Wheeling, W. Va. - Since taking over the program in 2022, Shane Brown has been building the Wheeling University Men's Wrestling program, taking new steps each season. The 2025-2026 season saw more history being made, with the first-ever Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championship match qualifiers and another NCAA DII National Alternate as the Cardinals continue to build a veteran base. On Friday, the MEC released their annual Men's Wrestling preseason poll, and Wheeling was voted #5 to start the year in a vote of the conference head coaches.
The 2025-2026 season would see the Cardinals go 6-4 overall and 3-1 across their MEC dual meet schedule. They would pick up their first conference win in just their second event of the season, defeating Frostburg State 23-18 in their home opener, and they would go on to win three of their first four dual meets of the season. On the tournament stretch, Wheeling would put together two top ten finishes, with their top performance coming at the Fairmont State Invitational, where they took third in the field. As the calendar flipped to 2026, the Cardinals would once again go 3-1 down their dual meet stretch and headed into the MEC Men's Wrestling Championships. The Cardinals would finish fifth overall, scoring 67.5 team points, and having their first two MEC Championship match qualifiers. The year would wrap up at the NCAA DII Super Regional 1 Tournament, where the team finished with a National Alternate for the second straight year.
As they head into the 2026-2027 season, the Cardinals return several of their veterans from a season ago, led by graduate student Gavin Harper at 285-pounds. He was one of the two Cardinals to earn their spot in the MEC Championship match, earning Second Team All-MEC honors. As he continued his postseason push, Harper would end up becoming the second Cardinal since the rebirth of the program to be named an NCAA DII National Alternate. He would be the Cardinal's win leader from a season ago, going 25-6 and posting an .806 winning percentage on the season. He would lead the Cardinals with 11 pins, with his fastest coming in 1:07 while adding five tech falls. Throughout his two seasons with the Cardinals, Harper has gone 40-18 and looks to once again lead the Cardinals in 2026-2027.
The other Cardinal to earn their place in an MEC Championship match was Jaxon Burcher, who was the first official Cardinal to qualify for an MEC Championship match. In his freshman season, Burcher would finish 18-14, finishing with three pins, his fastest coming in just 33 seconds. He looks to continue his growth on the mat as he heads into his sophomore season. After suffering an injury last season, the Cardinals will see the return of Kyle Snider in the 184-pound weight class. Before getting injured last season, Snider would go 8-3 (.727) across 11 matches, with two of those eight wins coming via pinfall. With a full season ahead, Snider looks to bounce back and be a leader in the heavyweights for the Cardinals.
Leading the 2026-2027 MEC Men's Wrestling Preseason Poll are the defending MEC Wrestling Champions Glenville State, who received seven first-place votes and 49 total points. West Liberty would finish behind them with one first-place vote and 43 total points, while Fairmont State rounds out the top three with 24 total points. The entire MEC Men's Wrestling Preseason Poll is listed below:
1. Glenville State (7) - 49
2. West Liberty (1) - 43
3. Fairmont State - 34
4. Frostburg State - 33
5. Wheeling - 25
6. Salem - 20
T-7. Davis & Elkins - 10
T-7. Point Park - 10
The Wheeling University Men's Wrestling team begins their season on Saturday, November 7, when they compete at the Mount Union Invitational at 9 AM.
