Wheeling, W. Va. - On Friday, the city of Wheeling will ring in the holiday season with their 40th annual Main Street Bank Fantasy in Lights Parade in downtown Wheeling. Wheeling University will be a part of the celebration, walking in the annual parade, but the Wheeling University Men's and Women's Rugby teams will play an even bigger role in this season's festivities. The two teams have been announced as Grand Marshals for this year's parade, as they help ring in the holiday season in Wheeling.
"I feel honored that the Men's [Rugby] program can be involved in this parade, and to be Grand Marshalls," said Wheeling University Head Men's Rugby Coach Maxwell Hamilton. "The team has put in a lot of time and effort into making Wheeling Men's Rugby what it is today, and the boys are proud to be leader on campus, on the field, and in the Wheeling Community. We are excited to ring in the holiday season with this great community and help kick-off this yearly tradition."
This year's parade will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Main Street Bank Fantasy in Lights Parade on Friday, November 21st, at 6 PM. As part of the celebration, the parade will be returning to its original route, beginning at West Virginia Northern Community College, proceeding down 10th street, and taking a left down Main Street. To celebrate the parade's 40th anniversary, the parade will be focusing on a return to a neighborhood and community atmosphere at Christmas in downtown Wheeling, according to a statement by Chairman of the Main Street Bank Fantasy in Lights Christmas Parade Jodi Carder in an article on the Times Leader.
"It is not so much that we're going to do anything new and different," she explained in the article. "We want people to experience the old fashioned feeling where they come downtown and see their neighbors, and maybe feel a little nostalgia."
The Wheeling Men's and Women's Rugby teams are excited to serve as Grand Marshals, with each program having their share of success on the national stage. The Wheeling Men's Rugby team celebrated their second straight Collegiate Rugby Championships (CRC) National 7's Premier Cup Title last season, going 22-1-1 across 24 games played. The Cardinals would earn the Big River's Rugby Conference (BRC) 7's Conference title for the second straight season and entered the CRC National 7's as the #1 seed. After earning wins over Babson College, Mary Washington, and Brown on day one, the Cardinals would beat Queens University of Charlotte in the semifinal to advance to the National title game. They would take on St. Bonaventure University, and picked up a 19-5 victory to claim the National title. They are preparing for Saturday's National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Quarterfinal match-up with Queens on Saturday and look to bring home their first-ever 15's National Championship.
The Wheeling Women's Rugby team is also celebrating a National Championship from last season, when they earned the NCR DI 15's National title in their inaugural season. The Cardinals would go a perfect 8-0 in the regular season, and claimed the Allegheny Rugby Union (ARU) Conference Championship against St. Bonaventure with a 55-10 win. In the National playoffs, they would take down The University of Virginia 31-27 and added a 35-19 win over Northeastern in the semifinals. The run would wrap up on Saturday, December 7th, when they took down Southern Nazarene 58-17 to earn the National Title. They have continued that winning streak into the 2025 15's season, having won all 11 games this season to move their win streak to 23-straight 15's contests. They are currently set to defend their National Title on December 6th, when they head back to Houston, Texas for a rematch with Southern Nazarene University.
"Having been here for a little over a year seeing things come full circle is quite impressive to me The recognition that we get from the community of Wheeling is overwhelming," said Wheeling Women's Rugby Coach Ken Pape. "I couldn't be more honored and appreciative of everything that Wheeling University and the Wheeling Community have provided for me and my family. We are excited to help the city ring in this holiday season."
The 40th Annual Main Street Bank Fantasy in Lights Parade is scheduled for Friday, November 21st in downtown Wheeling. You can watch a live stream of the broadcast on WTRF Channel 7 from 6-8 PM.
