Wheeling, W. Va. - Last time out, the Wheeling University Outdoor Track & Field team got an early look at the site of the 2026 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships. With a plethora of Personal Bests at the event, the Cardinals are looking to take their success into a big conference competition. Wheeling will take the short drive up Route 88 when they compete at the Tim Weaver Invitational, hosted by rival West Liberty University.
It would be a two-day event to kick-off the outdoor season for the Cardinals last time as they competed at the Marty Pushkin Invitational. The throwers would get things started on day one, with both the Hammer Throw and Javelin taking the throwing pits. The Cardinals would pick up their first individual event winner right off the gate in the javelin, and it kick started them into the second day of competition. The Cardinals had several PR performances throughout the day on day two, and saw several other athletes compete in their first collegiate outdoor events. Overall, the Cardinals picked up their second individual event championship and added three more top five performances to round out the day. It was a strong showing for the Cardinal competitors and they look to continue to build off their success as the season goes on.
On the men's side, the Cardinals would take home both of their individual champions at the event, splitting the wins between the track & field events. It started on day one in the javelin when Felix Manyani made his collegiate debut in the event and hit the NCAA Provisional mark right out of the gate. He would hit it on his second throw of the day, reaching a distance of 59.71 meters, beating out the rest of the field by just over seven meters. On day two, the win came on the track when Magnus Polkner competed in the 800-Meter Run. He would run a time of 1:54.13. He would beat out DeSales Josef Callano by .42 seconds to take the top spot in the field, continuing his success from the indoor season in the mid-distance game.
On the women's side, the event was led by the field events, with the javelin securing the other individual championship. It came from Fenne Sienaert, who fell just four meters shy of the NCAA Provisional mark competing in the Javelin. She would hit a distance of 38.23 meters, hitting the mark on her first throw of the night. Sienaert competes across multiple events for the Cardinals and started her outdoor season strong. The other top five finish for the cardinals came from Autumn King, who competed in the High Jump and took third overall. She finished just .01 meters shy of her height from the MEC Indoor Championships as she looks to continue building on her All-MEC success from the indoor season.
As the Cardinals close out the month of March, they will get their first big shot against conference competition. While they saw two of their MEC opponents at the Marty Pushkin Invitational, they will get their first look at the West Liberty squad on Friday. The first day of competition will begin with the throwers and the multi's as the Hammer and Javelin throw leading things off. They will follow that up with the Heptathlon and Decathlon, and the day wraps up with the 1500 and 10,000 to round out the day. Day two will see the rest of the competition field compete, with several of Wheeling's stars on the track leading the effort. The Cardinals look to continue stacking PRs as they close out the month of March.
The Details
The Tim Weaver Invitational is set to begin on Friday, March 27th, with first events ast 2 PM. Follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
