Wheeling, W. Va. - Over the last several seasons, the Wheeling University Men's Wrestling team has been growing under Head Coach Shane Brown. Last year, it culminated in the team having their first two wrestlers to ever qualify for a Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championship match, and two Second Team All-MEC honorees. On Tuesday, the team released their 2026-27 schedule, with a 16-date set aimed at getting the Cardinals back to the top of the MEC stage.
In 2025-26, the Cardinals competed in a full schedule of dual meets and invitationals, with a young roster growing on the mat. The Cardinals hit the ground running with a 7th place finish at the Mount Union Invitational, followed by a win in their season-opening dual meet against Frostburg State. The Cardinals were flying high in the first half, with the only blemish to their dual meet record coming in a 24-17 loss to Fairmont State, and they would head into the Christmas break earning 5.5 team points at the annual Midwest Classic. The momentum continued following the break, with a third place finish at the Fairmont State Invitational, followed by a 3-1 dual meet record leading to the MEC Championships. The Cardinals would end up taking fifth, with two individual wrestlers qualifying for Championship matches. The Cardinals would end the season with one National Alternate at the NCAA DII Super Regional I Tournament to bring the season to a close.
As they enter the 2026-27 campaign, the Cardinals return more than half their roster, and face a similarly challenging schedule on the mat. They kick off the year on November 7 at the Mount Union Invitational, an follows that up four days later with a home tri meet against Lake Erie and Seton Hill on November 11. It begins a long home stretch for the Cardinals to start the year, with four of their first six competitions coming inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. The dual meet schedule continues with an MEC battle against Fairmont State on November 18, before the Cardinals head to the Findlay Open on November 21. As they roll into December, Wheeling welcomes in Point Park for dual meet action on December 4, before rounding out the home stretch with a tri-meet against Davis & Elkins and Kentucky Wesleyan.
The first half concludes with the team's annual trip to the Midwest Classic, with Wheeling looking to make it to second day tournament action for the first time since 2019. After about three weeks off, the Cardinals return to a heavy road schedule, featuring eight of their final nine events on the road. It starts with a Quad Meet at Lake Erie College on January 9, followed by the team's second trip to Mount Union on January 16. Wheeling will be competing in their first dual tournament on January 23, when they compete at Millersville, in what will be their final warm-up before the 2026 MEC Wrestling Championships on January 30. Their final home event of the year kicks-off the post championship run, when Wheeling hosts Salem and Muskingum in tri-meet action on February 5.
It is all on the road from there, with Wheeling heading to Bethany College for a dual meet to kick-off the final four event run. They will round out their regular season tournament schedule at the John Carroll Open on February 14, before bringing their dual meet schedule to an end on February 16 at Frostburg State. It all leads up to the 2027 NCAA DII Super Regional I Tournament on February 27. The Cardinals have finished with a national alternate in each of the last two seasons, and look to get their first National Championship qualifier since the 2019 season.
The Wheeling University Men's Wrestling team begins the 2026-2027 season on Saturday, November 7, when they compete at the Mount Union Invitational.
