Wheeling, W. Va. - Since the Wheeling Men's Golf team finished up NCAA DII National Championship play in May, the Wheeling University Athletic Department has been preparing for the start of the 2026-2027 season. Monday would serve as the unofficial kickoff of the 26-27 campaign, when all the Wheeling Fall Sports Coaches came together for the second annual Fall Sports Media Day. Each of Wheeling's 10 fall sports programs were represented by their seven head coaches, as they previewed the action to come this season.
"We have a lot of news coupled with our rich tradition of excellence in our mission to educate students for Life, Leadership, and Service with and among others," said Wheeling University Athletic Director Carrie Hanna to open the festivities. "It's a very exciting year with our new bishop being named and our new turf field being installed. We have a lot of new faces to lead our programs forward into the future and lighting the way for us."
After opening remarks from Wheeling University President Dr. Dianna Vargo, the Fall sports teams took turns heading to the podium to preview their 2026 season. Up first was the Wheeling Men's and Women's Golf teams, who enter the year with both programs looking to take strides. On the men's side, the Cardinals are coming off their first-ever NCAA DII National Championship run, and a third-place finish at the Atlantic/East Regional Championships. They return nearly their entire team from last year's national championship run, led by the efforts of Zak Collins and Sean Dobson, who look to be leaders on this year's team.
On the women's side, the Cardinals are building a young roster, with four new recruits coming in, three of whom bring veteran experience to help build up their young talent. The Cardinals finished sixth at last year's MEC Fall Championship event and, despite losing their top golfer from last year, they return plenty of talent to fill the void. Brielle Milhoan leads this year's squad, after earning Honorable Mention All-MEC honors a season ago. She led the Cardinals at the MEC Spring Classic with a sixth-place finish in the field. Head Coach Thadd Obecny is excited to coach each of these teams this fall, as both look to take their game to the next level in 2026-2027.
"I have been looking forward to starting this fall campaign as soon as we finished up in Vegas two months ago," said Obecny. "These kids make it fun, they make it enjoyable to coach, and their dedication is something that is truly remarkable. On the men's side, we are not only planning on making nationals, we plan on competing to win nationals. For the women, I am so excited to coach this team this year. We have brought in some significant pieces and this team has a chance to be special this season."
Things moved to the race course for the next speaker, with Ben Healy entering his first season as head men's and women's cross country coach. Both teams would go through a youth movement last season, as they gained experience on the race course. Several PRs were set across both the men's and women's side, as both programs gained experience in the challenging MEC schedule. On the men's side, the Cardinals return veteran runner Magnus Polkner, who set PRs in both the 8K and 10K, while leading the Cardinals with a 42nd place finish at the MEC Cross Country Championships. On the women's side, it will be Madison Conrad leading the way in her senior season on the course. She would finish three spots shy of earning All-MEC honors, and looks to continue her growth and get into that All-Conference conversation this season.
"I am honored to be the Head [Cross Country] Coach and I am very excited for the season ahead," said Healy. "Last year, we saw a lot of growth and saw a lot of success both individually and as a team. Our distance runners have been working very hard this summer and this year they are coming in healthy and strong. We are looking forward to the season ahead and let's go Cards."
After winning their third straight national championships as a 7's program this past season, Wheeling Men's Rugby is looking to compete for their first-ever national title on the 15's side. In each of the last four seasons, the Cardinals have made it to at least the Quarterfinal round of the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) DI 15's National Playoffs, making it to the semifinal round a season ago. It was their first season competing in the Atlantic Rugby Conference, and they battled to a 3-3-1 record during the regular season, and finished fifth in conference play. They return a veteran core of players, including the reigning NCR DI National Player of the Year Alex Nyamunda, as they rely on that veteran core to lead the team throughout the fall.
"As we begin this season, our expectations remain high and we know the work that lies ahead and we are excited to embrace that challenge together," said Head Men's Rugby Coach Maxwell Hamilton. "We have returned a serious core of veteran leaders who understand how to win championships. Their leadership throughout the offseason has set the tone for our preseason, and they have embraced their responsibility of mentoring our newest Cardinals."
As the first of two fall sports programs with new Head Coaches, the Wheeling Women's Soccer team looks to build off what was a strong spring season. Jaclyn Ketter enters her first season at the helm of the Cardinal Women's Soccer program, following a year in which the team went 3-11-4 overall and 1-9-4 in MEC play. Ketter emphasized her team's offensive prowess throughout the spring season, and the team would score more goals during their spring games than they did throughout the fall season. With veteran Gracelynn Hanna and Rosie Caley returning to lead the offense, the Cardinals look to continue being a strong goal-scoring threat throughout the season.
"Last year wasn't the most competitive season we have ever had, but I think we are very capable with the roster we are returning this season," said Ketter. "The expectations are mainly going to be on our fitness and physicality. We are going to be a goal-scoring soccer team this season, and I am very excited to see what we can do."
On the men's soccer side, the Cardinals will also be welcoming in new leadership with Jack Shearer taking the reins. Shearer comes to Wheeling from Central Valley High School, and looks to rebuild the culture of the Wheeling Men's Soccer program. He and his staff have worked tirelessly to bring in a group of 11 new players to help add to a young core of Cardinal men's soccer players. The defense was the leading facet for the Cardinals throughout the 2025 season, holding opponents to 2.41 goals per game, and they return their leader in net in sophomore Diego Marquez. Marquez led the Cardinals with 51 saves a season ago, and will have Pablo Prieto in front of him as center back. Shearer is looking to build his Cardinal culture this season, and get Wheeling Men's Soccer back into the MEC playoff picture.
"I'd first like to thank Athletic Director Carrie Hanna and my fellow coaches for welcoming me into the Cardinal family," said Shearer. "My staff and I have worked hard over the summer months, adding 11 players over the last two months, split evenly between veteran transfers and talented true freshmen. We also have a strong returning core that has played significant minutes for the university and can serve as leaders and role models for our younger players. Our goal this season is to build a culture that our players, alumni, and the entire Wheeling community can be proud of. We want to be a team that competes with passion, work relentlessly, and represent the university well both on and off the field."
Despite going through a youth movement a season ago with 10 freshmen joining the squad, the Cardinals continued their winning ways. They would earn the Co-MEC North Division Title, sharing the title with Fairmont State and West Liberty University, earning the No. 3 seed in the MEC North. They bring back most of that young talent from last season, led by the reigning MEC Freshman of the Year Camryn Matus. Building on their experience a year ago, the Cardinals are looking to continue taking strides, and get back to the MEC Championship match for the first time since the 2024 season.
"Last year we had one of the youngest teams that I have ever had, and I feel like we grew throughout the season," said Head Volleyball Coach Christy Benner. "I think being here [for 25 years] I have the highest of standards for the volleyball program, and I feel that Carrie Hanna and the entire athletic department has supported me on my journey to being one of the best programs in Division II, and I hope to continue that. I always want to be a shining star for Wheeling and I hope that we can always be a program that the university can be proud of."
The final fall sports team to take the podium was the Wheeling Football team, who are coming off their best MEC finish in program history. They would finish 6-5 overall and 5-3 in MEC play, finishing in a tie for third in the MEC Football standings. Each season has seen them climb the MEC ladder since first becoming a program in 2018, and they look to take that next step towards a championship in 2026. On the offensive side, the Cardinals have a veteran group, led by graduate quarterback Landon Lutz and a plethora of returning wide receivers. On defense, the Cardinals are a younger unit, but look to continue to grow on the field through playing time. With report day coming up on Friday, they look to turn their hard work in the offseason into success on the field in 2026.
"We are in year nine as a team and a program, and we are doing a good job as a staff and as a program of working extremely hard," said Head Football Coach Zac Bruney. "We feel like we are as capable as anyone of winning a championship, but our ship before the championship has to come from leadership, ownership, and the relationships we have among each other. Before we talk about any championship, we have to talk about those three other ships this fall."
With just 31 days between now and the first Wheeling University Athletics contest of the season, fall camps will begin in the next week, with Wheeling Football reporting on Friday. Wheeling University President Dr. Dianna Vargo put it best as the Cardinals prepare to welcome their athletes back to campus.
"We look forward to another exciting fall season," said Dr. Vargo. "We look forward to the fall season. Play with pride, passion, and Cardinal Sportsmanship and always know that your Cardinal family is always right behind you. Every day is a great day to be a Cardinal."
