Wheeling, W. Va. – On Friday afternoon, just over a week away from the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championship, the Wheeling Women's Cross Country team competed in their final regular season tune-up. They competed at the Jenna Strong CC Invitational, hosted by Wilmington College, and finished 21st overall in the field. They rested some of their normal runners in preparation, but got strong performances across the course.

Leading the way was sophomore Gabby Baiano, who finished 40th overall in the field. She ran the 5K race in 20:41.08, setting a new PR by .02 seconds in their only 5K race of the season. It was the first time this season that Baiano has led the Cardinals this season as she continues to prepare for the MEC Championships. Finishing behind her was junior Sophia Tomana, who placed 121st in the field with a time of 22:27.20. She was 15 seconds off the pace of her 5K PR, which she set back during her freshman season. Tomana and Baiano had strong runs in their regular season finale as they head into their conference championships.

The final three runners for the Cardinals were Susan Trammel, Trinity Ortiz, and JayLynn McClarren. Trammel took home 163rd for the Cardinals in her first ever 5K event, running a 24:00.57. Trinity Ortiz was also competing in her first collegiate 5k, running a 29:25.14, and JayLynn McClarren rounded out the field with a 223rd place finish at 30:33.53.

The Wheeling University Women's Cross Country team returns to action on Saturday, October 21st, for the 2023 MEC Championships.