Wheeling, W. Va. - The Wheeling University Men's Track & Field team turned the calendar to April when they traveled to Ohio University Friday for the Cherry Blossom Invitational. The Cardinals were out in full force on their only one-day event of the outdoor season, and the young team responded with a pair of top five finishes. The success was split between the track and the field, with Wheeling continuing to challenge themselves against top competition from around the region.
The highest individual finish of the day came from the field when Alexander Rodriguez competed in the Men's Pole Vault. He would set a new season-high for the outdoor season, finishing second overall with a height of 4.40 meters. He would finish second among NCAA DII athletes in the field, falling 0.47 meters behind Cedarville's Andrew Suter for the top spot. 4.40 meters would be where Rodriguez entered the field, after passing on the first eight heights of the event. After failing on his first vault, Rodriguez would clear the bar on try number two, and was one of only two athletes to clear the height. As the bar got raised to 4.55 meters, Rodriguez was unable to clear the bar and rounded out the day. He increased his height from the Tim Weaver Invitational by 0.15 meters, and continues his preparation for the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championships.
On the track, it was sophomore Magnus Polkner leading the way as he took on the 800-Meter Run. He would also finish second among the NCAA DII athletes in the field, putting up a time of 1:54.54, finishing just three seconds off the mark of Ohio State's Jaxson Eckert. Through the first 400 meters of the race, Polkner held the top spot in the field with a time of 540 seconds. However, holding just a .5 second lead would turn out to not be enough as Eckert and Cedarville's Brandon Rogers would both overtake him in the second lap. It would be Polkner's second run at the 800 during the outdoor season, and he once again hit the 1:54 mark, finishing just 0.23 seconds behind the time he put up at the Marty Pushkin Invitational.
There would be one more top 10 finish on the day, and it would come courtesy of Kris Vigars in the 400-Meter Hurdles. The freshman would set a new PR in the event, finishing seventh overall with a time of 58.79 seconds. It was the third straight meet in which Vigars dropped his time in the event, as he took off nearly a second from his run at the Tim Weaver Invitational. The track events would start with the 100-Meter Dash, with Roy Paz Jr., Taven Mayo, and Abenezer Yirdaw all running. Paz would lead the way, finishing 27th overall with a time of 12.05 seconds in his outdoor track debut. The spring events would continue with the 200-Meter Dash, with Erick Berroa hitting the track and taking 25th overall with a time of 23.04. Jacob Legg would also compete in the event, and rounded out the day with a time of 24.39, taking 34th in the field.
The field events would round out the day, with the jumpers taking the stage in the long jump. It would be Marcelin Tote competing for the Cardinals, and he would end up finishing 11th overall with a distance of 4.88 meters. He would hit the mark on his first jump of the night, to round out the day for the Cardinals.
The Wheeling University Outdoor Track & Field team returns to action on Friday, April 10th, when they compete on day one of the Westminster Invitational.
