Bridgeport, W. Va. – The Mountain East Conference (MEC) released their annual Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll on Wednesday, and Wheeling came in at number seven on the list. Led by three strong runners in 2021, the women are bound and determined to show that they can compete in the strong MEC.
 
Leading the way in 2021 will be Savanaugh Anderson (Cambridge, OH./Cambridge), who last represented the Cardinals at the Atlantic Regionals in 2019. In that race, Anderson was the third-highest Cardinal finisher with a time of 24 minutes and 14.3 seconds. She will be joined on the course by newcomers Caroline Fodor (Weirton, WV./Weir) and Sophia Tomana (Fairmont, WV.) as they try to make a run in the MEC.
 
Head Women's Cross Country Coach Patrick Stanton is really excited about the hard work that his girls have put in this season. He calls them "The Three Headed Monster," and it shows in their tenacity when they train.
 
"The women's team is led by a 3 headed monster with Fodor, Anderson, and Tomana," said Stanton. "All 3 girls have been crushing their training all summer and are ready to make a big jump this year."
 
In their first race since 2019, the Women's Cross Country team gets the chance to open the season at home in the Bob Creamer Memorial Intra-Squad 3K on September 4th. Then, they run in three invitationals before the MEC Championships on October 23rd. They will run at Bethany College (Sep. 11th), Lock Haven University (Sep. 25th), and Carnegie Mellon University (Oct. 9th) during the regular season.
 
It was a close call at the top of the Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll, but Davis & Elkins won out with 96 points and six first-place votes, followed by The University of Charleston (95 (5)) and West Liberty (76). To view the entire MEC Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll, click HERE.
 
The Wheeling University Women's Cross Country team gets set to kick off their season at home when they run in the Bob Creamer Memorial Intra-Squad 3K on September 4th.