Bethany, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Men's Cross Country team made a return trip to Bethany, West Virginia on Saturday after racing their a week ago. The Cardinals would take on the same course in a longer format, running their first 8K of the season, and Wheeling improved their placing, taking fifth in the field. The Cardinals had two runners in the top 20 of the event, as the veterans once again paced the team as they continue to grow on the course.
Leading the way was sophomore Magnus Polkner, who made his season debut for the Cardinals after missing the first race. The sophomore burst onto the scene, running a time of 27:48.1 and cracked the top 10 of the event, taking sixth overall. Polkner had the fastest mile pace of any Cardinal through two races, running 5:36 mile, and finished 37 seconds shy of his 8K PR. The Cardinals' lone Mountain East Conference (MEC) opponent at the event was West Liberty, who finished top of the team field, but Polkner was able to take fourth overall among his conference opponents. Polkner had a strong start to his 2025 season, and looks to continue to be a leader for the Cardinals as they continue through the year.
The other top 20 finisher for the Cardinals was graduate student Hunter Tomich, who finished 17th in the field and ninth among his fellow MEC runners. Tomich would put together a time of 28:54.2 and ran a mile pace of 5:49 at the event. Tomich's mile pace was just seven seconds slower than his first race of the season and was right on pace with his 8K time from his first race a season ago. Rounding out the top three for the Cardinals was Courtney Rider, who took 29th overall with a time of 30:44.5. After getting an introduction to Cross Country last week on a 6K course, Rider performed well in his first 8K race, putting together a mile pace of 6:11 on the day. He nearly matched his mile pace from the first race of the year as he continues to push himself on the course.
The final two runners for the Cardinals were senior Tyler Crook and freshman Aidan McKenna. Crook would end up cracking the top 35 of the event, putting together a time of 33:00.7 and a mile pace of 6:39. It was just the second time in his career that the senior cracked the 34-minute mark and puts him just over 30 seconds behind his 8K PR. McKenna would round out the field for the team, taking 54th overall with a time of 35:54.1, and a mile pace of 7:13.
The Wheeling University Men's Cross Country team returns to action on Saturday, September 27th, when they run at the Lock Haven Invitational at 10 AM.
