Lock Haven, PA. - The Wheeling University Men's Cross Country team hit the course for the second time this season when they traveled to Lock Haven University on Saturdauy. All three of the Cardinals finishers improved on their previous times as Wheeling is continues to gear up for the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championships later next month.

Pacing the Cardinals on the day was freshman Izaiah Browning was the Cardinals top finisher, posting his best time of the 2021 season. He ran the 8K course in 28:29.0 and finished 160^th overall in the field. Browning improved his time by a full two minutes, while setting a personal best for his young collegiate career.

The other two finishers on the day for the Men's team were freshman Darrien Tillet and freshman CJ Anderson . Tillet finished six spots behind Browning, running a 28:40.1, and improving on his first race of the year by a minute. Anderson came in 13 spots later at 177, and ran his race in 29:13.1, and also improved from his first race by a full minute. With only three runners in the field, Wheeling did not come in on the team score, but they go the chance to compete against some of the top programs in Division II Men's Cross Country.

Among the MEC Competition at the event were the University of Charleston, West Virginia Wesleyan, Frostburg State, Davis & Elkins, and West Liberty. Charleston won the team portion of the event, and no MEC team placed lower than 15^th in the 20 team field. Browning finished 40^th among MEC opponents, while Tillet finished 43^rd and Anderson finished 45^th among the MEC field. It helped to give the men a gauge of where they are and where they have to go to be competitive at the MEC Championships on October 23^rd.

The Wheeling University Men's Cross Country team is back in action on October 9^th when they head to the Carnegie Mellon University Invite.