Season Preview: Girls’s Swimming Begins New Period with Identical Objective Getting into 2025-2026 Season

Wheeling, W. Va. – The 2024-2025 season noticed the Wheeling University Women’s Swimming crew get again to the place this system was on the top of its competitors. The Cardinals tied the single-season twin meet win report, going 9-5 throughout their 14 meets, and completed with three Mountain East Conference (MEC) Individual Championships in addition to All-MEC honors throughout 13 completely different occasions. While the preliminary group of Cardinal swimmers who rebuilt this system have graduated, the brand new period of Cardinal swimmers look to maintain the success going with a brand new chief on the helm. 

The 2024-2025 season kicked off on the WVU Games earlier than the Cardinals dove head first into their MEC schedule. They would tackle Frostburg State and West Virginia Wesleyan, and cut up that opening tri to start out the 12 months. The win over West Virginia Wesleyan would ship them on a 5 twin meet win streak, and they’d find yourself successful seven of the ultimate 9 twin meets within the first half. The Cardinals ended the primary half taking sixth on the Malone Invitational, and kicked off the second half with a winter coaching journey to South Carolina. The crew’s first half would kick-off with a twin towards Lenoir-Rhyne, earlier than returning house for a senior day win over Fairmont State. The Cardinals would drop their remaining tri-meet of the 12 months earlier than incomes the 13 All-MEC honors and two particular person championships on the 2025 MEC/Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) Swimming & Diving Championships. 

The Cardinals will likely be returning one of these twp particular person MEC Champions from final season, led by senior Gabby Baiano. Baiano is likely one of the most adorned Wheeling Swimmers for the reason that program’s revival, incomes three particular person MEC titles, 9 particular person All-MEC honors, and 7 relay All-MEC honors for a complete of 16 All-MEC accolades. While historically an extended distance swimmer, swimming within the 1650 and 1000 Yard Freestyles frequently, Baiano’s championship final season would come int he 200-Yard Freestyle, the place she swam a time of 1:56.52 to high her MEC competitors. Baiano has additionally acquired a number of Conference accolades all through her profession, being named the Co-Freshman of the Year in 2023 and the MEC Swimmer of the Year through the 2024 season. The three-sport athlete at Wheeling appears to be like to spherical out a powerful 12 months within the pool whereas main this younger crew. 

Along with Baiano, the Cardinals may also see a number of of their different key contributors from final 12 months returning to steer this system. Junior Grace Moorley will likely be a part of that management group after serving to the Cardinals get their first Relay MEC Championship in program historical past a season in the past. She served because the third leg of the 200-Yard Freestyle Relay crew that made the historical past with a time of 1:39.74. Moorley was the MEC’s Freshman of the Year through the 2023-2024 season and brings her expertise to the pool for this 12 months’s occasion. Senior Olivia Moyer may also add to the veteran group, after being part of the Caridnals All-MEC successful 200-Yard Medley Relay crew.  

The Cardinals will likely be underneath new management this season after the announcement of Hughes as the brand new Head Men’s & Women’s Swimming Coach at Wheeling University. Hughes got here to the Cardinals after spending two seasons at Emory & Henry College, the place he helped the Wasps Men’s and Women’s Swimming groups attain new heights. He appears to be like to assist the Cardinals proceed their development within the pool with a younger roster main the way in which. The 2025-2026 Cardinals function six of their 11 swimmers being in both their freshman or sophomore seasons as they give the impression of being to construct a sustained stage of success within the pool.  

As they enter the 2025-2026 season, the Cardinals will as soon as once more be beginning off their 12 months on the WVU Games. They then head into back-to-back tri meets towards Frostburg State and West Virginia Wesleyan on October eleventh and Bethany College and Chatham University at house on October twenty fifth. They would be the solely two tri meets of the 12 months for the crew earlier than they end out the primary half in twin meet motion. They will head to the Malone Midseason invitational on November twentieth earlier than kicking the second half of their season off as soon as once more at Lenoir-Rhyne. Then, it’s a three meet dash to the end line, with Bethany and Fairmont State on back-to-back days earlier than they spherical out the common season schedule at house towards Bethany on January twenty fourth.  

The Wheeling University Women’s Swimming crew opens their season on Saturday, October 4th, after they swim on the WVU Games starting at 9 AM.