Wheeling, W. Va. - In each of the last four seasons, the Wheeling University Men's Rugby team has reached the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) DI 15's National Playoff stage, and each time they came up just short. On Thursday, the Cardinals unveiled their 2026 15's Schedule with their sights set on making that National Championship game for the first time in program history. With five of their eight regular season contests coming at home, the Cardinals look to battle through their Atlantic Rugby Conference (ARC) schedule against some of the best competition across the region.
The 2025 15's schedule would start with a bang for the Cardinals, with the team winning each of their first three contests. They opened the season with a 69-12 win over IUP, and scored a combined 150 points across the three games. However, after ending that stretch with a 36-17 win over Kutztown in their first-ever ARC match, the road would get tough for the Cardinals. They would secure just one point over their final four games, coming in a 36-36 tie against Queens, and they would play in the conference's 5th place match. They grabbed momentum with a 40-23 win over Kutztown and road that high into the NCR DI 15's Playoffs with a come from behind win over Dartmouth College 38-33. They would advance to the quarterfinal round for the fourth consecutive season, but in the end it wasn't enough as they fell 45-28 against Queens University of Charlotte to end their season.
As they head into the 2026 season, they kick things off with a non-conference battle at Bishop Schmitt Field under the lights. They host Thomas More on Saturday, August 29th, following Wheeling Football's season opener earlier that afternoon. After a one-game tune-up, they are back on the home pitch to following week, hosting Belmont Abbey in their ARC opener on September 5th. They hit the road for the first time on September 11th with a non-conference trip to Indiana University to round out the season opening stretch. They will have the first of two bye weeks on September 19th, giving them a chance to rest and recover before ending September at Bishop Schmitt Field. It will be another ARC match-up as the Cardinals welcome in Kutztown on September 26th before hitting the official play-off stretch.
Their final bye week of the regular season comes October 3rd before the Cardinals begin their final four week push. They will go on the road to start the run when they take on Walsh on October 10th, before coming home to host St. Bonaventure in what will look to be a revenge game for the Cardinals after they lost last season. They will then hit the road to face Queens University of Charlotte on October 23rd, officially wrapping up the ARC portion of their regular season schedule. They will wrap up the regular season with a special senior day match-up as they welcome in the University of Rio Grande on Halloween to finish off the season. They will be battling for position in the conference standings all season, with the ARC finals being set for November 7th.
The Wheeling University Men's Rugby team kicks off their season on Saturday, August 29th, when they host Thomas More in what will be the sixth all-time 15's match-up between the two teams.
