Michael Geibel Enters his sixth season as Wheeling's Head Rugby Coach in 2024-25, and his fifth season of competition. He became a National Championship coach during the 2023-24 season and has led the team to a 120-27-2 overall record across his first four seasons at the helm
the 2023-24 season was the most successful yet for the Wheeling Rugby program, with the team making a pair of runs to the National Collegiate Rugby National playoffs. During 15's season, the team made the Big Rivers Rugby Conference (BRRC) playoffs and went on a run, defeating Principia for the 2023 BRRC 15's Championship. The team would earna first round bye in the NCR 15's National Playoffs, but fell to St. Bonaventure in the opening round. Rua Karimazondo and Aaron Juma were named NCR DI All-Americans during the season and that would catapult them into 7's.
The Cardinals would go undefeated during the 7's season, with their only blemish on the record being a 10-10 tie with Louisville at the Moosemen 7's. The team won the BRRC 7's Championship for the second straight year and advanced to the CRC 7's as the #1 seed from the East. They would run through the tournament, and earned a date with #1 Kutztown in the D1 National Championship game. Wheeling would come out on top with a 29-12 win, earning the program's first-ever National title. The team went a perfect 25-0-1 through the season, and Geibel picked up his 100th career win in the first tournament of 7's season. Shadreck Mandaza was named the CRC 7's MVP under Geibel's watch as the team celebrated its first National Championship.
The Cardinals continued their string of success in 2022-23, making two more national tournament runs in both the NCR 15's and CRC 7's. In their first season in the Big Rivers Rugby Conference (BRRC), the Cardinals played in the first ever BRRC Wild Card game and defeated Adrian to move to the national tournament. They then earned their first-ever NCR 15's tournament win over Belmont Abbey, before falling in the Quarterfinal round to #1 seeded Brown.
In the spring, the Cardinals won four of their five 7's tournamnet, and won the D1 portion of all five of those tournaments. They headed into the CRC 7's tournament as the #1 seed in the East region for the first time in program history and rolled through their first two matchups against Howard and Thomas More before falling in the Quarterfinals to the eventual National Champions in Mount St. Mary. The program crowned its second NCR D1 All-American in two seasons when Aaron Juma earned the distinction for the first time in his career.
In 2022, Geibel accomplished his goal of helping reestablish Wheeling as a top collegiate Rugby Program with two national championship appearances. At the end of 15's season, his team captured the innaugural NCR Rhino Rugby Bowl Championship in a 29-24 win over Iowa Central Community College and followed that by ending the season as the #6 team in the country at the NCR May Madness during 7's season. Aside from the National Championship, Geibel also helped Wheeling establish their single-season win record, going 34-8-1.
Under his watch, freshman Chief Chipfumbu became the program's first NCR Division I All-American and he ahd five players land on the Goff Report Top 150 list. the team was also ranked in the NCR National Rankings for most of the season.
When Geibel was hired in October of 2019, his job was to reestablish the Rugby program as a top collegiatge program in the country. He has taken that roll and ran with it, helping the Cardinals to reach the national stage again. their only loss at the 2021 NCR Nationals came to Air Force 19-17, and they totaled their entire win total from the previous three seasons of play.
Geibel is also currently working on beginning the Wheeling Women's Rugby Program, which is set to have its first season of competition during the Fall 2022 season.
Geibel arrived in the northern panhandle after serving as the women's rugby head coach at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida for the past six years. During that time, Geibel also served as the Program Director for the National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO) South All Stars and the Communications Director for the Florida Rugby Union.
"I would like to thank Athletic Director
Rudy Yovich and the search committee for the opportunity to join the Wheeling University rugby program," said Geibel. "I would also like to thank the members of the Wheeling community and alumni who have reached out with their support. I am excited to get started recruiting and putting a strong product on the field to help this team reach its previous levels of success and beyond."
"We are excited to welcome Michael to Wheeling," said Yovich. "What stood out during the interview process was his passion for the game and desire to bring the best out in our student-athletes on the field and in the classroom. That passion shined through to everyone he met when he was on campus and it will truly show to future recruits. That desire and the success he's helped achieve at Eckerd will help him and the Wheeling University rugby program thrive."
During his tenure at Eckerd, Geibel led the team to four-straight Florida Rugby Union Division II Championships and four-straight appearances in the round of 16 at the USA Rugby Championships from 2016-19.
The 2019 team finished in third place at the USA Rugby Spring Championships and featured a trio of USA Rugby All-Tournament selections. Two of those selections were invited to an All-American assembly after the season. In 7s competition, Geibel led the team to a fifth place finish at the NSCRO National Championships, with three players earning nods as All-Americans.
Geibel holds a USA Rugby Level 300/World Rugby Level II coaching certification. He played collegiately at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia, before concluding his career as a tight head prop at Eckerd. Geibel earned a Bachelor Of Arts in International Relations and Global Affairs from Eckerd.
| 2019-20 |
10-6 |
|
| 2020-21 |
17-2 |
NCR CRC 7's Qualifiers |
| 2021-22 |
34-8-1 |
NCR Rhino Rugby Bowl Champions, NCR CRC 7's Qualifier |
| 2022-23 |
29-8 |
NCR 15's National Qualifier, CRC 7's Qualifier |
| 2023-24 |
30-3-1 |
BRRC 15's Champions, BRRC 7's Champions, NCR DI 15's National Qualifiers, CRC 7's Qualifiers, CRC 7's National Champions |
| Totals |
120-27-2 |
2024 CRC 7's National Champions, '21 NCR Rhino Rugby Bowl Champions, 2X NCR 15's National Qualifier, 4X NCR CRC 7's Qualifier |
