Wheeling, W. Va. - With the 2026 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships just a week and a half away, the Wheeling University Outdoor Track & Field team is hitting the road for one last tune-up. They head to the annual Otterbein Twilight Invitational, hosted by Otterbein University, beginning at 11:30 AM. It will be the final tune-up for the Cardinals as the young athletes prepare for their first-ever Outdoor Track & Field Conference Championship event.
Last time out, the Cardinals competed at the Westminster Invitational, where both teams set several more PR's as they continue to grow in their specific events. On the men's side, the Cardinals would pick up four top 10 finishes, splitting the success between the track and field events. Of those top 10 finishes, two would be PR efforts for the Cardinals as they finished as some of the top competitors in the conference at the event. On the women's side, Wheeling would finish with two top five finishers at the event, with both of those athletes setting PR's at the event. Just like the men, the top five finishes were split between the track and the field athletes, while two other athletes made their season debuts in their specific events.
Leading the way on the men's side was thrower Felix Manyani, who finished second in the Men's Javelin with a distance of 58.25 meters. It was the second time this season that he finished over the 55-meter mark, finishing just 1.46 meters below his PR from the season opener. He would hit the mark on his first throw of the day, and hit 50-meters or longer on three of his six throws at the event. He would finish second among the MEC competitors at the event and, for his efforts, he would win the MEC's Co-Men's Track & Field Athelte of the Week for the first time in his career. On the track, it was freshman Kris Vigars leading the way, taking sixth place in the 400-Meter Hurdles. He would run a time of 58.29 seconds, lowering his time for the fourth straight event. He looks to get under the 58 second mark in his final tune-up and continue his growth in the event.
On the women's side, the Cardinals were led by junior Madison Conrad, who made her season debut in the 10,000 meter dash. She would finish third among the competitors in the field, running a time of 40:18.35 to set a new collegiate PR in the event. It was good enough for a top 20 finish among both men and women in the field, finishing 11th in the combined results, and moved her to sixth in the MEC in the event. Conrad has been the leader for the distance group this season, and looks to continue to be that leader in conference. On the field, it was Autumn Kerchner who took control of the throws, competing in both the discus and the shot put. Her top event would come in the Discus, where she finished fourth overall with a distance of 37.91 meters. She would add to that effort a PR in the Women's Shot Put, throwing a distance of 9.90 meters to finish 22nd in the field.
For their final regular season event of the season, the Cardinals will be taking on their third NCAA DI event of the outdoor season. The Cardinals have had at least five top 10 finishes in nearly every event this season, and it has been reflected on the MEC Performance list. The Cardinals currently have two athletes leading the conference in their respective events, with Alexander Rodriguez and Jenna Smith each leading the Pole Vault event, while three other athletes sit in the top three in their respective events. Last season, each program only got one athlete on the podium a season ago and they will be looking to add more to that list at this year's event.
Expected Participants
Gabby Baiano (3000 Steeple), Luci Banks (3000 Steeple), Jezabella Cohen (Mile), Autumn Kerchner (HJ/SP/DT/JT), Autumn King (HJ), Rebekkah Merinar (100), Mariah Pelkey (HT/JT), JayLynn Shapely (DT), Nyja Short (100), Fenne Sienaert (100/JT), Jenna Smith (PV), Jade Trowell (800), Amber Yoho (DT), Jacob Legg (HJ/JT), Taven Mayo (100/PV), Reddick Moore (5000), Roy Paz Jr. (100), Alexander Rodriguez (PV), Hunter Tomich (800/3000 Steeple), Kris Vigars (400 H), Abenezer Yirdaw (100)
The Details
The 2026 Otterbein Twilight Invitational is scheduled for Friday, April 17th, inside Memorial Stadium on the campus of Otterbein University. You can follow along with Live Results by clicking HERE.
