WHEELING – When he took over as Wheeling University Head Golf Coach, Thadd Obecny had one goal in mind, making it to the NCAA DII Atlantic/East Regional Tournament. On Sunday, that goal was realized as the team earned the #12 seed in the field, qualifying them for the 2026 NCAA DII Atlantic/East Regional Championships for the first time in program history. The Cardinals have been represented by individuals at the event on two different occasions, but the 2026 team is the first to write their names in the history books as a team qualifier for the Regional Championship event.

After taking fourth in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championships in the fall, the Cardinals continued to build on their success throughout the spring. They would finish in the top 10 in each of the five events they competed in during the spring, with their best finish coming at the CAL-U Invitational, where they tied for second.

While the team was putting together success on the course, the Cardinals saw their share of individual success throughout the season as well. At the MEC Spring Classic, the Cardinals finished with three All-MEC honorees, with sophomore Zak Collins Leading the way. He would earn First Team All-MEC honors after finishing fourth at the MEC Fall Championships, and following that up with a 10th place finish in the spring. Following behind him was graduate student Sean Dobson, who finished 7th in the spring event, and was just 0.5 strokes shy of earning First team honors. He has regularly been the leader for the Cardinals throughout the season, and will be looking to once again lead the way at the Regional Championship event. Rounding out the list of All-MEC honorees was Troy Loughry, who took home Honorable Mention All-MEC honors.

The 2026 NCAA DII Atlantic/East Regional Championships will be hosted by the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, running from Wednesday, May 6 to Saturday, May 9, with three rounds of action competing. The teams will compete in a practice round on Wednesday, before kicking off the event with the first round on Thursday. The teams will compete across 18 holes on each day, with the three round scores being calculated to determine the winner. The top three teams at the event will move on to the National Championships, with the top three individuals from non-qualifying teams also making the trip. Wheeling was one of five teams across the MEC to qualify for the event, joining Fairmont State, West Liberty, Glenville State, and the University of Charleston in the competition field. They look to continue building on their success as they try to compete for their first-ever National Championship spot.

The 2026 NCAA DII Atlantic/East Regional Championships begin on Thursday, May 7th, with tee times beginning at 7:30 AM.