Wheeling, W. Va. – Over the last two weeks, the Wheeling University Athletics Department has welcomed back the Football and Men's & Women's Rugby team for their 2025 Fall Camps. On Friday, the department will have it's final Fall Report day of the summer as it welcomes back the full lineup of Fall sports. Volleyball, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Cross Country, and Golf will all make their way back to campus as they begin their preparations for 2025.
The 2024 fall sports season saw a lot of success for the Fall sports unit. Between the returning programs, the Cardinals had two Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament runs as well as a top five finish at the sports respective conference championship events. The success began with the Wheeling Volleyball team, who advanced to the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Tournament as the #3 seed. The Cardinals would fight their way to the 2025 Regional Championship match, where they ended up falling to Gannon. The other Cardinal program to make a run at the MEC playoffs was Wheeling Women's Soccer, who earned the #4 seed in the MEC North Division. They would take on the #1 seed from the South, the University of Charleston, where their run would come to an end.
The Wheeling Men's Soccer team would continue to build the foundation of a strong program, featuring a young core that helped increase the teams overall win total as well as their mark in conference play. Like Men's Soccer, both the men's and women's Cross Country teams will take on a new look in 2025 with a new head coach and a new look program. On the women's side, the Cardinals will have just one returning runner and five incoming freshmen and transfers looking to make their mark. For the men, the Cardinals are adding two strong incoming athletes who are looking to make their mark. The Wheeling Men's and Women's Golf team are the final team reporting, with both units coming off a strong season. The Men finished 4th at the 2024 MEC Men's Golf Championships, while the women had two All-MEC honorees. The 2025 teams will both have some young athletes leading the way as they look to continue their success.
Those Wheeling golf teams are led by new Head Coach Thadd Obecny, who is looking to elevate this year's team. On the women's side, he will be relying on a veteran presence, led by senior Ella Keffer. Keffer earned Second Team All-MEC honors for the first time in her career, and is coming off a 15th place finish at the 2024 MEC Golf Championships. Each of the three Cardinal women golfers got experience on the course last season, and are looking to grow even further in 2025. On the men's side, the Cardinals boast one of their biggest teams in recent years with 12 golfers, six of those new to the team in 2025. It is a young team, with seven of those 12 golfers being in their first or second season, and they are looking to take the program to new heights in 2025.
"I am here to win championships, and that is what you can expect to see in the future of both of these programs," said Obecny. "Our goal will be to win the MEC Championship in the fall, and then we will be looking towards championship season in the spring."
Another program taking on a new look this season is the Wheeling Men's and Women's Cross Country team. Over the summer, Greg Schmitt was announced as Wheeling's new Head Cross Country & Track & Field coach, and he will hit the ground running with three new runners on the men's side and five new runners for the women. Both teams will have a veteran presence leading the way, with the men leaning on Graduate Student Hunter Tomich. Tomich was the Cardinal's top finisher at the 2024 MEC Cross Country Championships and will once again take on a leadership role for the team. For the women, it will be senior Gabby Baiano as the only returning runner for the team. Baiano would be one of three top 50 finishers for the Cardinals at last year's championship, and will lend her experience to lead this year's squad.
Schmitt is thankful for the opportunity to be the new Head Cross Country coach, and is excited to help the program continue to grow.
"I'm looking forward to continuing the success that both programs have had in the past seasons and am looking forward to working hard and continuing the success this upcoming season," said Schmitt. "We have a very young and talented team and I can't wait to get going. I'm excited for this upcoming season and am ready to hit the ground running."
The Wheeling Men's Soccer team has been building a young core over the last two seasons, and is ready to use that experience to start climbing the competitive ladder in 2025. They return 26 players from last year's team, having experience both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Defense was a strength for the Cardinals in 2024, led by junior goalkeeper Daniel Delo. Delo and the Cardinal's defense held opponents to two goals or fewer nine times last season and will look to once again be a pillar for the team. On the offensive side, the Cardinals return junior midfielder Joergen Bjerkreim, who earned Honorable Mention All-MEC honors a season ago, and Jordan Taylor. Taylor tied for the team lead with three goals last season and looks to help spark the Cardinals offense as the make a run at the 2025 MEC Tournament.
"We have a very good core of guys returning," said Wheeling University Head Men's Soccer Coach Brandon Regan. "Six of the 11 starters last year were freshmen so we definitely had our growing pains last fall, but the spring was a big turning point for us. We are looking forward to being back in contention within the conference again this year. I think we can be very competitive this year and hopefully within the top four competing for a National Championship."
On the women's side, the Cardinals are coming off their second run in the MEC Tournament in the last three seasons. They earned the #4 seed in the MEC North Division, finishing 5-13-1 overall and 3-10-1 in MEC play. The Cardinals caught fire down the stretch, winning three of their five games over the course of the final 10 contests and were able to get into the tournament. While they lose one of the top scorers over the past four seasons, the Cardinals return some talented young players, including sophomore midfielder Lily Hanna. Hanna tied for the team lead in both goals (9) and assists (2) last season while earning Second Team All-MEC honors and a spot on the MEC All-Freshman squad. The goalkeeper group will be led by senior Sam Faulkner, who posted a .625 save percentage and made 35 saves across eight games. Head Coach Ryan Wall is excited about the young group, and is looking to instill a winning culture for years to come.
"Since coming on board with the women's program I think the most important thing we have had to do is reset expectations," said Wall. "We had to make sure that everyone in the program understands we are here to win not just to compete and take part. After a playoff berth in the fall we went on to have a spring season that was a very positive spring season. One of the most important things we want to do is make sure this program is back where it used to be, which is competing for the MEC title and we are looking forward to a really strong season."
The final team to report for fall camp Friday will be the Wheeling Volleyball team, who is coming off another run at the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Championship. The Volleyball program will also be taking on a new look this season after graduating 10 players in the spring. On the offensive side of the ball, the Cardinals will be leaning on junior middle hitter Katie Wilking, who earned Second Team All-MEC honors. She will be joined by the 2024 MEC Freshman of the Year Olivia Batch as they look to create a 1-2 punch in front of the net. On the back line, the Cardinals bring back senior Melia Gorrell, who served as one of two primary liberos for the Cardinals a season ago. She finished with 108 digs across 94 sets last season and looks to take leadership of the back line. The Cardinal volleyball program has had a long winning tradition, and the 2025 squad looks to continue that stretch.
"Our program has a strong winning culture, one that is built over time through tradition, high standards, and core values that we reinforce everyday," said Wheeling University Head Volleyball Coach Christy Benner. "It's not just about what we do on the court, but how we carry ourselves in everything we do. We emphasize commitment, pride, and unity and above all, the importance of being a great teammate. These values are the foundation of who we are and what makes Wheeling Volleyball special."
Volleyball, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Cross Country, and Golf are set to report tomorrow beginning at 9 AM in the Alma Grace McDonough Center. They all are set to begin their fall camp schedule as they prepare for the 2025 season.
