Wheeling, W. Va. - During the 2024-2025 season, the Wheeling Athletics Department would crown two National Champions. Both of those national champions are set to make their way back to campus on Friday, with the Men's & Women's Rugby teams set to report to campus. Both teams were able to get to the top of their sport a season ago, with Women's Rugby earning the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) 15's D1 National title in the fall and Men's Rugby earning the Collegiate Rugby Championships (CRC) National 7's title in the spring.
The first of those titles was crowned in the Fall as Wheeling Women's Rugby embarked on their inaugural season. It would be a memorable start for the Cardinals as they went a perfect 12-0 behind a well-rounded attack on both sides of the ball. The offense would average 54.4 points per game during the season and went over the 50-point mark in six of those 12 games. While the offense was scoring, the defense did their job on the other end, allowing the opposition to score just 8.4 points per game while picking up five shutouts during the year. They were ranked #1 in the nation in the nation for four weeks in a row, and defied the odds becoming the first inaugural program in the NCR to win a National title when they beat Southern Nazarene 58-17.
While the Women's Rugby team took home the National Title, the Men's Rugby team also had their fair share of success on the pitch. After dropping their first regular season game to Davenport 43-42, the Cardinals came roaring back, winning four straight games before finishing as runners-up at the 2024 Big Rivers Rugby Conference (BRRC) Tournament. They headed into the 2024 NCR DI 15's National Playoffs looking to get the Quarterfinal monkey off their back, and did just that defeating Kutztown at home in the wild card round 34-28 before going on the road to beat Notre Dame 58-24. They would travel out to Reading, Pennsylvania for the NCR Semifinal match against Queens University of Charlotte, but their season came to an end as they fell 33-22, wrapping up the best 15's season in program history.
As they enter the 2025-2026 season, both programs have some new and exciting things coming their way. Both programs are sponsoring B-side teams for the first time in the program's history with numbers continuing to rise on both sides. The Women's B-side will be competing in the NCR DII, but will not be championship eligible, while the Men's B-Side will similarly take on a DII schedule. With both B-sides officially announced both coaches are looking for it to generate new competition on the pitch, and push the A-side players to be at their best throughout the season in order to keep their jobs in the stating side as both teams chase down a National Championship.
For the Men's Rugby team, the Cardinals begin a new era with Maxwell Hamilton taking over as Head Men's Rugby Coach after former Coach Mike Geibel was named Wheeling University Dean of Students. Hamilton has been a Graduate Assistant for the program over the last two seasons, and looks to lead a veteran group into 2025. The Cardinals return 18 players from last year's semifinal 15's season run, and this season will bring a new challenge to the team. The Cardinals are embarking on their first season as members of the Atlantic Rugby Conference (ARC). They are one of six founding teams in the conference with three CRC National 7's titles between them and numerous national championship appearances. The Cardinals will look to compete against the best-of-the-best in collegiate rugby as they chase down a National title.
"Coach Mike Geibel was able to build something truly special here and I am honored to be able to continue that and keep pushing our program forward," said Hamilton. "We return a majority of our starting lineup from last year's 15's semifinal run and with that experience comes the team's clear goal, to raise our performance and set a new standard for Women's Rugby."
On the women's side, the Cardinals are looking to become just the third team in NCR history to win back-to-back National titles. The Cardinals became the first inaugural team to win a National Championship last season and look to keep their 12-game 15's winning streak alive as they enter 2025. Head Coach Ken Pape has said that the team is upping their competition level this season, with teams like Penn State, Navy, and St. Bonaventure all ahead of them during the regular season. Like the Men's team, the women are also stepping up on the National stage, being one of three inaugural teams invited to be eligible for CRAA Spring National Championship pathway. With only one senior graduated from the 2024 15's team, the Cardinals look to lay into their experience and bring another National Title back to Wheeling.
"We are looking to build upon the successes from last year and continue to build this program," said Pape. "We want to continue to grow Wheeling Rugby's place in the collegiate rugby landscape and be known as the rugby school. The idea of rugby school is something that I have always wanted to do and I think Wheeling is really becoming the premiere rugby school in the United States."
The Wheeling Men's & Women's Rugby teams will report on Friday morning as they get set to kick-off their fall camps. The Wheeling Men's Rugby team opens the 2025 season on Saturday, August 30th, when they host IUP, and the Women's Rugby team opens 2025 on that same day on the road against Penn State.
