Wheeling, W. Va. - The first half of the 2025-2026 season saw the Wheeling University Wrestling team (3-1, 2-1) take on a youth movement with the freshmen taking center stage. After breaking for the holiday season, the team makes its return to the mat as they begin the 2026 portion of their schedule at the Fairmont State Invitational Saturday at 10 AM. The Cardinals will get to see several of their fellow Mountain East Conference (MEC) competitors as the month-long run to the MEC Wrestling Championships begins.
Before the break, the Cardinals competed at the annual Midwest Classic, where they challenged themselves against some of the top competition in the country. The Cardinals would send seven wrestlers to the event and were able to spread out three wins across three different weight classes. All seven competitors were competing at the event for the first time in their careers, giving them good experience to build on the mat. The wins would come in the 141 lb. weight class, the 149 lb. weight class, and the 165 lb. weight class, with each of the three wrestlers going 1-2 on the day. Injuries limited the Cardinal's success on the mat and, despite not making the second day of competition, the Cardinals were able to end the first half strong.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was freshman Jack Dinwiddie, who continued his strong freshman season in the 141-pound weight class. He would be one of three wrestlers to finish 1-2 on the day, picking up his win in the second round of the consolation bracket. He would take on MEC opponent Riley Curran from Salem and earned a 15-0 Tech Fall win in the final minute of round three. He currently sits tied for second on the team with 11 wins this season, going 11-6 (.647) across 17 matches this season. He also sits tied for second with six pins, while holding the third fastest pinfall this season with a time of 1:06. He is quickly climbing the Cardinal record books, entering the second half needing just nine more wins to crack the top 10 wins by a freshman in program history.
The other two Cardinals to come away with wins in the tournament were fellow freshmen Mannix Wasco and Jake Taylor. Like Dinwiddie, Wasco also has double digit wins this season, holding a 10-5 (.667) record across 15 matches wrestled. His win would come in the consolation bracket's third round, where he beat Southwest Minnesota State's Jacob Messner in a 10-3 decision. Wasco has wrestled in a lot of close matches this season, sitting tied for third on the team with three decision victories. Taylor would pick up the Cardinal's final win of the day, also coming in the consolation bracket. He would take down Emmanuel's Nate Stratton in a Tech Fall at the 6:05 mark, securing the 15-0 win. Taylor is a newer addition to the Cardinal's starting lineup, going 3-3 across six matches as he looks to continue his impact in the second half.
Saturday's event begins the final sprint to the 2026 MEC Wrestling Championships, which will see the Cardinals in both tournament and dual meet action. Saturday's Fairmont State Invitational is one of two tournaments for the team during the month, with the other coming at the Purple Raider Open. Wheeling will also participate in a pair of tri-meets during the month, hosting their Wheeling Tri-Meet on January 10th, and heading to the Seton Hill Tri-Meet on January 20th. Saturday's event will give them a good preview of the MEC Tournament competition, with all eight MEC programs scheduled to be in attendance. Wheeling's young talent looks to continue their success on the mat as they move the program forward.
Expected Wrestlers
Neal Krysty (125LB), Leroy Steagall (133LB), Jack Dinwiddie (141LB), Mannix Wasco (149LB), Bradley Spencer (157LB), Jake Taylor (165LB), Xander Coates (174LB), Kyle Snider (184LB), Jaxon Burcher (197LB), Gavin Harper (285LB).
The Details
The first matches of the Fairmont State Invitational are scheduled for 10 AM inside the Feaster Center on the campus of Fairmont State University. Stay tuned to wucardinals.com for updates and a full recap of the day.
