Wheeling, W. Va. - After battling through six different tournaments, the Wheeling University Indoor Track & Field is ready for their final regular season tune-up. Thye will head back to NCAA DI play as they take on the Douglas Raymond Invitational, hosted by Kent State University. It will serve as the team's final tune-up as they prepare for the 2025 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Indoor Track & Field Championships. 

Last time out, the Cardinals competed in NCAA DII action at the Judd Logan Invitational, hosted by Ashland University. The Cardinals competed across two days of competition, picking up a combined three top 20 finishers along the way. Day one would see things get warmed up, with the 200-Meter Dash runners as well as the pole vaulters and weight throwers kicking off the competition. The Cardinals picked up two of their three top 20 finishers on the day as they kicked off the event strong. With the majority of the track events running on day two, the rest of the team took to the competition field to round out the event. The Cardinals would add their final top 20 finisher of the weekend as they rounded out a strong showing. 

Leading the Cardinals once again was senior Kabwe Bwalya, who produced the highest individual finish of the weekend. He would take 10th overall in the Men's Triple Jump with a distance of 12.75 meters, and was the top MEC competitor at the event. It was the first of three events for the senior jumper as he also took top 50 finishes in both the High Jump and Long Jump on the weekend. On the track, it was Jan Wray leading the way, competing in both the 60 and 200 Yard Dashes. His best showing would come on the second day of competition, when he finished 17th in the 60-Yard Dash with a time of 7.19. It was the fourth straight event that Wray has dropped his 60 Dash time, and he looks to continue that trend down the season stretch. 

For the women, it was another strong performance from Jenna Smith in the Pole Vault that led the way. She continued her strong performance this season, taking 14th in the event with a height of 3.20 meters. It was her second straight top finish for the Cardinals, after setting her PR in the event two week ago at 3.45 meters. The other top 20 finish also came in the field events, with Tara Perry taking on the High Jump on day two of competition. Perry would finish 16th in the field, reaching a height of 1.50 meters, falling just .04 meters shy of her season best  in the event. The field events have been the leader for this young Cardinal team this season and look to continue leading the way down the stretch. 

With just one more regular season event ahead of them, the Cardnals are looking to use this final event to get one more shot at hitting some NCAA Provo marks ahead of the MEC Indoor Track & Field Championships. With one more event to go, the Cardinals have one athlete leading the way in their respective events, with Jenna Smith holding the top spot in the Pole Vault. With so many young athletes competing this season, many Cardinals will be getting their first taste of collegiate conference championship action. The Douglas Raymond Invitational will offer the Cardinals one more shot against NCAA DI competition, as they make their final push for All-MEC honors. 

The Event 

The 2025 Douglas Raymond Invitational will be hosted by Kent State University inside the Kent State Field House. IT will feature two days of competition, with six events running on day one, followed by the rest of the track events on day two. The first day will see field events begin at 3 PM, followed by field events at 5 PM, while day two action will begin with track events at 10 AM, followed by field events at 11 AM. 

The Details 

The 2025 Douglas Raymond Invitational kicks off on Friday, February 14th at 3 PM. Live Results will be available by going to wucardinals.com.