Wheeling, W. Va. - Last weekend, the best of the best in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) gathered in Huntington, West Virginia for the 2026 MEC Indoor Track & Field Championships. The Cardinals had eight athletes competing across four events, as they finished 10th as a team, but brought home some individual success. That effort was led by freshman Alex Rodriguez, who took home the MEC title in the Pole Vault to earn First Team All-MEC honors.
In his first season of collegiate track & field, Rodriguez has made the most of his opportunities in the event. Rodriguez had been pushing himself throughout the year, no heighting in back-to-back events, but he put that work to good use in the championship event. He would start his day at 4.35 Meters, and casually made his way over the bar on the first try. He had similar success at the 4.45 meter height, hitting his first hiccup of the day at 4.52 meters. After clipping the bar on the first vault, Rodriguez would get enough momentum to get over it on the second try. He would rebound with a first try effort over the 4.70 meter mark, and went into 4.80 meters as the only MEC competitor left. He would clear 4.80 on the second try, and would move to 4.86 meters. He nearly cleared the bar on his final jump of the day, but ended up falling short. It wasn't a matter of if he would claim the title, but how high he would go as Rodriguez took home First Team honors.
It was the first First Team honors of Rodriguez's career and he not only made his mark at the conference level, but on the National level as well. His vault was good to rank him #55 in all of NCAA Division II, and would beat his previous PR by 0.35 meters. He would also hit the NCAA provisional mark for the Men's Pole Vault, becoming the only athlete in the MEC to hit the mark in the event this season. He bested the next closest conference competitor by .54 meters and cleared at least 4.40 meters in each of his two recorded heights this season. Rodriguez looks to continue being a leader for the Cardinals as they head towards outdoor season in March and April.
With Rodriguez taking home All-MEC honors, the Wheeling Athletic Department has now had 42 student-athletes earn All-Conference honors this season. He is the first First Team honoree for the Cardinals since the 2023-2024 season, when former Cardinal Moses Koroma earned First Team Honors in the 60-Meter Hurdles. The last team to be honored was the Wheeling Women's Swimming program, who finished with eight All-MEC honors at the MEC/GMAC Swimming & Diving Championships.
The Wheeling University Men's Track & Field team now has their sights set on outdoor season as they continue to develop their young talent.
