Wheeling, W. Va. - As the temperature outside begins to thaw, the Wheeling University Track & Field team emerges from their indoor season, and brings things outside for their Outdoor Track & Field opener. Their first stop will take them down to Morgantown, West Virginia and Mylan Park as they participate in the Marty Pushkin Invitational, hosted by West Virginia University. The event will be held at the site of the 2026 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships, giving the team a sneak preview of their competition field later this season.
Last outdoor season, the Cardinals also brought with them a young roster, and competed against a variety of competition levels throughout the season. They started the season at the same Marty Pushkin Invitational event, giving them a strong start right away against DI Competition. They then headed to their first conference event at the Tim Weaver Invitational, and set their early season bench marks. Over the final four regular season events, the Cardinals would face a heavy DI pool, with three of their final four events coming against DI opponents. They would head to the MEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, with three Cardinals earning All-MEC honors between the men's and women's programs. Those three honorees would move on to the last chance meets, rounding out the season for the young Cardinals in the field.
After a strong indoor season, junior Madison Conrad will look to once again be a leader on the track for the women's side. She regularly competed in both the 800 and the Mile throughout indoor season, with the 800 being her top event. She would set her PR at the SPIRE College Indoor Games, running a time of 2:24.61, and finishing 9th overall. She will be a leader for the distance group throughout the season as she chases down an All-MEC honor. In the field, Autumn King is coming off All-MEC honors in the High Jump, and will look to continue that success into the outdoor season. She set a new PR with a height of 1.60 meters at the MEC Indoor Track & Field Championships, being one of just five jumpers at the event to compete at the height.
On the men's side, the success continues in the field event, led by the MEC's Indoor Pole Vault champion Alex Rodriguez. The freshman was the lone All-MEC honoree for the Cardinals, and broke a string of no height performances at the championship event. He would set a big PR at the event, breaking how old number by .35 meters with a height of 4.80 meters. It would take him three tries to clear the height, but on the third try he would vault himself over the bar to win the crown. The track events will also be led by the distance group, with Magnus Polkner coming off a breakout indoor season. He would set and break the 1000-Meter Dash, setting the new program mark at the YSU Mid-Major. It was one of two PR's he set at the event, running a time of 2:28.60 to set the new program mark. He would also set his 400 PR at the same event, running a time of 52.02 to round out the day.
For the second season in a row, the Cardinals will be heading to the Marty Pushkin Invitational for their season-opening event. They kick things off with a two-day event, with Friday starting things off with the Weight Throw and the Javelin, followed by the 5000 Meter Run. The rest of the event will be held on Saturday, March 21st. It will be an opportunity for the young Cardinal team to see DI competition right out of the gate, while also getting a chance to scope out the competition arena for the 2026 MEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. 17 Cardinals will be competing in the arena for the first time in their careers, and will look to gin valuable experience to start the season.
Expected Competitors
Luci Banks (1500/3000 Steeple), Gabby Baiano (1500), Madison Conrad (1500), Autumn Kerchner (HJ/DT), Rebekkah Merinar (100), Mariah Pelkey (HT/JT), Jalynn Shapley (SP/DT), Fenne Sienaert (100 Hurdles/JT), Jade Trowell (400), Amber Yoho (SPDT), Erick Berroa (JT), Tyler Crook (800), Jacob Legg (HJ), Felix Manyani (JT), Reddick Moore (1500), Magnus Polkner (800), Alexander Rodriguez (PV), Hunter Tomich (1500), Marcelin Tote (LJ), Kris Vigars (400 Hurdles), Abeneezer Yirdaw (100)
The Details
The 2026 Marty Pushkin Invitational is set to begin on Friday, March 21st, with first events beginning at 10 AM. Follow along with Live Results by clicking HERE.
