Fairmont.
Joining him in the defensive backfield was Kameron Reynolds, who earned the first All-MEC honor of his career as well. Reynolds started his season with a bang, recording 11 tackles in the opening game, and never looked back. He was Wheeling's second leading tackler, finishing with 102.0 total tackles, 41 solo and 61 assisted, and finished as the conference's second leading tackler behind his teammate Desca. He would add to that total 6.0 tackles for loss, totaling 21 yards, and finished with five pass break-ups, including one interception. Reynolds would earn the MEC's Defensive Player of the Week for his work against Concord, where he finished with 7.0 total tackles, three solo and four assisted, while forcing a fumble and finishing with his lone interception of the year.
The special teams unit would receive the final two honors, starting with sophomore kicker Conor Fitzpatrick, who took home his first All-MEC honor. Fitzpatrick served as Wheeling's main place kicker as well as their kick-off man, and was directly responsible for two of Wheeling's win. In the kicking game, he would finish 9-16 (56.25%), with five of those nine field goals coming in a two-game span. On kick-offs, Fitzpatrick would finish with 55 kick-offs for 3,138 yards, averaging 57.1 yards per kick. His biggest game came against Concord, where he went 4-5 on field goals, and set the single-game field goals made record in the effort. Fitzpatrick would also fall just one yard short of the longest field goal in program history, when he made a 48-yard kick against West Virginia Wesleyan.
The final honoree was Nasir Rhem, who earned his first All-MEC honor as kick returner for the Cardinals. Rhem was used as a returner in both the punting and kicking game, with his primary returns coming on Punt. He would finish with 10 returns for 134 yards, averaging 13.4 yards per punt return on the season. In the kick-off game, he would add 14 returns for 288 yards, while averaging 20.57 yards per return. His 134 punt return yards ranked third most in the MEC this season, while he finished 12th in the conference in kick return yards and 11th in kick return average.
With the announcement of the 2025 All-MEC Football honors, the Wheeling University Athletic Department has now had 13 student-athletes earn All-Conference honors. For Wheeling Football, the 12 honorees were their most since the 2021 COVID season, when they had 15 players honored on the list. The Wheeling Men's Soccer team was the last to be honored, when Elie Simon earned a spot on the MEC All-Freshman team.
The Wheeling University Football team now heads into the off-season as they look to continue their improvement into 2027.
