Wheeling, W. Va. - With the 2024-2025 athletic schedule officially in the books, the Mountain East Conference (MEC) announced their first set of Year-End awards on Wednesday. The conference revealed the 24 nominees for the 2024-2025 MEC Male and Female Scholar Athlete of the Year awards. Wheeling University will be represented by male nominee Men's Soccer player Salem Mwelwa and female nominee Women's Swimmer Jade Miller, with the winner being announced on Thursday, June 26th.
The MEC's Scholar-Athlete of the Year award recognizes outstanding academic and athletic performance for the previous academic year. In order to be nominated for the award an athlete must have a 3.30 cumulative grade point average across their entire academic career. The athlete must have also participated in at least 50 percent of the team's contests in an MEC sponsored sport and have a minimum of one-year residency at the institution. Each of the finalists for this year's award were nominated by one of the 11 MEC institutions and the winner will be decided via a vote of the conference's Athletic Directors, Senior Woman Administrators, and Sports Information Directors over the next week.
The Cardinal's Male nominee is Men's Soccer player Salem Mwelwa, who has had a strong career both on the field and in the classroom. He took home the department's Male Scholar Athlete of the Year award at the annual Wheeling High Flyers night, and has been a force in the midfield for the Cardinals throughout his career. During the 2024 season, Mwelwa was a regular off the bench for the Cardinals, appearing in 11 games and making five starts in the midfield. He put a big part of his focus on the defensive side this season, taking just one shot during his senior year, but has three goals, three assists, and nine points over 56 career games with the Cardinals. Along with his work on the field, Mwelwa is also a member of the Black Student Union and can regularly be seen on the sidelines with his camera filming highlights and capturing photos at Cardinal home athletic events.
The Cardinal's Female nominee is Women's Swimmer Jade Miller, who has been a cornerstone for the rebuilding of the Men's and Women's Swimming program. During her senior season, she helped the Cardinals to a 9-5 dual meet record and rounded out her senior year with four All-MEC honors at the MEC/Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) Swimming & Diving Championships. Her biggest swim would be the third MEC Championship of her career, when she won the 200-Yard Backstroke with a time of 2:08.67. Along with her success in the pool, Miller was named the Wheeling University Class of 2025 Valedictorian while also being the president of the Student Government Association. She also served as a Resident Assistant as well as a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) during her time with the Cardinals.
The 11 finalists for both the male and female MEC Scholar Athlete of the Year award are listed below. Voting will take place this week, with the winner being announced on Thursday, June 26th:
| Madison Woolwine (Charleston) |
Nicolai Gunderson (Charleston) |
| Sydney Tucker (Concord) |
Ryker Brown (Concord) |
| Rebecca Rodrigues (D&E) |
Brycen Sechler (D&E) |
| Katey Koehl (Fairmont State) |
Patrick Fubio (Fairmont State) |
| Emilee Weakley (Frostburg State) |
Owen Butler (Frostburg State) |
| Delaney Warnick (Glenville State) |
Gabe Onorato (Glenville State) |
| Cassondra O'Connor (Point Park) |
Jannik Windelbrand (Point Park) |
| Ashley Cudnik (West Liberty) |
Ryan Talbert (West Liberty) |
| Sara Paris Filter (WV State) |
Miguel Martinez (WV State) |
| Kendall Stoffel (WV Wesleyan) |
Jonathan Norton (WV Wesleyan) |
| Jade Miller (Wheeling) |
Salem Mwelwa (Wheeling) |
The Wheeling University Athletic Department kicks off the 2025-2026 season on Thursday, August 28th, when they hit the road to face Clarion.
