Wheeling, W. Va. - Before the 2022 Indoor Track & Field season comes to an end, the Wheeling University Men's Track & Field team will be sending two of their athletes to the 2022 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National championships. Before that event can begin, the United States Track & Field & Cross Country Coach's Association (USTFCCCA) has announced their 2022 All-Region teams. Six Cardinals made the list in six different events, while the Men's 4x400 team was the only group to also be recognized on the list.
That 4x400 team took the conference by storm at the end of the season and TJ Tindal, Daimar Ivey, Jabez Reeves, and Jacob Pielech gelled as a group. They came into the 2022 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Indoor Championships with a few strong performances and were looking to build on that. They did that and more as they won the event in a season best 3:16.88, hitting the provisional mark and earning their first conference championship as a team. They then earned a spot in the Last Chance Meet, but just fell short of making the National Meet.
Wheeling's two Men's qualifiers for the National meet also appear on the list with Reeves being named in the 60-Meter and 200-Meter and Vandusen being named in the High Jump and the Long Jump. For Reeves, his better event is the 60-meter dash, where he ranks top 10 in all of Division II with his run of 6.76 earlier this season. He also took home the individual MEC Championship in the event when he ran a 6.81, finishing just a few tenths of a second better than the rest of his heat. In the 200-meter dash, Reeves earned second place at the MEC Championships with a time of 21.91 seconds.
The final three All-Region players for Wheeling were Tindal, Pielech, and Julian Griffin qualifying in three different events. Tindal and Pielech will both compete in the Men's 400-meter dash after both had strong performances at their conference championships. Tindal was the 2022 Men's Indoor Championship in the 400-meter dash, posting a time of 48.41 seconds and Pielech took home a silver with a time of 48.46. Julian Griffin rounds out the field and was named an All-Region player in the 60-meter hurdles. Griffin was the MEC Champion in the event with a time of 8.27 seconds. He competed in the Last Chance Meet a few weeks ago, but just missed the provisional mark to qualify for Nationals.
The Wheeling University Men's Track & Field Team Wraps up their indoor season on Friday when Reeves and Vandusen head to the NCAA Division II National Championships on March 11th and 12th.
