Wheeling, W. Va. - The postseason runs have begun for the fall sports, while the winter sports are just getting started on the campus of Wheeling University. On Thursday, the department announced their weekly High Flyer of the Week awards and it was one fall and one winter sports who would take home the titles. Wheeling Men's Rugby player Panashe Mugorogodi took home the Male High Flyer of the Week award, while Women's Basketball player Kenzie Dalton earned the Female High Flyer of the Week honor.
The week of action would begin on the Volleyball court, with Wheeling Volleyball earning a 3-0 sweep over Salem to end their non-conference schedule. Wednesday would feature a triple header of action inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center, with Swimming and Wrestling each hosting events. The Swimming programs would earn a sweep of Salem, with the women winning 134-57 and the men winning 103-102, while Wrestling earned a dual meet win over Washington & Jefferson at 36-12. After an off day on Thursday, the basketball season tipped off and the Wheeling University Women's Basketball fell to CAL-U 63-62. Wheeling Volleyball would host West Liberty later that night, falling in a five-set battle 3-2, and Men's Basketball would take down CAL-U in a come from behind victory at the West Liberty Tip-off Classic.
It was a busy Saturday for the Cardinals, with Wheeling Wrestling kicking things off with three placers at the Findlay Open. Wheeling Football would play their annual "The Battle for Wheeling" match-up with West Liberty and fell in an offensive shootout 68-67. Men's Rugby would be on the pitch, competing in the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Quarterfinals, and earned a come from behind 38-33 win to move to the semifinals. Women's Basketball would earn their first win of the season on the home court, taking down Edinboro 70-56 and Men's Basketball fell to Clarion 91-82 as both teams split their weekend. Wheeling Women's Rugby would round things out in the NCR National Semifinal game, and will be making their second straight trip to the National Championship after taking down Penn State 53-10.
Panashe Mugorogodi is taking home his first Male High Flyer of the Week award, after almost single handedly helping the Cardinals battle back in their Quarterfinal match-up. Wheeling was trailing 28-7 at the half, and Mugorogodi would take over the match, scoring four tries in the second half of the match-up. With the effort, he was able to write his name in the Men's Rugby history books, setting the 15's single-season try record, bringing his total to 14 on the season. It was the second time in his career that the sophomore has reached the four try mark in a game, as he used his speed to help move the ball into the try zone. He looks to continue using his speed to help the Cardinals advance to their first national championship match in program history.
Kenzie Dalton is also taking home her first Cardinal High Flyer of the Week award of the season, after helping the Cardinals to split their opening weekend. Dalton would average 23.5 PPG across the first two contests, while adding 9.0 rebounds per game and 15 assists, leading the team in each category. Her biggest game would come against Edinboro, where she set a new career high with 28 points, and finished with a near triple-double, leading the way with 10 rebounds and seven assists in the match-up. Dalton would also lead the team in their loss against CAL-U, where she scored 19 points, 17 of those coming in the second half, while racking up eight rebounds and eight assists. For her efforts, she was named the MEC's Women's Basketball Player of the Week and looks to continue her early season success.
Kenzie Dalton is the first Wheeling Women's Basketball player to take home Cardinal High Flyer of the Week honors, while Panashe Mugorogodi is taking home the second award for Men's Rugby. He joins teammate Alex Nyamunda in being honored while Dalton starts the season strong for the Cardinals. Last week, the department honored Wheeling Football player Leonard Sherrod III and Women's Rugby player Rafi Barrack.
The next Wheeling University Athletic event is scheduled fo tomorrow, when the Wheeling Swimming teams compete on day two of the Malone Invitational.
