Glenville, W. Va. – On Saturday, the best wrestlers across the Mountain East Conference (MEC) converged on the Waco Center in Glenville, West Virginia for the 2026 MEC Wrestling Championships. The Wheeling University Wrestling team has a big day, with six placing in the top five of their respective weight classes as the team placed 5th overall with 67.5 points. Included in the placers were the first two Cardinal wrestlers to ever qualify for a championship match at the annual conference event.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Gavin Harper who, after taking third and earning Honorable Mention All-MEC honors a year ago, earned Second Team All-MEC honors with a second place finish. He would start his day against Salem's Mikey Lyttle and in the Second period, he made his move for the pin. He wrapped up the match at the 5:34 mark and punched his ticket to the semifinal match. There, he would meet Frostburg State's Gavin Bage, and Harper quickly took control of the match. He would work his way to a 16-1 Tech Fall, punching his ticket to the championship event for the first time in his career. He would face-off against Glenville State's Colby Whitehill in what was the final match of the night. The two wrestlers went back and forth and after one period it was a scoreless match. Harper would allow his opponent just four escape points but it would end up being enough as he fell 4-0 to round out his day.
The other Cardinal to compete in a championship match on the night was Jaxon Burcher at 197lb. Burcher had an early advantage, earning a first round bye and heading right to the semifinal round. His first match of the night came against Salem's Iran Love, and both wrestlers would make moves early. The two would not be separated by more than three points at any point of the match, but a late takedown would give Burcher the advantage. He would go on to win in a 6-4 decision, making him the first ever Cardinal wrestler to advance to a conference championship match. He was up against a tough task, facing the #2 ranked wrestler in the nation in Glenville State's Nick Johnson. After holding his own through the first minute, Johnson got a big takedown that had Burcher with his back in the mat. He would end up being pinned at the 2:42 mark to round out his night. He would be the second Cardinal to earn Second Team All-MEC honors on the day, taking second in his weight class.
Three other Cardinals would place behind Burcher and Harper, with Jack Dinwiddie, Brent Bosley, and Jordan Solis each adding top five finishes. Leading the crew was Dinwiddie, who finished the day 2-2 in what was a stacked weight class at 141-pounds. He started the day against Frostburg State's Chase Bell and it would come down to the final seconds of the match, with the wrestlers tied at 1-1 after regulation. It all came down to the riding time, and Dinwiddie would get the decisive point. After a loss to Glenville State's Ethan Hardy in the semifinals, Dinwiddie would come back strong against Salem's Elijah Hunter in the Consolation semifinal. He would earn the pinfall in just 1:30, moving him to the 3rd place match. He would meat West Liberty's Khyvon Grace and would end up falling in a 11-1 Major Decision, finishing fourth in the tournament.
Bosley would get off to a slow start at 125, falling in a 9-3 Decision to Frostburg State's Amir Wray-Hill in the opener. After a bye in the first round of the consolation bracket, he was leading in his consolation semifinal, before Fairmont State's Jojo High got him on his back for the pin. He would be 0-2 heading into the fifth place match, but turned things on against Salem's Ethan Moore. He rolled him onto his back and pinned him at the 3:54 mark to take 5th and round out the day. Kartes would fall in his opener in a 10-6 decision, but bounced back with a 15-0 tech fall against Davis & Elkins's Gavin Rodriguez-Cayro. He battled to an 11-4 decision against Fairmont State's Josh Woyan and took on the fifth place match. He would battle Point Park's Charles Perkins, and was able to round things out with a pinfall at the 4:20 mark, capping a 2-2 day and a fifth place finish.
Jeremy Ginter took sixth place at 157-pounds, but had his day cut short in the consolation semifinals, when he suffered a medical forfeit. He started the day with an injury default win at the 5:00 mark, before having his day come to an end. Leroy Steagall would start his day strong as well, earning a 6-3 win in his 133 pound opener against Fairmont State's Trace Ragland, but had his day come to an end with a 21-2 tech fall to the eventual MEC champion Tanner Halling. Courtney Rider, Jake Taylor, and Jordan Solis would round out the day for the Cardinals, with Rider going 0-2 while Taylor and Solid each added 0-2 efforts to round out the day.
The Wheeling University Wrestling team returns to action on Friday, February 6th, when they head to the Lake Erie Tri-Meet against the Storm and Hiram College.
