Wheeling Swimming Dives into Conference Play with Tri-Meet at Frostburg State

Wheeling, W. Va. – Per week in the past, the Wheeling University Men’s and Women’s Swimming crew opened the 2025-2026 season on the West Virginia University Games. They confirmed that they will compete in opposition to among the high groups within the state of West Virginia, they usually look to maintain that momentum going as they dive into Mountain East Conference (MEC) play on Saturday. The crew will journey to Frostburg State University for a tri-meet in opposition to the host Bobcats and West Virginia Wesleyan at 1 PM. 

The Cardinals headed to the Mylan Park Aquatic Center final Saturday for his or her season opener as they took on the WVU Games. Both sides would showcase their younger rosters, and the freshmen swimmers didn’t disappoint as a number of made their season debuts. On the lads’s facet, the Cardinals would take second among the many eight groups within the area, together with first among the many NCAA DII groups in competitors, scoring 430.5 factors. They would find yourself inserting two swimmers among the many high 10 level scorers within the area, with a kind of being within the high 5 of the occasion. On the ladies’s facet, the Cardinals would take third of their eight crew, area, ending simply 29 factors off the tempo of Fairmont State for second within the area. They would have three within the high 25, together with certainly one of their new swimmers, as they began the season with a bang. 

On the lads’s facet, it could be Segmen Duygun main the way in which off an enormous day within the distance occasions. He would take house one of many crew’s two bronze medals on the occasion, incomes the glory within the 500-Yard Freestyle. Duygun swam the race in a time of 4:51.47, beating out the subsequent closest MEC swimmer by simply over seven seconds. He would add one other high 5 end within the 1000-Yard Freestyle, taking fifth with a time of 10:09.44, and earned the convention’s Men’s Swimmer of the Week honors for his efforts. The different bronze medal for the Cardinals got here courtesy of Aris Dimakis, who took house the glory within the 100-Yard Backstroke. The freshman would swim the occasion in a time of 55.41, beating out teammate Meiko Schonekes by two seconds. He would spherical out the day with a fifth place end within the 50-Freestyle (21.92) and a seventh place end within the 200-Backstroke (2:08.24) to spherical out his large day. 

On the ladies’s facet, it was Niki Chrysafi main the way in which, scoring 489.1 factors throughout 9 occasions on the day. Chrysafi would play an enormous position within the crew’s relay success, being part of all three relay groups within the pool. Her finest efficiency got here because the leadoff for the 400-Yard Medley relay crew, the place she helped the crew end fifth with a time of 1:02.99. Her high particular person efficiency would come within the 200-Yard Backstroke, the place she swam a time of two:22.94 to take seventh general. The different high performer for the Cardinals was senior Gabby Baiano, who picked up proper the place she left off within the distance occasions. Her high swim got here within the 1000-Yard Freestyle, the place she swam a time of 11:31.62 to complete fifth general. She led the Cardinals ultimately 12 months’s MEC Championship occasion, and appears for comparable success as she begins her 2025-2026 season. 

As the Cardinals get set to start their twin meet schedule on Saturday, they get a brief style of MEC play to kick issues off. Last season, the Cardinals would burst onto the scene on either side of the sector, as they grew to their largest roster because the rebirth of this system. Both would sit because the second highest scoring groups within the convention, with the lads placing up 572.35 factors whereas the ladies put up 538.10 factors through the season. As they get able to star the 2025-2026 convention schedule, the lads sit atop the convention when it comes to factors scored, placing up 504.80, whereas the ladies sit second within the convention behind Fairmont State at 443.0 factors. With convention twin meets kicking off this week, each groups need to maintain their high spots within the convention as they proceed to decrease their instances. 

The Matchups 

Frostburg State: The Cardinals and Bobcats are assembly for the fifth time in program historical past on the ladies’s facet and the fourth time on the lads’s facet Saturday. Frostburg State leads each all-time match-ups, going 4-0 in opposition to the ladies and 3-0 in opposition to the lads. The Cardinals shall be touring to Frostburg State for the second and third time in program historical past, with the lads averaging 57 factors and the ladies averaging 87.5 factors within the all-time collection. The final assembly got here on October twelfth 2024, with the lads falling 155-93 and the ladies falling 151-97. Former Cardinal Euan MacLeod would prepared the ground for the lads, who gained three completely different occasions, whereas former Cardinal Jade Miller led the ladies with two occasion wins. 

West Virginia Wesleyan: The Cardinals and Bobcats are assembly for the tenth time in opposition to the ladies’s crew and the ninth time in opposition to the lads’s crew. Wheeling leads each all-time match-ups, with the lads going 6-2 and the ladies going 7-2 in all-time conferences. It has been a excessive scoring collection all-time for the Cardinals, with the lads averaging 108 factors and the ladies averaging 117.89 factors, with each groups holding successful streaks. The ladies have gained the final three twin meets in opposition to West Virginia Wesleyan, whereas the lads have gained the final two. Their final assembly got here on October twelfth, 2024, with the lads successful 171-31, and the ladies choosing up a 174-54 victory on the occasion. 

The Details 

First swims for Saturday’s tri-meet are scheduled for 1 PM contained in the Bobcat Natatorium on the campus of Frostburg State University. You can watch the occasion dwell by clicking HERE.