Wheeling, W. Va. - We have put one month of 2026 behind us and, for the winter sports teams, the race is on for their respective Conference Championship events. On Tuesday, the Wheeling University Athletic Department announced their weekly Cardinal High Flyer of the Week honors. Wheeling Wrestler Gavin Harper earned the Male High Flyer of the Week award, while Wheeling Women's Basketball player Emilia Sierra Lacosta earned the Female High Flyer of the Week to open the month of February.
The final week of January started on the road for the Cardinals, with the men's and women's basketball teams traveling to the West Virginia state capital to battle The University of Charleston. The women were locked in a close battle with the Golden Eagles, headlined by a 27-point fourth quarter comeback attempt, before falling 67-64. On the men's side, the back and forth continued, but once again the Cardinals would fall 88-79 to open the week. Friday brought the first two-day event for the Indoor Track & Field team, and several PR's were shared around both squads, while the Men's 1000-Meter Run record fell for the second time this season.
The weekend wrapped up with the MEC Wrestling Championships and a home basketball doubleheader on Saturday. Wrestling made its way down to Glenville, West Virginia for the 2026 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Wrestling Championships. The Cardinals had five wrestlers place fifth or better in their respective weight classes, including their first two MEC Championship qualifiers, as they finished fifth overall in the field with 67.5 points. On the basketball court, Women's Basketball started the day and the defense locked in early on their way to a 61-40 win. Wrapping up the day was an offensive battle on the men's side, with the Cardinals coming out the victors at 106-92 to wrap up the first month of 2026.
Gavin Harper is taking home his second Cardinal High Flyer of the Week award of the 2025-2026 season after leading the Cardinals at the 2026 MEC Wrestling Championships. Coming off an Honorable Mention All-MEC award a year ago, Harper built on that success with a 2-1 day on the mat, advancing to the 285LB MEC Championship match. He would start his day with a pinfall at the 5:34 mark, and added a 16-1 tech fall in the semifinals to qualify for the Championship match. He would battle Glenville State's Colby Whitehill in a match that saw neither wrestler get the advantage. It would be four reversal points that made the difference, as Harper fell 4-0 to finish second in his weight class. For his effort, he earned Second Team All-MEC honors, his second All-MEC honor of his career, as he continues the run toward Regionals.
Emilia Sierra Lacosta is also taking home her second Cardinal High Flyer of the Week award of the season after leading the Cardinals to a 1-1 record on the court. She would put up 36 points during the week, while shooting an efficient 12-27 (44.4%) from the floor and 3-13 from three-point range. She would nearly single-handedly help the Cardinals battle back against the University of Charleston, scoring 14 of the team's 27 fourth-quarter points. It capped off her biggest performance of the week, putting up 21 points and shooting 7-12 (58.3%) from the floor against the Golden Eagles. As the team came back home, she added 15 points and four rebounds to go along with a block and a steal in the Cardinal's win over West Virginia State.
Emilia Sierra Lacosta takes home the sixth Cardinal High Flyer of the Week award for the Wheeling Women's Basketball team, while Gavin Harper takes home the fourth such award for the Wheeling Wrestling team. Harper has won two of those four awards, joining teammates Bradley Spencer and Jack Dinwiddie, while Sierra Lacosta is also winning her second award, joining teammates Kenzie Dalton (2), Layla Merriweather, and Emma Reynolds in winning the honors. Last week, the athletic department honored Wheeling Women's Track & Field athlete Madison Conrad and Wheeling Men's Swimmer Segmen Duygun for their efforts in the competition field.
The next Wheeling University Athletic event is scheduled for Wednesday, January 4th, when the Wheeling Women's Basketball team hosts West Virginia Wesleyan with tip-off at 5:30 PM.
