Wheeling, W. Va. - The postseason run kicked off for the Wheeling University Cross Country team when they competed in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Cross Country Championships two weeks ago. On Saturday, the postseason run continues as the Cardinals compete against the best of the best in the region when they take on the 2025 NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Cross Country Championships at 10:30 AM. Wheeling will once again be seeing several of their runners competing for the first time in their collegiate careers, and they look to set a strong foundation for the program to grow off in to the future.
Last time out, the Cardinals competed at the 2025 MEC Cross Country Championships, with both the men and women running. It would be the women's team kicking things off and the Cardinals would see four of their five runners competing for the first time on the championship stage. As a team, the Cardinals would finish 10th overall but had several strong individual performances throughout the day. They would finish with one runner in the top 25 of the race and were just three spots shy of having an All-MEC runner. On the men's side, the Cardinals would also finish 10th in the team standings, but had three runners competing for the first time on the conference stage. They would place two in the top 65 of the event and one in the top 40 of the event as they rounded out a strong showing against the best of the conference.
On the women's side, junior Madison Conrad continued her strong season, finishing as the Cardinal's top runner for the fifth straight race. Conrad would finish 23rd overall at the event, running a time of 28:34.97 as she attacked one of the most challenging courses of the season. Conrad would finish just three spots shy of earning All-MEC honors, finishing just five seconds off the pace of finishing in the top 20. Sitting second on the team was senior Gabby Baiano, who competed in the championship event for the final time in her career. She was the only Cardinal heading into the event who had any experience on the course, and would end up finishing 57th overall with a time of 26:54.68. She looks for similar success this weekend as she prepares to attack the regional stage.
On the men's side, it was Magnus Polkner taking the lead, finishing just outside the top 40 of the event. He would set a new PR for the MEC Championship event, running a time of 28:34.97 to finish 42nd overall. Polkner was able to jump 17 spots in the individual standings and dropped his time by just over 30 seconds. The sophomore has had a strong showing this season, setting PR's in three of the four events that he ran and he looks to continue that success into the Regional stage. The other runner in the top 65 of the event was Hunter Tomich, who finished 63rd overall with a time of 29:52.37 as he competed in the event for the final time in his career. He is one of three Cardinals who have experience on the Atlantic Regional course, having run the event three times in his career, and he looks to put a ribbon on his postseason career and lead the Cardinals on the course.
As they prepare for the 2025 NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Championships, the Cardinals will be running a course that they are already very familiar with. The event is hosted at Lock Haven University, that runs as one of the fastest courses on the circuit. The Cardinals competed at the course earlier this season, and the two teams would combine for nine PRs out of the 10 runners that competed. The women will be attacking the same course as earlier this season, where they had a top 10 finisher and placed three in the top 40 of the event. For the men, the course expands from 8K to 10K as they add two more kilometers onto the course. Wheeling will have a total of seven runners competing on the regional stage for the first times in their careers and they are looking to make an immediate impact.
The Details
The 2025 NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Cross Country Championships will be held on Saturday, November 8th, at the West Branch Cross Country Course at the Stern Athletic Complex in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. You can watch the event live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
