Wheeling, W. Va. - After a nearly three-week break for the Thanksgiving season, the Wheeling University Wrestling team (2-0, 1-0) returns to the mat on Friday to begin the final push of first half competition. They will be traveling down I-79 to Mountain East Conference (MEC) rival Fairmont State for their first Quad of the season, with first matches beginning at 6 PM. It will be a big day of MEC competition, with the Cardinals taking on the host Falcons as well as Point Park and Davis & Elkins, as the Cardinals look to prove themselves against tough conference competition.
Last time out, the Cardinals competed at the Findlay Open back on November 15th, competing in what was their toughest tournament of the season to that point. They would end up with two different placers at the event, but saw success throughout the weight classes. The Cardinals had two place in the top six of their respective weight classes, while five total wrestlers finished with a .500 or better record on the day. Along with the usual starting lineup, the Cardinals also had the chance to get several of their depth pieces some mat time, giving them the opportunity to gain valuable experience. It was the second time this season that the Cardinals had multiple placers at a single event.
As he has done all season, it was heavyweight Gavin Harper leading the way for the Cardinals, going 3-2 and taking fourth overall in the 285lb weight class. His day would start off with a bang as he faced the #15 ranked wrestler in the nation in Dylan McCandless from Tiffin. He would earn a 17-2 tech fall to start his day and two matches later he was back at it again against #9 Wyatt Bailey. He would earn his first upset of the day, taking down Bailey in a 6-1 decision that moved him to 3-0 on the season and continued his season-long winning streak to nine straight matches. However, he would end up falling in the semifinal round and a 10-0 Major Decision brought his day to an end, taking fourth overall. Harper enters the final stretch of the first half with the best winning percentage on the team at .818, going 9-2 across 11 matches this season.
The other Cardinal to place on the day was freshman Neal Krysty, who finished sixth overall in the 125lb weight class. After dropping his opening match, the freshman hit a run of three straight pinfalls, with the fastest being completed in just 1:10. He would add a 13-11 Decision over Indian Tech's Tyler Hisey that got him to the consolation semifinal match. However, he reached his match limit for the day and would end up finishing with two No Contests round out the day. He would finish 6-1 to round out the day, putting him as the Cardinal's win leader, moving his record to 11-2 across 13 matches played. Along with the two leaders, Jaxon Burcher put together another strong day, finishing 2-2 in the 197lb weight class, including a pair of decision victories. The effort moved him to 9-4 overall on the season, moving him into a tie for second on the team with wins this season.
The dual meet schedule has been strong for the Cardinals so far this season, going 2-0 against Frostburg State and Washington & Jefferson. It continued the Cardinals dual meet winning streak dating back to last season, moving their dual meet win record to six straight meets. Over the last three seasons, the Cardinals have gone 6-2 in dual meet matches, as they continue to grow as a team and climb the dual meet ladder. As they enter Friday's Quad Meet, the Cardinals stand as the only undefeated team in dual meet play, holding a one-meet lead over both Frostburg State and Davis & Elkins, while also sitting ahead of Glenville State, who held a record of 5-3. They look to continue their dual meet growth with three matches on Friday as they compete for a MEC Championship.
The Match-ups
Fairmont State: The Cardinals and Falcons are meeting for the third time in program history, with Fairmont State leading the all-time series at 2-0. It will be Wheeling's second ever trip to Fairmont, West Virginia, where the Cardinals have gone 0-1. The Cardinals are averaging 10.5 points per dual meet, and have totaled 21 points across the two previous meetings. The last meeting between the two teams came on January 26th, 2022, in a match that Fairmont State won 42-6. Former Cardinal Clarouly Meca would lead the way, battling to overtime in the 285lb weight class before falling in sudden victory.
Point Park: The Cardinals and Pioneers are meeting for the first time in program history on Friday, with Point Park in their first season as a team. They have competed in three tournaments to start the season, posting individual results at all three of those events. They last wrestled at the Shorty Hitchcock Memorial Open, where Aiden Burford led the way going 2-2 on the mat. The Cardinals look to start the all-time series with a bang as they start the all-time match-up.
Davis & Elkins: The Cardinals and Senators are meeting for the fourth time in program history, with Davis & Elkins leading the all-time series at 2-1. It will be the first-ever neutral site meeting between the two teams, with Wheeling holding a 1-0 record at home and an 0-2 record on the road. It has been a higher scoring series for the Senators, with the Cardinals averaging 19.33 points per dual, while scoring 58 points across the three dual meets. The last meeting between the two teams came on February 7th, 2025, where Wheeling picked up a 40-16 dual meet victory. Leading the way for Wheeling was former Cardinal Brent Bosley and former Cardinal Austin Hinzman, who each finished with tech fall wins on the day.
The Details
Friday's dual meet is scheduled for Friday, December 5th, inside the Feaster Center and Joe Retton Arena on the campus of Fairmont State.
