Wheeling, W. Va. – The 2025 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Men's Cross Country Championships rolled on Saturday from Oglebay Park with the men's 8K following the women. The Wheeling University Men's Cross Country team what take the field with three of their five runners competing at the event for the first time in their careers. In the end, the Cardinals would finish 10th in the field as they began their post-season run.
Leading the way for the fourth race in a row was sophomore Magnus Polkner, who was the lone Cardinal to crack the top 50 of the event. He would finish in that 42nd position with a time of 28:34.97, As he set a new personal best for placing at the event. He would shade eight seconds on his championship time from a season ago, while jumping 17 spots in the individual results. Polkner has been a leader for the Cardinals ever since training the team. The Bethany Invitational taking his runs to new heights. He was just 14 seconds shy of cracking the top 40 in the event as he continues to improve his game on the cross country course. He set PR's In two of the four races that he ran this year and will be looking for one more as he heads to the regional Championship.
Hunter Tomich would compete at the event for the final time in his career and ended things strong, finishing in the top 65. Tomich would put up a time of 29:52.37. Tomich would finishh three seconds behind West Liberty's Lorimer Finlay, and looks to continue his success onto the regional stage. The next two runners for the Cardinals finish neck and neck us Tyler Crook and Courtney Rider took 84th and 85th respectively. It was Crook I was able to just beat out Rider, setting a PR for the championship course with a time of 32:59.88 It was the fastest he had ever run at the event highest place he ever had as he started his Post season run. Rider was writing the course for the first time in his career and finished just behind him with a time of 33:03.09. The two had been battling for position all season long and helped each other throughout the race.
The final two Cardinal runners were Aidan McKenna and Chris Vigars closing out the six Cardinal runners. McKenna would be the first one home finishing 87th st 35:04.40. He rounded out the team portion of the event, rounding out a strong freshman campaign. Vigars would finish out the effort, taking 90th at 39:04.72.
The Wheeling University Men's Cross Country team returns to action on Saturday, November 8th, when they take on the 2025 NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Championships.
