Wheeling, W. Va. - In 2025, the Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team fell just one game shy of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) title game, making their deepest postseason run since 2018. With the regular season sitting less than a week away, the GMAC is getting ready for another season in 2026 with the release of their Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll, as voted on by the conference coaches. The Cardinals earned the #6 spot in this season's poll, after making the GMAC Tournament for the second season in a row, and earning the conference's #4 seed a season ago.
The 2025 season started with the Cardinals challenging themselves against ranked Chestnut Hill College, falling in a16-10 battle. Wheeling would bounce back with a win over Holy Family, and finished the preseason non-conference stretch at 1-2, with a GMAC opening win over Davenport sandwiched in between. With the conference schedule underway, the Cardinals split their first six conference contests, sitting at 3-3 as the calendar turned to April. That's when the team kicked it into high gear, rattling off wins in each of their final three conference games, finishing 6-3 and earning the #4 seed in the tournament. Wheeling would open up tournament play against #5 seeded Davenport, picking up their first home playoff win since 2011. However, the run would come to an end when they battled the eventual GMAC Champion Seton Hill in the semifinals, falling 29-4 to end their season.
Despite losing four of their top five scorers from a season ago, the Cardinals still have a strong veteran core ready to lead the way. On the offensive side, Wheeling returns their second leading scorer Jack Rowe, who accounted for 37 goals a season ago. He ranked sixth in the GMAC in goals scored, while also sitting top 10 in both assists and points throughout the season. On the defensive end, the Cardinals have a vacancy in net, but return two strong defenders in front with veteran experience. Owen Worley and Gage Kimmel will captain the defensive line, with each producing at least 10 caused turnovers a season ago. Along with the veteran presence, the Cardinals have also brought in a class of 16 newcomers, all looking to make their mark on the program in 2026.
Leading the way in this year's preseason poll is the defending GMAC Champion Seton Hill Griffins, finishing with 10 first place votes and 111 total points from the coaches. Walsh received the other first place vote, while pulling in 101 points, while Davenport rounded out the top three with 87 points. The full GMAC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll is listed below:
1. Seton Hill - (10) 111
2. Walsh - (1) 101
3. Davenport - 87
4. Northwood - 83
5. Lake Erie - 82
6. Wheeling - 69
T-7. Tiffin - 47
T-7. Malone - 47
T-7. Thomas More - 47
10. Point Park - 28
11. Davis & Elkins - 23
The Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team opens the 2026 schedule on Monday, February 2nd, when they host Tusculum University, with opening face-off at 2 PM.
