Wheeling, W. Va. – As February rolls on , the stakes are getting higher for the winter sports as they come down to their final weeks of competition. It resulted in milestone moments and championship performances that headlined this week's Cardinal High Flyer of the Week honors. Wheeling Men's Track & Field Athlete Alex Rodriguez was named the Male High Flyer of the Week, while Women's Basketball player Kenzie Dalton earned the Female High Flyer of the Week honors.
The week got started right away on the mat with Acrobatics & Tumbling heading to "The Battle for Wheeling." The Cardinals picked up their first event win of the season, as well as several heat wins, before falling 226.355-198.085. Wednesday saw the Cardinals compete in a road triple header with Women's Lacrosse and both basketball programs hitting the road. The day would start with Women's Lacrosse falling 20-4 to Shippensburg, before basketball wrapped the day up with a sweep in Athens. The Women's Basketball team picked up a big 84-71 victory over the Mountain Lions, while Men's Basketball wrapped up a defensive battle with a 77-71 victory. As the weekend approached, the Wheeling Softball and Baseball teams took the field, with big weekends ahead.
On the home front, Wheeling Softball co-hosted the Highlands Classic, and finished 1-3 across their four-game weekend stretch. Wheeling Baseball also played their home opener, at GoMart Ballpark, going 1-2 in their three-game set against Mansfield. The weekend also brought along the third Championship event of the season with Men's and Women's Track & Field heading to the 2026 MEC Indoor Track & Field Championships. The Cardinals would finish with an MEC Champion in the Pole Vault, while finishing 10th on both the men's and women's side. The weekend wrapped up on the basketball court, with Men's and Women's Basketball getting their second sweep of the week against Glenville State. The Women won 62-50 in the first game, and the men wrapped things up strong in the second game with a 90-87 win.
It has been a big year for Kenzie Dalton in the High Flyer of the Week awards, taking home her fourth of the season. It comes on what was a milestone week for the senior, who became the 30th player in Women's Basketball history to reach the 1,000 point mark. She finished the week scoring 39 points across the two games, while adding 15 rebounds and seven assists. The big moment came in the second half against Glenville State, when Dalton lined up for a three and sent the ball flying through the net. Her highest scoring effort came in the first game of the week, when Dalton dropped 28 points and shot an impressive 10-13 (76.9%) from the floor. Dalton is the team's leading scorer this season, averaging 16.8 PPG, and looks to continue to lead the Cardinals through MEC Tournament play.
Alex Rodriguez is taking home his first High Flyer of the Week award for the season, coming off an MEC Championship at the 2026 MEC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Rodriguez has been a leader in the pole vault all season long, and took his game to new heights on the biggest stage. He would end up setting a PR with a height of 4.80 meters, claiming the MEC title by .60 meters above the next closest competitor. Rodriguez had no trouble in his first four vaults of the day, clearing 4.35, 4.45 and 4.70 meters in one try, with his only stumble coming at 4.52, which he cleared on his second attempt. As the bar raised to 4.80 meters, Rodriguez failed on the first attempt, but came back strong on vault #2 to clear the bar. The vault ranekd him #55 in all of NCAA Division II and helped him clear the NCAA provisional mark for the National Championships.
Kenzie Dalton takes home the eighth Cardinal High Flyer of the Week Award of the season for Women's Basketbal, while Alex Rodriguez earns the second for the Indoor Track & Field team. Dalton has been responsible for half of her team's awards this season, joining teammates Emilia Sierra Lacosta (2), Layla Merriweather, and Emma Reynolds in being honored. Rodriguez joins teammate Magnus Polkner in winning awards, as he put together his best performance of the season on the biggest stage.
The next Wheeling University athletic event is scheduled for Wednesday, February 25th, when Wheeling Women's Lacrosse hosts Shepherd with opening draw at 3 PM.
