Wheeling, W. Va. - With the second full week of February in the books, crossover season is in full swing as the winter sports begin their conference championship runs, while the spring sports seasons are just beginning. On Wednesday, the Wheeling University Athletic Department announced their weekly Cardinal High Flyer of the Week awards, and it was an athlete from each sports season that took home the awards. Wheeling Baseball player Edward Mateo earned the Male High Flyer of the Week, while Women's Basketball player Kenzie Dalton took home the Female High Flyer of the Week.
After snow cancelled the start of the athletic week, the Wheeling Men's and Women's Basketball teams would get things going against West Virginia Wesleyan. The women were locked in a tight battle with the Bobcats, falling 60-59 in overtime, while the men pulled out a 103-72 win in the first half. As the weekend approached, the Wheeling Track & Field team would split with half the team going to the Doug Raymond Invitational, while the other half traveled up to Ann Arbor Michigan. Another program record fell at Michigan, while several Cardinals had strong performances at the Doug Raymond Invitational. It was also the start of the season for the Wheeling Baseball team as they traveled to USC Beaufort. The Cardinals started things strong with an 8-5 win in the opener, before the Sandsharks evened the series with a 16-5 win in game two.
It set up a rubber match for the Sunday series finale, and both offenses came to play as Wheeling bested USC Beaufort 17-12. Saturday's action would see Wheeling Men's Lacrosse open their season with a trip to Lincoln Memorial University. The Cardinals scored early, but it wasn't enough as they fell to the Railsplitters 15-8. The weekend action wrapped up on the basketball court as the Men's and Women's Basketball teams traveled to Elkins, West Virginia. It was the second overtime match-up of the week for the Women's team, who took down the Senators 68-63, while the men officially punched their ticket to the 2026 MEC Men's Basketball tournament with an 83-74 victory.
Edward Mateo takes home his first career High Flyer of the Week award, after putting together a dominant performance in the team's opening weekend. The senior utility man would end up hitting .583 (7-12) with five RBI and nine runs scored during the weekend. He would end up reaching base 12 times across 17 at-bats, and had multi-hit efforts in each of his three games. His biggest performance would come in the series finale, when he went 2-3 with four RBI and five runs scored while drawing three walks in the effort. He would play a part in 12 of the team's 17 runs on the day, wrapping up a strong weekend on the field. Defensively, he also showed his versatility on the field, playing across three different positions throughout the weekend.
Kenzie Dalton takes home her third Cardinal High Flyer of the Week award of the season, putting together one of her most dominant weeks of the season. She would total 54 points across the two games, leading the MEC in scoring during the week, while adding 13 rebounds, eight assists, and eight steals. She eclipsed the 25-point mark in both games during the week, helping the Cardinals battle to overtime in both games. Her best effort came in the overtime win against Davis & Elkins, where the senior finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds to pick up her third double-double of the season. She also made big contributions from the charity stripe throughout the week, shooting 17-23 (.739), and used the free throw to help seal the Cardinal's victory over the Senators.
Mateo is taking home the first Cardinal High Flyer of the Week award of the season for the Wheeling Baseball team, while Dalton takes home the sixth award for the Women's Basketball team. Dalton has accounted for half of those awards, taking home her third of the season, joining teammates Layla Merriweather, Emilia Sierra Lacosta, and Emma Reynolds in being honored, while Mateo starts the award slate for Wheeling Baseball. Last week, the Cardinals honored Sierra Lacosta and Wrestler Gavin Harper to open the month of February.
The next Wheeling University athletic event is scheduled for Wednesday, February 12th, when the Wheeling Women's Basketball team travels to Fairmont State with tip-off at 5:30 PM.
