Wheeling, W. Va. - The Mountain East Conference (MEC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships kick off this week and the Wheeling University Outdoor Track & Field team is preparing to shine. The MEC released their weekly Athletes of the Week and the Cardinals were among those honored by the conference. High Jumper Andrew Taylor was named the MEC Male Outdoor Track & Field athlete of the Week as he set a new PR for the third time this season.
Taylor would be one of the Cardinals to qualify to compete at the Jesse Owens Classic, where he was the lone field competitor to compete. He would take on the Men's High Jump and was looking to build on his 2.11-meter mark from last week's Bucknell Invitational. He cleared it and then got the chance to take on the 2.15-meter mark, a milestone that he had yet to hit this season. He cleared it on his second jump of the day, tying his PR and setting a new season best by .04 meters and got himself one step closer to hitting his goal of 2.20 meters this season. He beat out the rest of the field by .08 meters for the second week in a row and now prepares to defend his title at this year's MEC Championship event.
For Taylor, it is the second time this season that he has earned the MEC Player of the Week honors as he continues to lead the field events. At last year's MEC Championships, Taylor became the first MEC athlete to clear the seven-foot mark in the event. He matched his height from the 2022 MEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, when he set the conference record for the event. Having already hit the height heading into this year's event, Taylor is looking to push that mark even further. He currently leads the MEC by .08 meters in the event, leading West Liberty's Liam Vinskovich, who sits at 2.07 meters. It sets up an individual "Battle for Wheeling" heading into the conference championships.
Taylor's second win of the season marks the 23rd time this season that a Cardinal has been picked as the MEC Athlete of the Week. It is the first time a Cardinal has won the award during the month, with baseball's Kody McCarley winning the last player of the week award back on March 27th. With three more Athlete of the Week awards to go for regular season play, the Cardinals will look to keep racking them up through the end of the 2022-23 athletic season.
The Wheeling University Track & Field team returns to action on Sunday, April 30th, when they compete in the 2023 MEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
