‘We almost have no excuse here’: Cardinale Speaks About Time at WVU, Resources for Mountaineer Wrestling
June 30, 2026 09:11 AM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Killian Cardinale joined the West Virginia wrestling program as a transfer to contribute to its rise. Few could've expected the impact he would have on a program that was carving out a space for itself in one of the best college wrestling conferences in the country.
Three trips to the NCAA Wrestling Championships, earning All-America twice — he never finished lower than 12th at the championships — and a Big 12 title at 125 pounds perfectly sum up an incredible career.
"I was someone from Virginia, which is not really known as a wrestling state, and I wasn't necessarily a blue-chip recruit coming out of high school," Cardinale said. "I think it's cool; if I can do this, anyone can do it. What are you willing to do and what effort are you willing to put in?"
That belief in himself fueled Cardinale throughout a career that began at Old Dominion. In three years wrestling for the Monarchs, Cardinale had his best season in his last year in Norfolk, Virginia, qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
Even early in his career, Cardinale wanted to reach the highest level of the sport, knowing that individuals whom he looked up to early in his career were where he wanted to eventually be.
"When you grow up wrestling from a young age, and you start to immerse yourself in the sport when you're little, you look up to these guys who are wrestling on ESPN, the Big 10 Network, all these media outlets," Cardinale said. "For me, that was what I wanted to be. That was my superhero. When I look back on my six years wrestling Division I, it was about bringing a lifelong dream together."
Old Dominion competes in the Mid-American Conference (MAC), and the MAC regularly has wrestlers competing at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Just this year, two wrestlers from MAC schools became All-Americans.
The Big 12 had three national champions.
"You always have to be ready to compete, and you have to be ready to go," Cardinale said about competing in the Big 12. "Especially with such a good schedule like a Big 12 schedule. No matter if it's a dual or a tournament, you just have to be ready to compete.
That goes far beyond the time you're spending in the practice room and weight room. It's a complete lifestyle."
The difference in the level of competition across college wrestling trickles down to the resources available to student-athletes. At West Virginia, there is a dedicated wrestling pavilion, duals are held in the Hope Coliseum, student-athletes eat in the Clark Mountaineer Club and they also have the Athletics Performance Center for strength and conditioning and athletic training.
"The resources that a Big 12 school like West Virginia has are insane," Cardinale said. "Coming from Old Dominion, we had good resources there, but this is another level. The coaching staff is from Edinboro, which is less resources than at ODU.
We almost have no excuse here. From nutrition to sport psychology, the weight and training staff, it's unbelievable. All of the resources to be successful are here and readily available."
Cardinale had a successful career on the mat, but also was successful in the classroom. Not only did he earn a degree, but he was a three-time National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-American. He was also named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team in his final year.
The athletic and academic opportunities and the resources available were some of the influences that drove Cardinale to Morgantown. However, those resources did not impact his decision to be a Mountaineer as much as the presence of coach Tim Flynn.
"I think there are a lot of coaches out there where this is a business," Cardinale said. "You don't get that with Flynn. It's not a two-faced coin. What you see is what you get. The authenticity, the realness, and that's what you want."
The "realness" and "authenticity" Cardinale speaks about were paramount during his career as he regularly dealt with injuries. Even with those setbacks, Cardinale was never too concerned due to the guidance he received from Flynn and the coaching staff.
"Almost every year, while I was at West Virginia, I was banged up physically," Cardinale said. "The energy he would always bring me was very calm, and you want that in your corner as an athlete. If you're freaking out internally and you're worrying about something and you look over at your coach at practice or in a match and if he's freaking out, you're going to freak out more.
They're very calm and level-headed. They've been doing this for so long that I think they're adaptable with guys, too."
Since Cardinale finished his career in 2023, the WVU wrestling program has continued to grow. In the past four years, West Virginia has won 41 duals. In the four years prior to that, WVU won 21 matches.
That regular-season success has led to postseason success with three consecutive top-six finishes at the Big 12 Wrestling Championships and three straight top-25 finishes at the NCAA Championships.
"The foundational principles should remain the same," Cardinale said. "Guys know what they're signing up for when they come. Certain standards should be upheld, talked about and exemplified. If they keep doing that, success is inevitable.
I also think about it way beyond success here. Guys are going to wrestle four or five years, but the things they'll do here with the time they have, if they can learn and embody the principles, you can go do anything with your life. I truly believe that."
For Cardinale, that success makes him proud of his time with the program, but prouder still to be a part of a large group of alumni. Like most former Mountaineers, Cardinale believes this program has just scratched the surface of what it can achieve in the years to come.
"It's cool to continually see that growth and it's cool to have a little part in that," Cardinale said. "If they can keep building this thing, and keep showing up and keep being consistent, the sky is the limit."
Three trips to the NCAA Wrestling Championships, earning All-America twice — he never finished lower than 12th at the championships — and a Big 12 title at 125 pounds perfectly sum up an incredible career.
"I was someone from Virginia, which is not really known as a wrestling state, and I wasn't necessarily a blue-chip recruit coming out of high school," Cardinale said. "I think it's cool; if I can do this, anyone can do it. What are you willing to do and what effort are you willing to put in?"
That belief in himself fueled Cardinale throughout a career that began at Old Dominion. In three years wrestling for the Monarchs, Cardinale had his best season in his last year in Norfolk, Virginia, qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
Even early in his career, Cardinale wanted to reach the highest level of the sport, knowing that individuals whom he looked up to early in his career were where he wanted to eventually be.
"When you grow up wrestling from a young age, and you start to immerse yourself in the sport when you're little, you look up to these guys who are wrestling on ESPN, the Big 10 Network, all these media outlets," Cardinale said. "For me, that was what I wanted to be. That was my superhero. When I look back on my six years wrestling Division I, it was about bringing a lifelong dream together."
Old Dominion competes in the Mid-American Conference (MAC), and the MAC regularly has wrestlers competing at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Just this year, two wrestlers from MAC schools became All-Americans.
The Big 12 had three national champions.
That goes far beyond the time you're spending in the practice room and weight room. It's a complete lifestyle."
The difference in the level of competition across college wrestling trickles down to the resources available to student-athletes. At West Virginia, there is a dedicated wrestling pavilion, duals are held in the Hope Coliseum, student-athletes eat in the Clark Mountaineer Club and they also have the Athletics Performance Center for strength and conditioning and athletic training.
"The resources that a Big 12 school like West Virginia has are insane," Cardinale said. "Coming from Old Dominion, we had good resources there, but this is another level. The coaching staff is from Edinboro, which is less resources than at ODU.
We almost have no excuse here. From nutrition to sport psychology, the weight and training staff, it's unbelievable. All of the resources to be successful are here and readily available."
Cardinale had a successful career on the mat, but also was successful in the classroom. Not only did he earn a degree, but he was a three-time National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-American. He was also named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team in his final year.
The athletic and academic opportunities and the resources available were some of the influences that drove Cardinale to Morgantown. However, those resources did not impact his decision to be a Mountaineer as much as the presence of coach Tim Flynn.
"I think there are a lot of coaches out there where this is a business," Cardinale said. "You don't get that with Flynn. It's not a two-faced coin. What you see is what you get. The authenticity, the realness, and that's what you want."
The "realness" and "authenticity" Cardinale speaks about were paramount during his career as he regularly dealt with injuries. Even with those setbacks, Cardinale was never too concerned due to the guidance he received from Flynn and the coaching staff.
"Almost every year, while I was at West Virginia, I was banged up physically," Cardinale said. "The energy he would always bring me was very calm, and you want that in your corner as an athlete. If you're freaking out internally and you're worrying about something and you look over at your coach at practice or in a match and if he's freaking out, you're going to freak out more.
They're very calm and level-headed. They've been doing this for so long that I think they're adaptable with guys, too."
Since Cardinale finished his career in 2023, the WVU wrestling program has continued to grow. In the past four years, West Virginia has won 41 duals. In the four years prior to that, WVU won 21 matches.
That regular-season success has led to postseason success with three consecutive top-six finishes at the Big 12 Wrestling Championships and three straight top-25 finishes at the NCAA Championships.
"The foundational principles should remain the same," Cardinale said. "Guys know what they're signing up for when they come. Certain standards should be upheld, talked about and exemplified. If they keep doing that, success is inevitable.
I also think about it way beyond success here. Guys are going to wrestle four or five years, but the things they'll do here with the time they have, if they can learn and embody the principles, you can go do anything with your life. I truly believe that."
For Cardinale, that success makes him proud of his time with the program, but prouder still to be a part of a large group of alumni. Like most former Mountaineers, Cardinale believes this program has just scratched the surface of what it can achieve in the years to come.
"It's cool to continually see that growth and it's cool to have a little part in that," Cardinale said. "If they can keep building this thing, and keep showing up and keep being consistent, the sky is the limit."
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