Wheeling, W. Va. – The 2024-2025 season marked the 73rd season of Wheeling Athletics with a department record 22 varsity sports competing. It began a new era of Wheeling Athletics, guided by the same principles of preparing students for life both on and off the field. There were several success stories throughout the department, and it began with the success of the school's 10 fall athletic programs. Our Fall Year in Review takes a look at the fall sports season and how it served as a catalyst for the rest of the year's success.
The year began in the summer with the announcement of three new sports programs aimed at creating more opportunities for women in varsity Athletics. The first of these new programs was making a return to the varsity athletic lineup in Wheeling Women's Lacrosse. Once a powerhouse in the Mountain East Conference, winning the conference title last in 2017, the Women's Lacrosse program would take the field for the first time since the 2019 season, returning to the MEC. The other two programs were adding to the Wheeling University sports lineup and are both emerging NCAA sports. Wheeling Women's Rugby would compete in its first varsity season in 2024-2025, taking themselves to the top of the Rugby work. Acrobatics & Tumbling also emerged bringing high flying action to the Alma Grace McDonough Center.
The Wheeling Football team would be the first to take the field, kicking off the 2024 season with a matchup against Mercyhurst under the lights. The Cardinals competed with the newest NCAA DI program, falling in a tight 28-25 affair. It was the start of another strong season for the football program, that finished 6-5 overall and 5-4 in conference play. After starting the year 2-4, the Cardinals surged over their last five games, going 4-1 to secure their third straight .500 record or better. The turning point came in a last second 35-33 win over West Virginia State that started the run. The Cardinals would have seven players earn All-MEC honors, with all seven of those being first or second team honorees. It was the most award winners in the first and second team for the Cardinals as they fell one win shy of the program record.
The first of the three new programs would take the field next as Wheeling Women's Rugby played their inaugural match on August 30th. They would defeat Ohio State 35-7, starting a historic season for the program in year one. The Cardinals would win each of their 12 regular season games on the back of an offense that averaged over 59 points per game. They would win the first conference title in program history at the Allegheny Rugby Union (ARU) Championships, where they beat St. Bonaventure 55-10. They would hold the #1 seed heading into the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) 15's Playoffs and survived a 31-27 first round matchup with the University of Virginia. The Cardinals would come back to beat Northeastern 34-19 to advance to the National title game. There, they would take down Southern Nazarene 58-17 to earn a National title in their first year. The Cardinals had four All-Americans during the 15's season, establishing themselves as a powerhouse in the sport.
As the first full week of the season kicked off, the Men's and Women's Cross Country programs would get their seasons started. They opened at the West Liberty Invitational, starting a year that saw them take on several levels of competition. It was the first of two top 10 finishes for both the men's and women's teams and they headed into the MEC Championships with momentum in their sides. Both teams were highlighted by individual performances and both picked up a 10th place finish. For the women, it was Sydney Hambel leading the way with her first-ever First Team All-MEC title. Both teams then moved on to the 2024 NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Championships, where many of the Cardinal runners got their first experience on the regional stage.
The next team to take the field was the Wheeling Men's Soccer team, who had a combination of young talent and veterans looking to drive the program forward. They would start the year strong with a 1-1 tie with CAL-U. They faced a gauntlet of a schedule early in the season, with The University of Charleston and West Virginia Wesleyan, and they would score their first conference point against Point Park in a 0-0 tie. They would earn two more ties during the year and earned their lone conference win against Point Park on October 20th. In the end, the Cardinal's defense would drive the effort, with six game being decided by one goal or less, while the Cardinals held their opponents to two goals or fewer in nine of their 15 games during the season. Joergen Bjerkreim and Jordan Taylor would each earn All-MEC honors, with both looking to be leaders for the team into the future.
The weekend would bring the start of the Wheeling Volleyball season and, as they do every year, the Carinals faced a challenging non-conference schedule. Of their first eight opponents, six were ranked in the top 20 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The challenge helped the Cardinals as the season went on, earning them the #1 seed in the MEC North Division. While they dropped the MEC Championship match for the first time in program history, the Cardinas qualified for the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Championship and went on a run. They would earn victories over both Pitt-Johnstown and IUP and advanced to the Regional Championship game. They would take on Gannon University, but fell 3-1 to end their season. The Cardinals would have five players take home All-MEC honors, as well as three All-Region honorees and two All-Americans to round out the group.
On that same weekend, the Wheeling Women's Soccer team would get their season started against Lincoln University. It was a close contest, but the Cardinals fell 3-2 as they began the road back to the MEC Tournament. After dropping back-to-back non-conference games to start the season, the Cardinals would start MEC play with a bang. They picked up a 2-0 win over Point Park, and battled against what at that time was the top team in the MEC in Fairmont State. It came down to the final week of the regular season, but the Cardinals were able to clinch the #4 seed in the North Division, taking their second trip to the tournament in the past three years. Their run came to an early end, falling to Charleston in the Quarterfinals, but the Cardinals showed they could compete on the biggest stage. The Cardinals would earn two All-MEC honorees, with Mary DiFonzo earning first team honors while Lily Hanna earned Second Team and a spot on the All-MEC Freshman team. With a young core in place, the Cardinals look to keep their success going into the 2025 season.
The new week would bring two more programs into the competition field with Men's and Women's Golf starting their year. They both started at the Charleston Golden Eagle Invitational, and both teams had their share of highs and lows through the season. The men earned a 10th place finish in that first tournament, and finished in the top 12 of every event they competed in. They would head into the MEC Men's Golf Championship with momentum, and made it to day three of competition for the first time since the 2016 season, and picked up their highest team finish at the event in program history with a fourth place finish. The Women's roster was smaller, with the team not posting another team score aside from the first event. However, they sent their two veteran golfers Ella Keffer and Nicole Linciome to the final day of competition, and they were able to each finish in the top 20.
The final fall sports program to take the competition field was the Men's Rugby team, who was coming off a National Championship in the spring. They opened with a one-point loss to Davenport but came back strong with a 3-0 record in Big Rivers Rugby Conference (BRRC) play. They would earn the #1 seed in the BRRC tournament and, after defeating Iowa Central CC in the Quarterfinals, fell to Thomas More 44-41 in the Championship match. That would not slow them down as they headed into the NCR D1 Playoffs and picked up wins over Kutztown and Notre Dame. The Cardinals advanced to the Semifinals for the first time in 15's history but fell to Queens 33-22. The Cardinals would have five players earn spots on the Inaugural All-BRRC team, and had Alex Nyamunda take home All-American honors for the first time in his career.
As we continue our 2025-2026 year in review, part two will highlight the university's winter sports teams and how they kept the success going into the cold winter months.
