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Wheeling, W.Va – The 2026 Wheeling University Cardinals men’s golf season is underway, being led by their head coach, Thadd Obecny. This is his second year coaching the men’s team with the team. There is plenty of experience this year as the team has ten upperclassmen. They also have three golfers who received awards for their play in the 2025-26 season.
In fall of 2025, the Cardinals finished top five in three invitationals. Their best placement came in the Pitt Johnstown Invitational where they finished in third out of 17 teams. In that invitational they shot a combined score of 862 in three days. This was the final invitational before the Mountain East Conference Championship. They continued this play into the championship where they finished fourth out of 10 teams.
In the Spring of 2026, they tied for second place finish in the Cal-U Invitational. The team shot a combined 601 through two days of play. They once again had three top five finishes in the Spring. In the NCAA Dll Regional Championship, they finished third out of 20 teams. A very strong end to the 2025-26 season. Transfers have played a big role in the success of the Cardinals men’s team over the past two seasons. The stellar play from junior Zak Collins, who played his first season with the Cardinals last season, finished his 2025-26 campaign, averaging a score of 75.9 in 34 rounds. He earned a place on the All-MEC Tournament team; he then finished fourth place in the MEC Championships, concluding the fall season. He also earned First Team All-MEC honors in the MEC Spring Classic,
Another veteran golfer who took home MEC honors in golf is graduate student, Sean Dobson. Dobson averaged a round score of 74.2 through 34 rounds of play. He was ranked number 14 in the Atlantic/East Region and shot his season best of 208 across three rounds. He earned Second Team All-MEC honors playing at the 2026 MEC Spring Classic, where he finished tied in ninth place. Another golfer who finished top ten in this tournament and placed best of all Cardinal golfers last season was sophomore Elias Ekenes-Fosback, finishing in sixth place.
As for the fall 2026 schedule, the Cardinals will not be hosting any invitations. Their first match will be held in Charleston, WV, for the Golden Eagle Invitational. They will then travel to Morgantown, WV., for the Charleston Invitation. For their final invitational before the MEC Tournament, they will travel to Johnstown, PA. for the Pitt Johnstown Invitational. Next up is the MEC Men’s Golf Championship in Elkins, WV. The final two invitationals will be the Findlay Invitational and the Ohio Dominican Invitational.
The Cardinals season kicks off September 9th for the Golden Eagle Invitation with a starting tee time at 9 a.m.