All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

Wesleyan X-C teams run at CMU Invitational

West Virginia Wesleyan’s cross country teams posted strong results at the CMU Invitational, with the women finishing fifth (163 points) and the men taking third (130 points) amid competitive regional fields.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The West Virginia Wesleyan College cross country teams turned in a strong collective effort at the CMU Invitational.

WOMEN

The Wesleyan women earned a fifth-place team finish out of 19 scoring programs. The Bobcats posted a team score of 163 points and a cumulative team time of 1:32:44.2 over the 5K course at Schenley Park.

Wesleyan was a top Mountain East Conference (MEC) representative in the field, finishing just behind Point Park (4th, 114 pts) and ahead of Glenville State (6th, 172 pts). The event featured competitors from programs across NCAA Division II and III, including Edinboro, Ashland, and Slippery Rock, who took the top three team spots

Individual Highlights
Junior Lindsey Dillon paced the Bobcats with a standout performance, placing 9th overall with a time of 17:51.8, less than a minute off the winning pace set by Glenville State’s Natalie Barr (17:06.7).

Junior Mariam Al-Zoubi followed closely behind in 19th at 18:12.5, marking her best collegiate finish to date.

Senior Marimo Akita added crucial team points, clocking 18:29.3 for 29th place, while Sofia Pancoast finished 47th in 18:58.6.

Rounding out Wesleyan’s top five, Dakota Johnson crossed the line in 59th at 19:12.0, securing the team’s total score of 163

Two additional Bobcats contributed strong efforts for depth scoring: Taylor Hess finished 68th (19:28.9), and Jessica Williams placed 98th (20:48.5). Wesleyan’s top-five gap was just 1:21, reflecting one of the tightest packs in the field.

The Lady Bobcats will continue their fall season at the Mountain East Conference Championships later this month, where they’ll look to build on their momentum and challenge for a podium finish.

Top WVWC Finishers:
Runner Place Time Pace
Lindsey Dillon 9 17:51.8 5:45/M
Mariam Al-Zoubi 19 18:12.5 5:52/M
Marimo Akita 29 18:29.3 5:57/M
Sofia Pancoast 47 18:58.6 6:06/M
Dakota Johnson 59 19:12.0 6:11/M

MEN

The Wesleyan men’s cross country team delivered a strong team showing, finishing third overall in a competitive 19-team field at the Carnegie Mellon University Invitational held at Schenley Park. The Bobcats posted a team score of 130 points with a total time of 2:08:47.0, averaging 25:45 per runner over the 8K course

Leading the way was Kent Niland, who continued his outstanding junior campaign by placing 7th overall with a time of 25:07.1 (5:03/mile pace). Close behind, Jonathan Norton ran 25:25.9, finishing 16th and giving Wesleyan two runners inside the top-20.

Erik Nygaard continued the team’s strong front-pack presence, clocking 25:47.4 for 26th place, while Griffin Thomas (37th, 26:06.6) and Anthony Sanders (44th, 26:20.0) rounded out the scoring five

Senior Peyton Slider (73rd, 27:05.7) and Micah Evans (119th, 31:57.4) also competed, providing valuable depth for the Bobcats in a race featuring top regional talent from Ashland, Carnegie Mellon, and Glenville State.

Wesleyan’s third-place team finish trailed only Ashland University (1st, 20 points) and Carnegie Mellon (2nd, 95 points), while edging Point Park (165) and CMU Alumni (179) to claim the final podium spot.

The Bobcats will return to action at the Mountain East Conference Championship later this month.

West Virginia Wesleyan Individual Results
Runner Time Place
Kent Niland 25:07.1 7th
Jonathan Norton 25:25.9 16th
Erik Nygaard 25:47.4 26th
Griffin Thomas 26:06.6 37th
Anthony Sanders 26:20.0 44th
Peyton Slider 27:05.7 73rd
Micah Evans 31:57.4 119th

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