Wheeling, W. Va. - Over the last five years, the Wheeling University Women's Golf team has been led by their veteran presence guiding the younger players. This off-season, Head Coach Thadd Obecny ensured this veteran leadership was still in place, bringing in a group of three transfer juniors to supplement a roster that brings back experience of its own. As they head into the fall 2026 season, the Cardinals look to use that experience to their advantage as they continue to climb the standings ladder in the Mountain East Conference (MEC).
During the fall portion of their 2025 schedule, the Cardinals had their share of success both as a team and as individuals. They started the year with a sixth-place finish at the Wheeling Invitational, shooting 855 as a team across the two rounds. However, as the fall went on, the success would switch to individual, with the final three regular season tournaments all being individual results. The stretch was headlined by the first collegiate tournament win for senior Ella Keffer, and the veterans looked to carry that momentum into the conference championship event. Through the first two rounds of competition, the Cardinals held tight to the sixth-place spot, and advanced to the third round of competition for the first time since the 2023 season. In the end, they would finish sixth in the conference, shooting a three-round score of 1265, and placing one player on the MEC All-Tournament team.
As they head into their Fall 2026 schedule, the Cardinals will have junior Brielle Milhoan as the returning veteran for the team. Milhoan battled through the fall season, and finished strong with a 14th-place finish at the MEC Women's Golf Championships. However, as she hit the spring, the junior turned it on, putting together two top five finishes, including being the Cardinal's leading golfer at the MEC Spring Classic. Across 20 rounds during the year, she shot an average score of 90.88, and lowered that number to 89.43 during the spring season. She has been an Honorable Mention All-MEC award winner in each of her first two seasons, and looks to continue that progression in 2026-27.
Joining Milhoan will be a group of three junior transfers, each with experience on the national championship stage. Leading the effort is junior transfer Sawyer Hobbs from Shelton State Community College. She has played in the NJCAA National Championships in each of the past two seasons, earning third-team All-American in each of those two seasons. Dorthea Evebo and Tilly Jones round out the transfer group, with both coming from Dodge City Community College. Both players were part of the Conquistadors' Regional Championship in 2025. Freshman Emma Mrkonja rounds out the new class for the Cardinals, helping lead Central Valley High School to the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) Runner-up a season ago.
With the fresh new talent coming in, the Cardinals fared well in the annual MEC Women's Golf Preseason Poll. They would take the No. 3 spot in the vote of the conference's head coaches, which included one first-place vote. It was their highest preseason poll finish since the 2023 season, when they equaled their third-place finish. They look to live up to those early-season expectations with a heavy regional schedule during the fall. They kick things off at the CAL-U Invitational, while also making trips to Ohio Dominican, West Chester, and Grand Valley State before the MEC Women's Golf Championships. With three regional opponents to start the season, the Cardinals will immediately get to challenge themselves against the best in the region, before competing for the fall conference title. This year's conference championship will be held at Stonewall Resort from October 11-October 13, separating them from the men's event, and allowing each team to play three rounds. The Cardinals will look to compete for their first conference title since the 2022 season.
The Wheeling University Women's Golf team tees off the 2026 fall season on Thursday, September 3rd, when they compete at the CAL-U Invitational.
