Wheeling, W. Va. – As they entered the 2024 season, the Wheeling University Men's Cross Country team began a new era on the course. With three runners, two of which being in their sophomore year or younger, the Cardinals were looking to gain experience. They competed against a variety of competition throughout the season, helping them compete against the best in both the region and across the three levels of the NCAA.
The Cardinals kicked off the season in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play at the West Liberty Invitational. It was a strong showing for the Cardinals, with one runner cracking the top 40 in the event. The next two events would see them go to a pair of NCAA DI meets at Youngstown State and Louisville. While the team did not put up any team scores, they were able to get some good runs in both events, with a top 50 finish in the first race and a top 200 finish out of 400 runners at Louisville. After one last Regional Run at Edinboro, the Cardinals headed to the 2024 MEC Cross Country Championships. They would finish 10th as a team, but including two runners in the top 50. They wrapped up the year at the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Race, where the you ng Cardinals got their first experience on a 10K course.
The veteran of the group for the Cardinals was junior Hunter Tomich, who took over as the team's top runner during the season. He started off the year strong, setting his 6K PR in the opening race with a time of 20:41.3, and only kept getting better from there. He led the Cardinals in all but one race this season, and put up an average 8K time of around 27 minutes. He picked up his first career top 10 finish at the Fighting Scots Invitational, where he took 10th overall, and added a 40th finish at the MEC Championships. He dropped 14 seconds off his time from last season's conference championships, and will be out looking for his first career All-Conference honor during his senior season.
The other two top runners for the Cardinals were sophomore Shane Levesque and freshman Magnus Polkner. Polkner was the Cardinal's leading runner at the Live the Lou Cross Country Classic, where he set his 8K PR with a time of 27:11.22. He picked up two top 20 finishes on the season, with his best placing coming in the form of a 27th place finish at the Fighting Scots Invitational, where he took 27th with a time of 27:49.4. Shane Levesque came in as a transfer with the Cardinals and battled back from injury. Like Polkner, Levesque's top time came at Edinboro, when he finished 19th with a time of 27:29.5. Polkner and Levesque will serve as the future of the program as they look to build off their experience from this season and use it to build next season.
The Wheeling University Men's Cross Country team now heads into Indoor Track season as they continue preparing for 2025 Cross Country season.
