Wheeling, W. Va. - Throughout the 2025-2026 season, the Wheeling University Wrestling team (6-2, 3-1) has been building a young foundation for success on the mat. On Saturday, that young talent will be put to the test when the Cardinals travel to Glenville State University for the 2025 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Wrestling Championships Saturday at 10 AM. The Cardinals put together their best performance at the championship event with a fourth place finish a season ago, and are looking to continue that growth as they head into the 2026 Championship event.
Wheeling competed in their final tune-up before the conference championship event last time out when they competed at the Griffin Duals at Seton Hill University. The day started with a neutral site battle against Shippensburg, and the Cardinals came out the gate hot with the first 12 points of the dual. A tech fall would be the cap of that early run, and the Cardinals used that fast start to their advantage as they walked away with a 29-21 victory. The second half of action would see the Cardinals take on host Seton Hill and, after dropping the first match of the night, Wheeling would once again take an early lead with wins at 133 and 141 to take a 9-4 lead. However, the Griffins would win the mid weights and despite two Cardinal wins in the heavyweight class, Wheeling would fall 28-15 to round out the day. It was a split for the Cardinals, moving their dual meet record to 6-2 on the season, marking their best dual meet finish since the 2018-2019 season.
Leading the effort for the second match in a row was Jack Dinwiddie, who finished 2-0 on the day with a pair of tech falls. The freshman started things out with a shutout victory against Shippensburg, where he picked up five takedowns. He needed just 5:33 to complete the 16-0 victory, earning five points for his team. He would come back against Seton Hill's Youssef Abdelsalam and continued to rack up the takedowns. This time, he would finish with six takedowns in the match and wrapped things up with thirty seconds to go in the third period. He would pick up a 20-4 tech fall win, surrendering all four points on Griffin escapes to round out the day. With the effort, Dinwiddie improved his season record to 20-6, propelling him to the top of the Cardinal leaderboards. He now sits as the Cardinal's win leader, with 20 on the season, and sits tied for the team lead with four tech fall victories. He is competing in a crowded 141-pound weight class, and looks to continue his success on the mat into the postseason.
After battling injury earlier in the season, Leroy Stegall has hit a hot streak and leads the way at 133-pounds. He would pick up two more wins at the Seton Hill Tri-meet, earning a decision and a major decision to earn seven points for his team. After dropping his first match as a Cardinal in the Frostburg State dual, Stegall has been on a run, winning five straight matches heading into Saturday's Championship. He sits at 5-1 this year across six matches, and will look to keep his success going on the conference championship stage. I'm the heavyweights, it will be Gavin Harper once again leading the way, looking to take home his second career All-MEC honor. He would be the final Cardinal to pick up multiple wins at Seton Hill, moving his record to 18-3 on the season. Harper has the highest winning percentage for the Cardinals this season, and is looking to compete for the program's first ever MEC Champion this season.
After being hosted at West Liberty over the last four seasons, the 2026 MEC Wrestling Championships make the move to the Waco Center at Glenville State University. The format is the same as previous seasons, with wrestlers going through a double elimination bracket at each weight class. This year's field will feature all eight wrestling programs across the MEC, with Salem and Point Park both competing for the second season in a row. Last season, the Cardinals put together their best effort in program history, finishing 4th overall with 73.5 points. This season, with a young core in tow, the Cardinals look to build on that success as they try to bring home their first ever MEC Individual championship.
The Details
The 2026 MEC Wrestling Championship is set to being on Saturday, January 31st inside the Waco Center on the campus of Glenville State University, with first matches set to begin at 10 AM. You can watch matches live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
