Wheeling, W. Va. – In their first race of the season, the Wheeling University Men's Cross Country team battled through the mud and the muck to set their baselines for 2026. With some better weather on their sides, the Cardinals are looking to improve on their numbers as the calendar turns to October. The team will take on the Muskingum Invitational on Saturday, with the 8K beginning at 11 AM, as the team makes up for missing their run last week at Youngstown State.
Before a team illness cost them their run at Youngstown State, the Cardinals would take on the Robert Morris Invitational three weeks ago. It was their first NCAA DI event of the year, seeing them compete against runners from all three levels of the NCAA. In a field that included more than 130 runners, the Cardinals were able to place one runner inside the top 110 of the event, with all five runners making their collegiate Cross Country debuts. They were one of four Mountain East Conference (MEC) teams in the field, and Wheeling would place one runner in the top 40 among the NCAA DI and DII competitors in the field. With slightly better conditions this week, the Cardinals look to build on those baselines with two more runs to go before the MEC Men's Cross Country Championships.
Leading the effort was sophomore Redick Moore, who after having his first collegiate race cancelled due to weather, he would get to make his collegiate debut at Robert Morris University. He would finish 104th overall, running a time of 29:55.83 as he competed across the muddy course. He was able to crack the top 20 of the MEC runners, finishing 19th among conference opponents, and was the lone Cardinal to crack the top 40 between NCAA DI and DII. He would put together a mile pace of just over six minutes a mile, and looks to drop below that number this time out. With better conditions and a field of NCAA DII and DIII runners, Moore will be looking to lower his time and continue his preparation for the MEC Men's Cross Country Championships.
Helping the team this year are several runners from the Men's Track & Field team, with one runner being a holdover from the Robert Morris race. Conner Black will run in his second collegiate Cross Country race and was the top finisher among the Track athletes at Robert Morris. He would run a time of 43:07.28 in his first 8K, putting together a mile pace of 8:40. Black looks to continue lowering that time as the season continues. Joining him from the Track team will be three new runners, with Jacob Legg, Dallas Gambrell, and Izaiah Taylor joining the fray. All three will be running Cross Country for the first time, and look to help the Cardinals as they continue their regular season.
The Muskingum Invitational is run at the Moorehead Farm in nearby New Concord, Ohio, with the Men's race running first at 11 AM, followed by the women's race at noon. The field will consist of competition from all three levels of the NCAA, with last year's field consisting of everyone from WVU's Cross Country club to local NCAA DIII talent. Distance Coach Chase Stewart is looking for his team to continue building off their strong start of the season and focus on running a clean race. With a course that hasn't been affected by rain in the last few days, the Cardinals hope to get better traction and get one step closer to the MEC Cross Country Championships.
The Details
The 2026 Muskingum Daniel Mullen Memorial Invitational is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, with the Men's 8K beginning at 11 AM at local Moorehead Farm. Stay tuned to wucardinals.com for a live result link and a full recap following the race.
