Wheeling, W. Va. – Throughout the indoor season, the Wheeling University Track & Field team put several of their young athletes on display, gaining experience in their events. As they get ready to take things outside, that experience will continue to be built throughout the team, with the elements added in. On Thursday, the team announced their 2026 Outdoor Track & Field schedule, featuring five regular season meets leading up to the 2026 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

During the 2025 outdoor season, the Cardinals competed across a variety of events from both NCAA DII and DI competition. It began on the DI stage, with the Cardinals traveling to nearby Mylan Park for the WVU Marty Pushkin Invitational. It gave the team a first look at the site of the conference championship event, before they following it up with their first look at  conference play. They would then head to the Tim Weaver Invitational, hosted by West Liberty University, where the Cardinals had two top 10 finishers. The rest of their schedule alternated between DII and DI competition, with the young Cardinals taking on the Dave Labor Invitational and Mount Olive Relays while the veterans challenged themselves at Duke and Otterbein. It led to the conference championship event, where the Cardinals finished 10^th out of 10 teams, with three athletes finding their spots on the podium.

For the second season in a row, the Cardinals will open the outdoor season at the site of the Conference Championship event. The team will compete at the Marty Pushkin Invitational, hosted by WVU at Mylan Park. It will give some of their young athletes a first look at the site of the conference championship event, while also giving them a chance to see some top DI competition. They follow that up with their first conference event of the year at the Tim Weaver Invitational, hosted by West Liberty University. Several of their conference opponents will be running at the event, giving the team a chance to compare themselves with top conference competition. As they look towards their April schedule, it's a sprint to the conference championships, with three events to round out the regular season.

IT starts with the Cherry Blossom Open, hosted by the University of Ohio, giving the Cardinals their second DI Tournament appearance. It start a month that will see the team compete across all three levels of the NCAA over their final four events of the Outdoor Season. After running at the Cherry Blossom Open, the Cardinals will head to nearby Westminster College for the Westminster Open. It will serve as a confidence booster for the young Cardinals as they get some of their young talent some experience. They round out the year at the Otterbein Twilight, giving them one last run before the conference championships. The 2026 MEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships is set for May 27^th – 28^th at Mylan Park in Morgantown, West Virginia.

The Wheeling University Outdoor Track & Field team kicks off the 2026 outdoor season on Friday, March 20^th, when they compete at the Marty Pushkin Invitational.