Wheeling, W. Va. - In 2021, the Wheeling University Men's and Women's Cross Country teams were two young programs looking to gain experience on the course. This season, they come back with a full year of experience under their belts and are looking to take the next step up the ladder towards becoming a competitor for the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championship year in and year out. On Thursday, the teams released their 2022 Cross Country schedule, featuring four invitationals leading up to the 2022 MEC Championships and the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships in November.
Both teams have promising leaders returning to their teams as well as a flurry of fresh faces coming in to help bolster the team. On the women's side, Savanaugh Anderson and Caroline Fodor return to lead a group of four Cardinals runners this season. Anderson was the team's top finisher at the 2021 MEC Championships, placing 16th overall with a time of 26:13.56, and Fodor led the way at the 2021 NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships, finishing 95th overall (16th among MEC Competitors) with a time of 24:09.5. Both ladies are back this season and looking to build on those numbers.
On the men's side, last season's team consisted of four freshman and one graduate student on what was a very young squad. Two of those athletes will be returning in CJ Anderson and Izaiha Browning as both look to use last year's experience as a building block for this season. Browning led the way for the Cardinals at last season's MEC Championship, finishing 33rd overall with a time of 30:22.93, and CJ Anderson was right behind him, finishing 50th at 32:26.71. Both runners are back for the 2022 season and will be joined by freshman Mikey Reyes as the team looks to build off last season and continue to improve.
The year starts out on September 3rd with the annual Bob Creamer 3K alumni event here on campus at Wheeling University. It is a chance for the runners to get their final tune-up before the regular season begins and gives a chance for the alumni to connect with the current team. The regular season then kicks off with the teams heading to Kutztown University for the D2/D3 Challenge on September 16th. This event will feature some of the top competitors from across Division II and Division III Cross Country and will be a good measuring stick to see where the team is at.
After that, they head to Louisville, Kentucky for one of the biggest Cross-Country events in the country, the Live the Lou Cross Country Classic. This event will feature all three levels of NCAA Competition and will be held at Sawyer State Park. The Cardinals will then head out to Illinois the following week to run in the Lewis Crossover in what will be there only back-to-back weeks of competition during the season. They then head to Lockhaven University, the site of the 2022 NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship, for their final tune-up before postseason play when they take on the LHU Go Fast River Run. Here they will see many of their fellow Atlantic Region competitors and can measure their growth throughout the season.
Once November rolls around, championship season is going to be in full force with both the MEC Championships and Atlantic Region Championships being held during the month. First, the MEC Championships will be held at Oglebay Park on November 5th, hosted by West Liberty University. Then, two weeks later, the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships will be held at Lock Haven University on November 19th with a chance to go to the NCAA National Championship meet on the line. Last season, Wheeling had some big performances on the national stage and are looking for continued success this season.
The Wheeling University Men's and Women's Cross Country teams report on Saturday, August 6th, as they prepare for their season opener on Saturday, September 16th, at the Kutztown D2/D3 Challenge.
