Wheeling, W. Va. – Over the last two seasons, the Wheeling University Men's Rugby team has reached the top of the Rugby world, bringing home back-to-back Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) National 7's Titles. However, that goal has fallen short during the past two 15's seasons, with the team making it to the NCR Quarterfinals and Semifinals respectively. In 2025, the Cardinals are looking to change that, and chase down the first 15's National Title in program history.
The 2025 season will begin a new era of Wheeling Men's Rugby, after Maxwell Hamilton was named as the program's new Head Coach back on July 18th. After working as a Graduate Assistant for the program under former Head Coach Mike Geibel, who took on the university's Dean of Students role, Hamilton steps into the role as the new leader of a championship caliber program. During his time as a GA, he worked with the team's forwards helping to clear the way for the backs to find open space. He credits Geibel with helping him prepare for this role as Head Coach, but he has clear expectations for his program moving forward. They have their sites set on bringing home not just one National title in 2025-2026, but two.
As they were in the spring, the Cardinals will once again be led by a veteran group of backs who use a combination of speed and agility to carve their paths to the try zone. Leading the group will be junior Alex Nyamunda, who was the Cardinal's leading try scorer last season on his way to earning his first ever National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) All-American title. Nyamunda had a breakout 15's season, finishing with 11 tries to lead the Cardinals, while sitting second on the team with 55 points. He finished just one try shy of the single season try record, held by former Cardinal Dante Walters during the program's first varsity season in 2012. Nyamunda enters the season just six tries away from tying the career tries record of 21, held by former Cardinal Pete Malcolm, and needs just 20 more points to reach the 100 career point mark in 15's play.
The group also welcomes back a pair of veterans to the backfield in senior Lawula Bata and Sophomore Panashe Mugorogodi. Bata steps into a leadership role for the Cardinals this season, after being named captain of the 2025 squad. Bata was a co-captain last season, and returns to the pitch after missing the entire 2024 15's season due to injury. He scored four tries and 20 points during the team's title run in the spring and looks to bring that spark to the pitch. Mugorogodi joined the Cardinals last season, and made himself a dual threat. He was always open to pitch to an open teammate, but he took his opportunities when they presented themselves. Mugorogodi would finish with eight tries and 40 points during the fall 15's season and will team up with the rest of the backs team to get the Cardinals on the board.
Moving to the forwards group, the Cardinals have a younger unit with some veterans along the way. Leading the group will be graduate student Navin Couch, who has been a staple in each of the last two National title runs. While they don't score all of the tries, the forwards help pitch the ball to the try scorers, opening up running lanes through the opposing defense. While not veterans to the pitch, the Cardinals have several veterans to their program looking to make their impact this season. Sophomores Izzy Guzman and Brandt Pawlowski will join the forward group and will play a big role in the scrums this season. The Cardinals have the most size that they have had in recent seasons and loon to use that size to their advantage on the pitch throughout the season.
The Cardinals will not only be under new leadership in 2025, but they will venture into a new conference. The Cardinals are one of six founding teams of the Atlantic Rugby Conference (ARC), bringing together some of the top rugby programs on the East Coast. Joining the Cardinals will be St. Bonaventure, Walsh, Belmont Abbey, Queens University of Charlotte, and Kutztown as they chase down the new conference title. Just like the Big Rivers Rugby Conference (BRRC) the ARC will feature a conference tournament with the six teams fighting for a conference title. The top team will automatically qualify for the NCR DI 15's National playoffs and set themselves on a path to be one of the top seeds in the National tournament.
The Wheeling University Men's Rugby team kicks off the season on Saturday, August 30th, when they host IUP at 1 PM.
