Wheeling, W. Va. - As they entered the 2025-2026 Outdoor Track & Field season, change was in the air for the program. They had a new head coach in Ben Healy and several young stars looking to make their impact at the collegiate level. Those young athletes continued to develop throughout the season and were able to place three athletes on the podium at the 2026 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships, setting a solid foundation for the team to build on in the future.
After battling through the indoor season, the Cardinals competed across seven different events throughout the year. Healy balanced the schedule with two NCAA Division I meets surrounding three regional competitions in the middle. They started things off with a bang at the WVU Marty Pushkin Invitational, with the field events leading the charge, and that success continued throughout the season. As they approached the conference championship meet, the Cardinals had one athlete leading the conference in her event and four others sitting within the top three. They carried that momentum into the 2026 MEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, placing three athletes on the podium and doubling their team point total from the previous season.
Leading the youth movement for the Cardinals was freshman Fenne Sinaert, who ranked in the top three in both of her events throughout the outdoor season. Her top performance came in the women's heptathlon, where she set a season-high mark of 4,563 points. That performance came at the 2026 MEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships and established a new Wheeling program record. She finished in the top three in six of the seven events, including first-place finishes in the shot put (9.94m), javelin (38.27m), and high jump (1.56m). Her other standout event was the javelin throw, where she ranked third in the conference. She narrowly missed the podium at the Outdoor Track & Field Championships, but did set a personal record with her throw as part of the heptathlon. Sinaert looks to continue leading the multi-events group as her career progresses.
Leading the way at the Outdoor Track & Field Championships was graduate student Jenna Pew, who competed in the women's pole vault. She earned First Team All-MEC honors in the event, clearing 3.15 meters to claim the conference title. It marked the first outdoor All-MEC honor of her career after joining the Cardinals following her run with the Acrobatics & Tumbling team. The final All-MEC honoree for the Cardinals was Autumn Kerchner who, like Sinaert, competed in multiple events. Her All-MEC honor came in the women's discus throw, where she reached a distance of 41.09 meters to finish third overall. It was part of a big day at the conference championships, where Kerchner also set personal records in the high jump (1.60m) and javelin throw (34.42m) to round out the day.
As they look ahead to the 2026-2027 season, several of the Cardinals' leaders will return to action. Wheeling is set to bring back 10 of the 13 women on its roster, with six of those athletes being freshmen. With Healy entering his first full season as the team's head coach, he has a strong foundation to build on while adding fresh young talent to supplement the returning core. The Cardinals also gained valuable experience at the Akron Last Chance Meet, giving them a glimpse of what it takes to compete among the nation's best. The young Cardinals will look to build on their early success and continue climbing the MEC ladder.
The Wheeling Women's Track & Field team now heads into the offseason looking to grow and build for the future.
