Wheeling, W. Va. - After weather had other plans for their opening race, the Wheeling University Cross Country team is ready to hit the course for the first time on Friday. The team will run at the Robert Morris Invitational, with the women running a 6K at 8:30 AM, followed by the men's 8K at 9:10 AM. It will be the first run of the year for the Cardinals as they look to make a strong first impression.
The Cardinals were supposed to open their 2026 a week ago at the West Liberty Invitational, but local storms in the area had other plans. After waiting in the vans for the storm to pass, the runners would go through their pre-race routine ahead of what was supposed to be a combined 5K between the men and the women. However, just as the race was about to start, another lightning strike would bring the proceedings to a halt and the event was cancelled. The Cardinals are still looking to add another race to their schedule, as they get set to jump into their first race of the season against opponents across all three levels of the NCAA.
For junior women's runner Madison Conrad, it will be a homecoming as she returns to Robert Morris after transferring to Wheeling two years ago. Conrad is coming off a big year with the Cardinals as a junior, where she finished just three spots shy of earning All-Conference honors, finishing 23rd overall at last year's MEC Cross Country Championships. Conrad set both her 5K and 6K PR's a season ago, and was one of three Cardinals to run in the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Championships. She will be joined by a group of experienced runners on the course, with the four other runners on the team each competing in their sophomore seasons.
On the men's side, it will be Redick Moore leading the way in his first Cross Country season with the Cardinals. He missed the entire Cross Country season a year ago after suffering an injury that would keep him out until the outdoor season. He would get his first collegiate experience on the track, where he competed in both the 5000 and the 10000 meter run during the spring. He has been putting together strong times throughout the fall camp, and looks to translate that onto the course. The men will be surrounded by several first-year cross-country runners who will look to make their impact on this year's team.
As they get set to open their 2026 season, the Cross Country team will get to compete against some of the top talent in the region in the first of two NCAA DI meets. After running at Robert Morris on Friday, the Cardinals will be back in action in two weeks at the Youngstown State Invitational. It will be a nice challenge for the young Cardinal runners as they get to set their benchmarks for the season that they will build on for the rest of the season. Distance coach Chase Stewart, he is just looking for his runners to run their race and continue to improve from their fall times and continue improving for the 2026 MEC Cross Country Championships.
Expected Runners
Women
Madison Conrad
Luci Banks
Jezzabella Cohen
Jade Trowell
Miracle Jones
Men
Redick Moore
Conner Black
Jayson Bell
Brody
Daelyn
The Details
The Robert Morris Invitational is scheduled for Friday, September 11, at the Youthtowne Fields on campus. You can follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
