Wheeling, W. Va. – Heading into the 2026 season, the Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team went through a youth movement after losing four of their top five scorers from 2025 as well as their starting goalie. Head Coach Gage Bradshaw had to thrust freshmen into key starting roles, but the group was able to keep the winning tradition of the program alive. The team qualified for the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Tournament for the third season in a row, as they contninue to build the program for the future.
The Cardinals would go through some growing pains early in the year, battling a challenging non-conference schedule. The team would have their first game canceled due to a snow storm, and opened their season that weekend with a 15-8 loss to Lincoln Memorial. GMAC play would open two weeks later, with the Cardinals falling to Davenport 17-7, but the tide would begin to turn for the young team. They picked up their first win of the season with an 8-7 win over Holy Family, and followed that up with an overtime win by an identical score against Lake Erie for their first conference win. They would push their winning streak to three with a 13-9 win over Thomas More, before going toe-to-toe with the defending G-MAC champions Seton Hill. The Cardinals held the Griffins to just eight first half goals, before falling by a 17-3 score. It was a 12-goal differential improvement from the year prior, and the momentum carried them into the final stretch of play.
After a loss to Northwood to end March, the team would be forced to battle their way back into the playoff picture over the final month. They would hit their stride with wins over Point Park and Tiffin to put them at 4-3 in GMAC play, and back in the driver's seat for a postseason spot. After a non-conference loss to Frostburg State, Wheeling would go on to win two of their final three conference games, including wins over both Malone and Davis & Elkins, to round out the regular season at 6-4 in GMAC play. It was enough to qualify them for the #5 seed in the conference, and put them on the road for their GMAC Quarterfinal match-up with Walsh. It would be a back and forth battle throughout the day, with Walsh building a lead, and the Cardinals battling back, but in the end the Cardinals would fall 12-7 to bring their season to an end.
One of the keys to the Cardinal's success throughout the year was their defensive effort, and it started on the front nine. Each of the Cardinal's two All-GMAC players came from that defensive group, with Riley Lincoln and Owen Worley each taking home honors. Lincoln would earn Second Team All-GMAC honors as a freshman, leading the Cardinals with 25 caused turnovers and 39 ground balls. His 25 caused turnovers were enough to rank sixth in the conference, as he got off to a strong start to his college career. Owen Worley would also earn Second Team All-GMAC honors, finishing right behind Lincoln with 12 caused turnovers and 37 groundballs. In net, the Cardinals would see Landen Martin step-up, finishing 6-4 with a .593 save percentage. His 172 saves was enough to lead the G-MAC this past season, while his save percentage sat second in the conference.
On the offensive side, it was a veteran presence leading the way with Jack Rowe leading the young Cardinal offense. He would be the team's leading scorer by a long shot, scoring a team-high 43 goals and 58 points, leading the next closest player by 24 goals and 29 points. Rowe has been a main piece of the Cardinal offense over the last four years, and wrapped up his senior year tying for fourth in the conference in scoring. He was surrounded by a group of young players, who held their own on the field. Andrew Turner would lead the Cardinal's ball movement efforts, finishing with 16 assists, while adding 12 goals of his own. Freshman Ayden Shepard would finish right behind him with 14 assists, while scoring 15 goals for a strong freshman showing. The final Cardinal to finish in the top four in scoring was Ayden Shepard, who finished with 15 goals and 14 assists this season.
The Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team now heads into the off-season, as they look to continue their winning ways in 2027.
