Wheeling, W. Va. – At the end of the 2021 Outdoor Track & Field season, the Wheeling Men's Track & Field team was left wanting more. They just put together one of the biggest comebacks in recent history at the 2021 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships, going from fifth place on day two to second place on day three, and were just short of the MEC Championship. Coming into the 2021-2022 season, many of those same athletes returned and they were out to capture the program's first MEC title.
Indoor season began on December 3rd at Youngstown State and right from the start the team was making headlines. Sophomore Jabez Reeves put together one of the best seasons in program history, and it began at this event when he broke the school record in the 60-Meter Dash. He ran a 6.86 in the preliminaries and permanently wrote his name in the Wheeling history books. On the backs of the hot start, Wheeling would compete in five more outdoor events leading up to the MEC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Along the way, Reeves would continue to make headlines, breaking the school record in the 60-Meter dash two more times while also running top 10 times in the 200-Meter dash as well.
By the time the MEC Indoor Track & Field Championships rolled around, the conference was taking notice of Wheeling's success. Reeves had been named the conference's Men's Track Athlete of the Week on several occasions and the team was more ready than ever. They responded to the hype by crowning six individual MEC Champions, including a win by the 4X400 Meter Relay team, who ran a 3:16.88. The other Cardinal Individual Champions included Elijah Young (Long Jump), Reeves (60-Meter), Julian Griffin (60-M Hurdles), TJ Tindal (400-Meter), and Daimar Ivey (Triple Jump). After sending nine athletes to the Last Chance Meet, indoor season would extend a little longer for two competitors as Jabez Reeves and Brian Vandusen were both invited to the NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships.
Reeves, who was also named the MEC's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, competed in the 60-Meter Dash and finished 15th overall with a time of 6.85 seconds. He finished fifth in his heat and gave way to Vandusen in the High Jump on day two. The senior cleared the 2.00 Meter mark for the second time this season but couldn't clear 2.05 Meters to finish 14th at the event. Indoor season finished strong, but now it was time to turn their attention to the outdoor season and get back to the MEC Championships.
As the outdoor season progressed, the 4X100-Meter Relay team of Julian Griffin, Brian Vandusen, Jabez Reeves, and TJ Tindal took center stage. They got better with every meet that they competed in and came into the MEC Championships with a PR of 41.36, .10 seconds faster than the next closest team. In the field sophomore Andrew Taylor, who just came off Men's Basketball season was becoming the team's premier High Jumper, flirting with the school record on several occasions. The Cardinals came into the MEC Outdoor Championships as the second favorite team right behind The University of Charleston as they battled it out for the championship.
It was a big showing for the men, who had seven athletes crowned individual MEC Champions, but the Golden Eagle roster proved too big for the Cardinals to overcome as they took second place for the second season in a row. Reeves once again led the way, winning the MEC Championship in both the 100-Meter and 200-Meter dashes to become the only multi-event champion for the Cardinals. Taylor also had a strong showing, winning the Men's High Jump and becoming the first MEC Competitor to clear the seven-foot mark when he jumped a personal best 2.15 meters. Coming off those performances, both Reeves and Taylor would represent Wheeling on the National Stage again as they were invited to the 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Reeves ran in the 100-Meter dash and, after not qualifying for the finals in Indoor season, broke the school record running a 10.37 and qualifying for finals. He would end up finishing ninth overall in the event and earned Second Team All-American Honors for the first time in his career. In High Jump, Taylor also had a top 10 performance for the Cardinals, jumping 2.13 meters and falling just .02 meters shy of his personal best. He also earned Second Team All-American honors, wrapping up a strong outdoor season.
The Men's Track & Field team will be saying goodbye to two of their MEC Champions from this year in Vandusen and Tindal, but the rest of the group remains pretty much intact for next season. With some new recruits slated to join the team, the Cardinals are looking to build up their roster to be able to take down the Golden Eagles next season. With many top performers set to return for the Cardinals, it is looking like a bright future for Men's Track & Field.
The Wheeling Men's Track & Field team now heads into the offseason as they have their sights set on the 2022 Indoor Track & Field season.
