Wheeling, W. Va. - It was a heavy week on the road for Wheeling Athletics in week three, with only two home games during the week. On Tuesday, the Wheeling University Athletic Department announced their weekly Cardinal High Flyer of the Week awards and it was a pair of strong efforts on the road that took the honors. Wheeling Football player Steven Mitchell would take home the Male High Flyer of the Week honors while Women's Cross Country runner Madison Conrad would earn Female High Flyer of the Week.
The second full week of action in Wheeling Athletics began on the golf course with the Men's and Women's Golf teams heading to the Golden Eagle Invitational. The women would take 18th overall at the event, while the men finished 14th to get the week started. On Wednesday, Wheeling Men's Soccer would join the golf programs in Charleston, taking on the defending MEC Champions. It was a defensive battle, but in the end, the Cardinals would come out on top in a 1-0 battle. After an off day on Thursday, Wheeling Volleyball was back at it on the court, battling at the Grand Valley State Invitational. Wheeling would face off with Hillsdale, #13 Grand Valley State, and Tiffin, falling in all three matches.
Saturday was the busiest day in Cardinal athletics, with seven contests going on throughout the day. Wheeling Cross Country would get things started at the Bethany Invitational, coming away with two top 10 finishers in the race. Wheeling Women's Soccer was up next as they traveled to Point Park and fell in a 2-0 contest to start the Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule. Wheeling Women's Rugby would follow, taking Bishop Schmitt Field and putting on an offensive display in a 54-0 rout of Ohio State. The Men's Rugby team would be on the road as they began their Atlantic Rugby Conference (ARC) schedule, defeating Kutztown 36-17. Rounding out the Saturday schedule was the Wheeling Football team, who picked up their first win of the 2025 season against Lake Erie 35-31. The week would round out at home as Wheeling Men's Soccer welcomed in Point Park, falling 4-1.
Steven Mitchell earns his first Cardinal High Flyer of the Week honor after leading the Cardinal's ground game in the win over Lake Erie. He carried the ball 28 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns in the winning effort, both of those touchdowns coming during the team's fourth quarter comeback. His largest run of the day came at a crucial time as the Cardinals were set up at the Lake Erie 32-yard line to start the fourth quarter. Mitchell would cut to the outside for a 32-yard scamper that tied the game at 28-28 with 14:48 left on the game clock. On the following drive, Wheeling was set up 3rd and Goal at the Lake Erie one-yard line and Mitchell would dive off the left tackle and got in for the eventual game winning score. It was Mitchell's first 100-yard rushing effort of the season, after nearly rushing for 1,000 yards a season ago.
Madison Conrad is also taking home her first Cardinal High Flyer of the Year award after a strong showing in her 8K season debut. Conrad would finish 8th in the field at the Bethany Invitational, running a time of 24:40.9 to pace the Cardinals. It was good for a mile pace of 6:37 as she stayed right around the same mile pace for her season opening time. She would finish second in the field among MEC competitors, finishing 27 seconds behind West Liberty's Lacey Dimit for the top spot in the conference. Conrad has been the team's top runner in each of the first two races this season, and looks to continue that success as they go through the regular season.
Mitchell is the second Wheeling Football player to earn Cardinal High Flyer of the Week honors, while Conrad is taking home the first award of the season for the Women's Cross Country Team. Mitchell joins teammate Leonard Sherrod III, who was honored just last week, in earning the award for the Cardinal Football team. Joining Sherrod on last week's list of honorees was Wheeling Women's Golfer Ella Keffer.
The next Wheeling University Athletic event is scheduled for Wednesday, September 17th, when the Wheeling University Men's Soccer team takes on Salem with kick-off at 2:30 PM.
