Wheeling, WV. - The Wheeling University Rugby 7's team headed into the 2026 season coming off of back to back National Championships under former Head Coach Mike Geibel. While most of the players returned, Wheeling was under new leadership. Max Hamilton took over the Head Coach position in July 2025 after serving as an assistant coach for the prior two seasons. While Wheeling did not want to change what made them successful the last two years, they knew everyone has been watching their success so they would still have to evolve to achieve their lofty goals.
The team started off their season at the Queens cup on March 7th. They met three teams who were seeded three or higher in the Premier Cup National Championship in April. This tournament did not have a national qualifier on the line. Wheeling tied in their first game of the season, they would win three games after and lose one as well. In the 2025 season they had one loss and one tie on the season and in the first tournament of 2026 they were up to that same number of losses and ties. Speculation started to grow whether this was the same Wheeling team as the previous two years.
Internally though, the team took advantage of this by relieving the pressure of trying to play a perfect season. Two weeks later with the pressure of being perfect lifted, Wheeling played a nearly flawless Ruck the Rock. They won the tournament beating opponents by a combined score of 153- 36 and clinched a bid to the National Tournament. At Ruck the Rock they avenged their week one loss to Belmont Abbey College, beating them 26-5. They beat three teams that were two seeds in the National tournament, finishing with a National Championship preview win against Dartmouth.
In what ended up being their final tournament of the regular season they again were dominant at the Fighting Irish 7's, hosted by Notre Dame. They won all but one game by multiple tries. Their closest match came against Marian University in the Semi-Final. The team would wrap the regular season up finishing 13-1-1, going undefeated in tournaments with a National qualifying bid on the line. The team would take the number one overall seed going into the National tournament again.
The National tournament would give Wheeling its toughest test in three years. Wheeling's ability to continually do what they do best was put to the test as they played three teams that they had met already. The first day of the tournament was just how you would expect the back to back national champions to play. None of those teams are really on the same level as Wheeling, and Wheeling proved it by winning by 19, 26, and 47 points in the three games. The final four teams would be one seeded Wheeling, Kutztown, Dartmouth, and Notre Dame. All three teams Wheeling had played already this season.
Wheeling was matched against Kutztown who had come out of arguably the deepest region in the tournament. Kutztown beat one seed Indiana and three seed Brown in their previous two games. Kutztown proved they belonged, scoring first and putting up a worthy fight, but ultimately Wheeling would knock off the Golden Bears. Kutztown would take third place in the tournament beating Notre Dame, leaving the final game of the tournament to Wheeling and Dartmouth. Dartmouth was one of two main national title contenders picked from the other side of the bracket. Dartmouth came out motivated looking to clip the Cardinals wings. Dartmouth took a 12-7 lead and momentum into halftime. It took a scoreless half by the Wheeling defense and a score with three minutes remaining to come away with the win.
Alex Nyamunda would be named the MVP of the National tournament and he and Shadreck Mandaza were first team all tournament. On the season as a whole Shadreck Mandaza scored the most points with 137, followed by Taku Musingwini with 119, and Alex Nyamunda with 110. The same three were top three in tries scored with 23, 11, and 22 with Panashe Mugorogodi right behind with 10. Musingwini was responsible for most of the kicking, leading Wheeling with 32 conversion kicks made. Shadreck Mandaza made half as many at 16, and Nathan McDermott, Ntiska Mduba, and Lawula Bata made some kicks as well. For full scoring stats click HERE.
Wheeling has signed a couple of recruits since their National Championship victory and will look to repeat for a fourth time next year. Next up for the Cardinals will be their 2027 15's season. Wheeling is motivated to bring their 7's success into 15's next season and is already looking ahead to it.
