Wheeling, W.Va. — After running two straight weekends, Wheeling University’s men’s and women’s cross country teams earned a much-needed week off last week. Things are heating up again for the Cardinals, however, as they head out to the Lock Haven Go Fast River Run on Saturday, with the women racing at 2:00 p.m. followed by the men at 2:45 p.m. It will be the Cardinals’ final vote for the regular season as they prepare to face the best of the best in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) at the MEC Championships on November 5.
Last time out, the Cardinals took on the Lewis Crossover in Romeoville, Illinois, and while not everyone ran, it was still a successful meeting. In the women’s event, the Cardinals finished in the top 100 with two runners, led by Savanaugh Andersons 82nd place and best run of the season. In the men’s only three runners went on the course, but a big PR went off Julius Hobbs was the highlight of the day as he broke the 30-minute mark for the first time in his college career. It was stiff competition for the Cardinals, which they used to prepare for the MEC championships in two weeks.
The women’s three best runners come Savanaugh Anderson, Caroline Fodorand Sydney Hambel led the Cardinals all season. head coach Patrick Stanton is enthusiastic about the work they have done so far and believes all three can compete with some of the top talent the conference has to offer. All three finished within a few places in each race as they built up their 6K times. Anderson has been the top runner in events so far this season and is the only one to break the 24-minute mark this season, but both Fodor and Hambel have been within that 24-minute time frame this season.
For the men, it was a big day for second graders Julius Hobbs, who broke the 30-minute mark for the first time in his college career. He ran a time of 29:32.60 and finished 205th in the field and had the best mile of the season that day at 5:57. Hobbs made a huge contribution to the Wheeling Track & Field team as a multi-event athlete last season and brings some of that success to cross country. The Cardinals have continued to be guided by work Izaiha Browningwho had another successful meeting and finished 131st with a time of 26:22.10.
The Cardinals head into this final meetup to make the adjustments they need to face off against some of the conference’s best of the best. Running the Lock Haven Go Fast River Run gives Wheeling two advantages as it is a fast course and will also be the site of the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships in mid-November. Stanton said it’s a fast track and his athletes try to match that pace throughout the day. It’s going to be a big opportunity for the Cardinals as they try to line up some new PRs and prepare for what lies ahead.
race details
The Lock Haven Go Fast River Run will be held on the campus of Lock Haven University, home of the 2022 NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships. The women will run a 6K course again this week, while the men will run an 8K course as they prepare for the conference championships. The course offers a fast course for the runners with very minimal inclines to allow the athletes to get their full potential out of their run.
The last time the Cardinals ran at Lock Haven University was last season when they competed in the LHU Open Invitational. Leading for the men in this race Izaiha Browningwho finished 160th with a time of 28:29.0, and Savanaugh Anderson led the women in 23:45.5 and finished 65th overall.
The details
The women’s 6K race is scheduled to start at 14:00 on Saturday, followed by the men’s 8K race at 14:45. You can follow live race results throughout the day by clicking HERE.
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