Wheeling, W. Va. - As the final week of action played out for 2025, the Wheeling University Basketball teams finished the season strong on the hardwood. On Wednesday, the Wheeling University Athletic Department announced their final Cardinal High Flyer of the Year award winners of 2025, and it was a pair of career best performances that swept the awards on the hardwood. Wheeling Women's Basketball player Layla Merriweather was the Female High Flyer of the Week award winner while Wheeling Men's Basketball player Ayden Goll earned the Male High Flyer of the Week award winner.
The final week of action kicked off with a special Education Day match-up as the Wheeling Men's Basketball team made their way to WesBanco Arena. They played their annual match-up with Franciscan, and came down to the wire before picking up an 82-74 win to start the week. Two days later, both teams would wrap up their 2025 Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule when both took on Davis & Elkins. On the women's side, the Cardinals led throughout the game and earned a 71-56 win to start the doubleheader. On the men's side, it was back and forth throughout the night, but the Cardinal offense once again came through late as they picked up a 92-84 win to complete the sweep. The final game of the week was a triple-overtime thriller against Cedarville, with Wheeling Women's Basketball rounded out the 2025 schedule falling 87-82 to round out the week.
Layla Merriweather is earning her first Cardinal High Flyer of the Week award of the season, and was the leader throughout the triple-overtime meeting with Cedarville. She would set a career-high by a large margin, putting up 28 points while shooting 45.8% (11-24) from the floor including a 54.5% (6-11) from the three-point line. It broke the sophomore's previous career high by 10+ points and she was a spark off the bench for the team throughout the day. It capped off what was a big week for Merriweather, that saw her finish with 28 points while shooting 48.3% (15-31) from the floor and 50% (7-14) from three-point range. She added 10 points in the effort against Davis & Elkins, and has now been in double digits in each of her last three games.
Ayden Goll is taking home his second Cardinal High Flyer of the Week award of the season, including his second in a row. He continued his recent string of success over the week, putting up 51 points, going over the 20-point mark in each of the two contests. It started against Franciscan, where he put up 21 points, including a 4-6 mark from three-point range as he helped the team to an 82-74 win. He came back in the MEC finale and did one better, setting a new career-best with 30 points, eleven of those coming from the free throw line in the win. Aside from his scoring, Goll made a huge impact all over the floor, adding eight rebounds, 10 assists, two blocks, and five steals. He continues to make a big impact on the floor and helped the Cardinals finish with their best first half start since the 2017-2018 season.
Layla Merriweather takes home the fourth Cardinal High Flyer of the Week award for Wheeling Women's Basketball, while Ayden Goll takes home the third for the Men's Basketball team. Merriweather joins teammates Kenzi Dalton, Emma Reynolds, and Emilia Sierra Lacosta in earning honors, while Ayden Goll takes home his second award joining Caleb Murray in being honored. Last week, the Cardinals honored Emilia Sierra Lacosta and Goll as they led the way on the hardwood.
The next Wheeling University Athletic Event is scheduled for Saturday, January 3rd, when the Wheeling Wrestling team takes on the Fairmont State Invitational with matches beginning at 9 AM.
