HUNTINGTON, West Virginia — The Marietta College cross country team opened the 2026 racing season at the Thundering Herd Invitational Friday (Sept. 4) morning. The Pioneer men placed sixth, while the women competed as individuals.
 
Charleston won the men's team title with 21 points. Marshall was second with 42 points, followed by Glenville State (83 points), Fairmont State (106), Pikeville (140), Marietta (190), and Bluefield State (197).
 
Charleston had the top four finishers in the 5,000-meter race. Matthew Meli crossed the line in 14:18.6 for the win. Kevin Hernandez (Plymouth, Ohio/Willard) led the Pioneers with a 33rd place finish posting a time of 17:08.4.
 
Hunter Uptain (Millersburg, Ohio/West Holmes) finished in 19:12.7, good for 57th. Ryan Bertolino (Marlton, N.J./Paul VI) placed 63rd with a time of 20:26.2, followed by Cooper Warren (Logan, Ohio/Logan) (22:20.4), Hunter Wick (Seymour, Ind./Seymour) (22:48.0), and Jayden Flores (Newark, Ohio) (22:56.6). Wick's time was a new personal best.
 
Audrey Helmick (Berkeley Springs, W.Va./Berkeley Springs) posted a time of 21:04.2 to lead the Marietta women. Alexi Wagers ran a 23:15.8, while Leilani Navarro (Mineral Wells, W.Va./Wood County Christian School) crossed the finish line in 26:53.1.
 
Marietta is back in action at the All-Ohio Championship on Friday, September 18 hosted by Cedarville University.
 
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on X and Instagram.