Wheeling, W. Va. - In their final tune-up of the regular season, the Wheeling University Men's Cross Country team competed at the Jenna Strong CC Invitational. The team finished 19th overall in the field of 37 teams and their top finisher was rewarded for his efforts as the Mountain East Conference (MEC) released their weekly Players of the Week, presented by The Healthplan. Senior Cross Country runner Izaiaha Browning was named the MEC's Male Cross Country runner of the Week after leading the Cardinals for the third race in a row this season.
Browning and the Cardinals competed at the Jenna Strong CC Invitational this past weekend after having to back out of the Bill Lennox Invitational the week prior due to illness. Browning got the chance to compete against top talent from across both NCAA DII and DIII and was one of two Cardinals to place in the event's top 40. He took 36th overall in the field, running a time of 26:38.42 across the 8K course. Browning began the race strong, running with some of the top runners in the pack and was able to keep that momentum going to claim his top 40 finish. He finished in the top 20 among all NCAA Division II teams at the contest and only had three Division I runners finish in front of him, all from the University of Miami of Ohio.
Throughout the season, Browning has been the Cardinal's top performer, leading the way in all three races for the team this season. His best performance came at the Lock Haven Invitational where Browning not only set his new 8K PR, but finished among some of the best times in program history for 8K races when he ran a 25:11.7. He has finished in the top 40 in each of his three races this season, including one top 10 finish to start the year at the Bethany Bison Invitational. While there were no MEC teams competing at the most recent event, Browning has found his way into the top 15 among MEC Cross Country runners in each of the first two events of the season. He looks to continue that trend heading into this weekend's MEC Men's Cross Country Championships as he tries to bring home the first All-MEC Title of his collegiate career.
Browning is the sixth Wheeling University student-athlete to be recognized as a conference athlete of the week award winner this season. He is the first member of the Wheeling University Men's Cross Country team to earn MEC Runner of the Week honors since the 2018 season when former Cardinal Devin Rich took home the award. Last week, Wheeling Volleyball Player Karly Niesen was named the MEC Offensive Player of the Week after reaching the 4,000-career Assist milestone for her career.
Browning and the Wheeling University Men's Cross Country team return to action on Saturday, October 21st, when they run in the 2023 MEC Men's Cross Country Championships at 9 AM.
