Morgantown, W. Va. – The 2026 outdoor Track & field schedule kicked off for the Wheeling Outdoor Track & Field team at the Marty Pushkin Invitational. The Cardinals had two competitors in the Javelin, with both picking up top five finishes. Among those competitors was the Cardinals first individual event champion of the season, as they propelled the team into day two.
Leading the way was sophomore Felix Manyani, who won the event and hit the NCAA Provisional mark in the season opening event. He would throw a distance of 59.71, going over the 55 meter mark on each of his throws on the night. He started off strong with a distance of 55.34 meters and it was on his second throw of the day that he would hit his event winning mark. It was the top distance in the MEC so far this season and beat the rest of the competition field by seven meters. He held off Frostburg State's Owen Butler for the top spot in the field and looks to continue leading the event down the stretch.
The other Cardinal to place in the top five was Erick Berroa, who finished fourth overall in the field. Berroa would set a PR, throwing a distance of 50.73 meters, breaking his previous top mark by just under three meters. After started by the day with a 39.87 meters, Berroa came back on throw number two and hit 48.76. while his PR was already broken, he took it a step further on throw #3, setting his mark that got him into the top five. It was a strong start for the Javelin group as they look to lead the field events throughout the season.
The Wheeling Men's Track & Field team returns for day two of the Marty Pushkin Invitational on Saturday, March 21st, with first events at 10 AM.
