Wheeling, W. Va. – In their second year back from hiatus, the Wheeling University Women's Lacrosse team (9-8, 8-6) continued to build on their success in year two. They finished the regular season with a one-win overall improvement and a two-win improvement in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play. The conference announced their annual All-MEC awards on Friday and the Cardinals would make history with six honorees, the most in program history. Trinity Rose, Sophia Cirone, and Giavonna Perkins each took home First Team honors, while Jovie Noack, Klara Domachowska, and Brooke Jeffery earned spots on the Second Team.
Leading the list for the Cardinals is Rose, who earns her second All-MEC honor of her career, including the second time she has earned the First Team nod. Rose was a powerhouse for the Cardinals, leading both sides of the ball from the midfield. She led the Cardinals in goals (44), points (60), ground balls (44), and caused turnovers (31). She is riding a hot streak coming into the 2026 MEC Women's Lacrosse tournament, having scored 10 goals and three assists, finishing with 13 points during the week. She sits as the fourth leading scorer in the conference, while putting up an average of 2.93 goals per game. The junior set her season high in goals scored back on March 7th, when she scored seven against Lake Erie, and will look to be a big part of the Cardinal's success on both sides of the ball throughout the tournament.
Cirone is earning her first All-MEC honor of her career, setting career highs on her way to First Team All-MEC honors. She set a career high in all three offensive categories, scoring 33 goals, 26 assists, and 59 points. She finished as the team's leader in assists, and put together her best ball movement of the season tying the single-game assist record against Point Park with eight. She has been one of the most efficient shooters for the Cardinals this season, putting 76.2% of her shots on net and converting a team-best 52.4% of her shots into goals. With her big effort to finish the season, Cirone would finish tied for fifth in the conference in assists, and third in assists per game with an average of 1.86. She has been a dual threat passer and scorer this season, and looks to continue that in the MEC play-in game on Saturday.
Rounding out the First Team All-MEC honorees was Giavonna Perkins, who took home her second All-MEC honor of her career. After missing the early part of the season due to injury, Perkins came back as a solid rock in net for the Cardinals, continually getting better throughout the season. She would finish the year with a 3-7 record, while making 151 saves on 316 shots faced to finish with a .478 save percentage for the year. She would lead the MEC in Saves and average saves per game (10.07), while holding the fourth-highest save percentage at .478 for the year. She would put together a strong performance in net to finish the season, making 13 saves on 18 shots faced for a season-best .722 save percentage. She has made double digit saves in eight of the 15 games she has appeared in this season, and looks to limit the opposing offense in the tournament.
Along with their First Team honorees, the Cardinals rounded out the day with three second team honorees, beginning with senior Jovie Noack. Noack earned her second All-MEC honor of her career, serving as the third leg of the Cardinal's three-headed monster on offense. She finished tied with Cirone for second on the team with 33 goals, while adding 18 assists and 51 points to round out a big year on the field. She was a consistent presence on the offensive end throughout the season, scoring at least one goal in every game for the Cardinals during the season. She would finish with the highest shot on goal percentage on the team, putting 78.9% of her shots on net and converting 43.4% of those into goals. Along with her offensive success, she has also set a new career-high in ground balls this season, finishing with 18 t help out on the defensive end, while causing three turnovers.
Domachowska is also taking home her second All-MEC honor of her career, including the second Second Team All-MEC honor of her career. Domachowska was a regular in setting up the Cardinal offense throughout the season and, up until the final game of the regular season was the team's leader in assists. She would end up finishing the season second on the team with 20 assists, while adding 18 goals and 38 points to round out her offensive contributions. Like Rose, Domachowska also contributed on the defensive side of the ball, finishing with 16 caused turnovers and 36 draw controls. While she doesn't always get on the stat sheet for it, she regularly helps set the Cardinal offense following clears, setting the Cardinals up for scoring opportunities.
The final All-MEC honoree for the Cardinals was Brooke Jeffery who, along with earning Second Team All-MEC honors, was also named as a member of the MEC's All-Freshman team. Jeffery played a big role in the team's draw control game, finishing with a team-best 55 on the season. That number ranks her seventh in the MEC, including first among freshmen in the conference. She added 19 caused turnovers and 25 ground balls, sitting second on the team in both categories, adding to a strong front line for the Cardinals on the defensive end. She rounded out her season contributing two assists on the offensive end, as she looks to continue to be a force for the Cardinals in the postseason.
With Women's Lacrosse's All-MEC honorees factored in, the Cardinals have now had 60 student-athletes honored as All-Conference players this season. It is the most All-Conference honorees in program history for the team, after they had four honorees a season ago. The last Wheeling athletic team to be honored was Women's Golf, who had two honorees following the MEC Spring Classic.
The Wheeling University Women's Lacrosse team returns to action on Sunday, April 26th, when they host Davis & Elkins in the MEC play-in round, with opening draw at 7 PM.
