Wheeling, W. Va. - With the conclusion of the 2026 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Women's Lacrosse season, the Conference announced their official seedings and pairings on Wednesday night. After the Wheeling University Women's Lacrosse team (9-8, 6-4) took down Point Park in a 17-6 senior day win, the Cardinals secured the #4 seed in the tournament for the second year in a row. As a result, Wheeling will play host to Davis & Elkins in the 2026 MEC Play-in Game on Sunday at Bishop Schmitt Field, with opening draw at 7 PM.
After bringing the program back from a five-year hiatus in 2025, the Cardinals built on their experience during the 2026 season. They would start the year with a tough non-conference stretch, competing against Gannon, Shippensburg, and Shepherd over their first three games. Wheeling would start out 0-3, but was energized by a 16-9 win over Chestnut Hill on March 3rd. They would finish the non-conference stretch at 3-4, and the challenges prepared them for what they were set to face in MEC play. They opened the conference schedule with back-to-back wins over Point Park and Davis & Elkins, getting off to a 2-0 start.
They held the lead over Charleston at halftime in their third conference game, but fell 20-12 to move to 2-1. They would end up falling to Frostburg State in their first match-up of the year, and duplicated their first results against MEC opponents into their second match-ups. They swept the season series over West Virgina Wesleyan, Davis & Elkins, and Point Park, rounding out the year with a 17-6 senior day win over the Pioneers. It rounded out a year that saw the Cardinals finish over .500 for the first time since the 2019 season, picking up a one-win overall improvement and a two-win conference improvement from a season ago.
For the second season in a row, it was junior Trinity Rose leading the way for the Cardinals both offensively and defensively. She led the Cardinals in four different statistical categories, including goals (44), points (60), caused turnovers (31), and ground balls (44). She has been a consistent presence throughout the season for the Cardinals, and over her last four games she has taken her game to the next level. She has scored 17 goals and three assists over her last five games, totaling 20 points during that stretch. After missing some time in the beginning of the year due to injury, the defensive side has been led by another strong performance from sophomore Giavonna Perkins. The Cardinal goalkeeper leads the conference with 151 saves this season, while sitting fourth with a .478 save percentage through 17 games. Perkins will be relied on as a steady force throughout the tournament, as the Cardinals compete for an MEC title.
The Cardinals and Senators will serve as the kick-off for the 2026 MEC Women's Lacrosse Tournament, with the two teams competing in the play-in game. Wheeling will serve as the #4 seed in the tournament field, while Davis & Elkins earned the #5 seed, with the winner of the game going on to face #1 seeded Frostburg State in the Semifinals. Following Sunday's play-in game, the semifinal round is scheduled for Thursday, April 30th, with the other game featuring #3 Dominican (CA) against #2 Charleston. The semifinal round will be hosted at the site of the higher seed, with Frostburg State and Charleston serving as hosts. The 2026 MEC Women's Lacrosse Championship will feature the semifinal winners on Sunday, May 3rd, where the conference champion will be crowned.
The Wheeling Women's Lacrosse team will begin their MEC Tournament run on Sunday, April 26th, when they host Davis & Elkins in the MEC play-in game with opening draw at 7 PM.
