Bethany, W. Va. - After running through three regular season races, the Wheeling University Men's Cross Country team began their postseason slate on Saturday when they traveled to the Bethany College Soccer and Equestrian Complex. They would compete in the 2026 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Cross Country Championships, with all 11 teams across the conference competing. Wheeling would finish 11th overall, with each of their five runners competing in the event for the first time in their careers as they rounded out the day.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was sophomore Redick Moore, who led the way with a 96th place finish, running a time of 36:08.1 in his first conference Championship event. He would get through the first 4K of the night in 18:04.4, and would hold that average for the rest of the course. As he got to the 6K mark, he would hit the 27:24.8 time frame, needing nine minutes to traverse the 2K. He would put together his fastest kick to end the race, running the final 2K in 8:43.3 before crossing the finish line. For Moore, it was a good first experience in what was his first Conference Championship experience as he looks to continue his growth into the postseason.
The Cardinals would send five more runners to the course, with each of them making their conference championship debut. Taven Mayo would finish right on the heels of Moore taking 97th with a time of 36:08.5. it was a new PR for the sophomore, who competed in just his second career Crosz Country event. The other PR on the day would come from freshman Connor Black, who ran a time of 42:15.4 to place 98th in the field. Rounding out the day for the Cardinals were Daelyn Harris and Isaiah Taylor, who finished 99th and 100th overall with times of 42:48.3 and 44:47.9 respectively.
The Wheeling University Men's Cross Country team returns to action on Saturday, November 21, when they compete at the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Championships.
