Wheeling, W.Va- The Wheeling University Cross Country team prepares to start a new season. Even though five of the team's six runners are sophomores and freshman, the newcomers bring excitement to the roster and a hunger to compete.
The Cardinals kicked off their season competing in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) at the West Liberty Invitational, where they had a strong performance, highlighted by one runner finishing in the top 40. In the following weeks, the team participated in two Division I meets at Youngstown State and Louisville. Although they did not achieve team scores, several runners delivered impressive performances, with a top 50 finish in the first race and a finish within the top 200 out of 400 competitors at Louisville. After one final regional competition at Edinboro, the Cardinals headed to the 2024 MEC Cross Country Championships, where they placed 10th overall, including two runners in the top 50. They concluded the season at the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Race, gaining valuable experience on a 10K course.
Hunter Tomich is the lone senior and upperclassman on the roster. In the seven events last season, Tomich was the first to finish on the team in all but one contest. As the season progressed, he continued to impress in the 8K where he averaged 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. Tomich's leadership will be heavily relied upon by a young Cardinals team as they learn to adapt to collegiate competition.
Three new faces join the roster for this year Aidan McKenna, Kristopher Vargas, and local product Redick Moore. Moore is a graduate of Wheeling Park High School where he earned a multitude of honors including being named three-time All-Valley Cross Country, three-time All-OVAC Cross Country, two-time All-State Cross Country, and two-time All-Region Cross Country as a Patriot. In addition to his accolades, Moore has Wheeling Cross Country in his blood. In 2018, Ricky Moore, Redick's father, was inducted into the Wheeling University Athletics Hall of Fame. He was a two-time NCAA All-American, four-time Academic All-American and a two-time WVIAC Athlete of the Year in both track & field and cross country. In total, he qualified for seven NCAA National Championships events, was a four-time All-WVIAC honoree, a two-time all-region selection, won six individual WVIAC championships, and finished in third place at the 2004 NCAA Indoor Championships in the 5000-meter run to garner All-America status.
The Cardinals have a new face at the helm that will lead the team to as their new head coach. Gregg Schmitt brings 19 years of coaching experience at the high school and collegiate level to make him the fifth head coach in the program's history. He is coming off two seasons with LaRoche College as the Men's and Women's Head Cross Country Coach. In 2022, Schmitt helped the Women's team claim fourth place in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Championships, while the Men's Cross Country team placed 7th during the 2023 season.
The Wheeling University Men's Cross Country team will make their first appearance in the Bob Creamer Memorial 3K on Friday, August 29th at 4:30pm on the campus of Wheeling University. The team's first competition will be the West Liberty University Invitational on September 4th at 5pm.
