Wheeling, W. Va. - After competing all season through both dual and tournament schedules, the Wheeling University Wrestling team is set to compete on the biggest stage. They head to Fairmont State on Saturday to compete in the NCAA DII Super Region 1 Wrestling Championships. It is the Cardinal's first season competing in the Super Region 1, and the Cardinals look to gain experience and make their mark with their young team against the top talent in the region.
The Cardinals had to skip their final tournament of the regular season, the John Carroll Open, last time out due to illness and injury that plagued the team. Their last time taking the mat was on February 7th, when they took on Davis & Elkins in their senior night dual meet. I was a big night on the match, as the Cardinals won seven of the 10 bouts on the night, with four of those wins coming via either pinfall or tech fall. The Cardinals scored 40 points on the day, and had a strong ending to the dual meet schedule, going 4-1. It was their best dual meet record since the 2019 season, when the team went 14-3 in dual meets. As they head into postseason wrestling, the team looks to continue to build and keep writing their names into the record books.
Although he did not wrestle against Davis & Elkins due to the senior day festivities, it has been Gavin Harper at 285lb leading the Cardinals throughout the 2025 season. He became the first Cardinal wrestler to ever earn All-MEC honors at the 2025 MEC Wrestling Championships, when he took third overall in the 285lb weight class. He leads the team with 27 matches during the season, compiling a record of 18-9 through those matches. He also leads the team in several individual categories, including wins (18), pinfalls (8), major decisions (4), and matches (27). Harper enters the Super Region 1 Tournament as the #6 seed in the Heavyweight field, and looks to take his talents beyond regionals to the National level.
The other top ranked Cardinal heading into Regional play is Austin Hinzman, who will wrestle in the 184lb weight class. Like Harper, Hinzman is also designated as a #6 seed in the tournament field, compiling a record of 7-10 across 17 matches this season. Hinzman last took the mat against Davis & Elkins, earning a 17-1 Tech Fall over Gavin Rodriguez-Cayro, and looks to carry that momentum into the regional tournament. The two top performers for the Cardinals against Davis & Elkins were Angelo DiPol and Isaac Valdez, who each picked up pinfall victories on the day. For DiPol, it was his first win of the season, pinning his opponent in 6:13, while Valdez rallied for a pinfall at the 2:56 mark. The two wrestlers will look to carry that momentum as they go against the best-of-the-best in the region.
The Cardinals are set to take on 11 different schools across the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), MEC and Independent circuit. Included on the list are East Stroudsburg, Gannon, Kutztown, Mercyhurst, Millersville, Pitt-Johnstown, Seton Hill, and Shippensburg from the PSAC, Fairmont State and Frostburg State from the MEC, and Independent American International. Throughout their run in tournament play, the Cardinals have gotten the chance to see several of these programs on the wrestling mat, and look to take advantage of those lessons learned. The top three in each weight class will move on to the NCAA DII Wrestling National Championships, March 14th-15th as the Cortea Coliseum in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Cardinals are looking to make the trip for the first time since 2019 as they battle on the mat.
Tournament Details
The 2025 NCAA DII Super Regional 1 Tournament will be hosted by Fairmont State University inside their Joe Retton Arena. Teams report to the arena starting at 6:30 AM, with weigh-ins following immediately after at 8 AM. The day will be split up into three sessions, with the Championships Round 1 & 2 as well as the Consolation Rounds 1&2 beginning at 10 AM as session I. Session II will follow with the Championship Semifinals and Consolation Round 3 & Semifinals, followed by Session III at 3 PM with the placement matches. The Cardinals last competed in a regional during the 2023 season and are looking to make their mark again on the Regional stage.
The Details
The 2025 NCAA DII Super Regional 1 Tournament is scheduled to begin at 10 AM inside the Joe Retton Arena on the campus of Fairmont State University. You can watch the action live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
