Wheeling, W. Va. - As the 2026 season nears, the Wheeling University Men's Cross Country team is gearing up to get on the course. Despite the team's small numbers, the Cardinals have veteran talent to build around as they get set to compete across their Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule. That experience will be tested right away, with a combination of regional and NCAA DI events headlining the 2026 schedule.
In 2025, the Cardinals had a young unit on the course and challenged themselves with a heavy regional schedule. They kicked off the year against MEC opponent West Liberty, seeing the conference competition they would compete against the rest of the way right out of the gate. As the schedule continued, the Cardinals traveled to Bethany, Lock Haven, and Carnegie Mellon along the way, with each course offering unique challenges. Through the course of the regular season, every Cardinal runner set at least one PR, leading up to the 2025 MEC Cross Country Championships. Running against the best that the conference had to offer, the Cardinals would place two in the top 70 across the challenging Oglebay course. The year ended at the NCAA DII Atlantic Region Cross Country Championships, where the Cardinals placed another runner in the top 100 to round out the year.
Leading the young roster will be junior Magnus Polkner, who had a breakout year on the Cross Country course for the Cardinals a season ago. Across his four fall runs, Polkner would lower his 8K time in each of his runs during the regular season, setting his PR at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational with a time of 26:39.5. In the postseason, Polkner would continue his leadership, being the team's top runner at both the MEC Championships and the NCAA DII Regional Championships. He hit his final PR of the season at that Regional Championship event, running the 10K event in 33:03.8. As he heads into the 2026 season, Polkner is looking to continue building on last season's success as he steps into the leadership role as the most veteran presence on this year's team.
He will be supplemented by Courtney Rider and Reddick Moore, who will each look to build off last year's experience. Moore had to miss the 2025 Cross Country season due to an injury, but returned as a member of the distance crew during outdoor season. He would compete in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meter run, with his best finish coming at the West Liberty Invitational, where he set his 5,000 PR with a time of 17:59.44. Rider competed in his first-ever Cross Country season a year ago and made the most of his opportunity. He saw success right away, running his opening 6K in 23:00.4, and was able to crack the 30-minute mark for the first time at the Lock Haven Invitational with a time of 29:58.1. In year two as a collegiate Cross Country runner, Rider looks to continue his growth on the course and help lead the team.
As they head into the 2026 season, the Cardinals will once again challenge themselves, this time adding in some NCAA Division I meets throughout the year. They kick off 2026 the same way they started 2025, running at the West Liberty Invitational on Thursday, September 3. They follow that with back-to-back NCAA DI invitationals, running at Robert Morris on September 11 and Youngstown State on September 26. Their final regular season meet will take them to the Carnegie Mellon Invitational on October 10, giving them one more fast course before heading to the Conference Championships. This year's championship event date has not yet been determined, but will run at the end of October near Oglebay Park. The year will then come to a close on November 21, when the team runs in the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Cross Country Championships.
The Wheeling University Men's Cross Country team begins the 2026 season on Thursday, September 3, when they run at West Liberty.
