Wheeling Back-to-Back Champs

BOYDS, MD – Thirty-two teams entered the weekend hoping to hoist the Pete Dawkins trophy and be named the best men’s collegiate 7s team in the country. After two days of big scores, big hits, big upsets and big-time moments, the number-one overall seed Wheeling Cardinals successfully defended their title, with a 19-5 win over the St. Bonaventure Bonnies.

The heavyweights spent the majority of the first half feeling each other out. The Bonnies showed off their signature defensive prowess to keep Wheeling’s potent offense in check. An attacking penalty on Wheeling set the Bonnies up with a chance to take an early lead, a key to any team’s hopes of taking down the reigning champs, but they failed to capitalize. 

Alex Nyamunda then swung the momentum firmly back in the Cardinals’ direction with a breakaway score, his fourth of the tournament. Shadreck Mandaza nailed the conversion to put Wheeling up 7-0 at the half. 

Panashe Mugorogordi scored two-and-a-half minutes into the second stanza to build the lead before Mandaza put the nail in the proverbial coffin with a try of his own a little under two minutes later. Troy Heroldt touched it down for the Bonnies with two-and-a-half minutes left in the game, but the comeback effort never came to fruition. 

The Cardinals came into the final with plenty of confidence after running through a strong Queens University side in the semis. Mandaza had a hat-trick in the first five minutes of the game and Wheeling never took their foot off the gas, securing their place in the final with a 38-12 win. Mandaza would go on to be named MVP after leading the Premier division in points scored with 61. He had seven tries and 13 conversions.

Wheeling’s closest contest came in the quarterfinals against another two seed, Brown University. The Bears took a 10-7 lead with 6 minutes to go. But Nyamunda and Josephy Iye scored late to move the Cardinals on.

St. Bonaventure certainly didn’t have an easy route to the championship game, winning close games against Belmont Abbey and the number-one seed Iowa Central Tritons on their way to the final. Harry Healy had a strong showing throughout the weekend, scoring five tries across five games.

2025 All Tournament Team

• Zak Banton, Notre Dame, First Year
• Luca Halloway, Siena, Junior
• Raphael Lansonneur, Brown, Senior
• Shadreck Mandaza, Wheeling, Sophomore
• Takudza Musingwini, Iowa Central, Sophomore
• Manula Taula, St. Bonaventure, Junior
• Agustin Yenaropulos, Queens, Sophomore