BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The Concord University men's cross country team has been predicted to finish third in the Mountain East Conference after the preseason MEC Coaches' Poll was released Thursday afternoon by the league office.
THE POLL
| Place |
Team (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
Charleston (7) |
97 |
| 2. |
Davis & Elkins (4) |
94 |
| 3. |
Concord |
75 |
| 4. |
Frostburg State |
69 |
| 5. |
West Virginia Wesleyan |
60 |
| T-6. |
Glenville State |
58 |
| T-6. |
West Liberty |
58 |
| 8. |
Fairmont State |
34 |
| 9. |
Point Park |
30 |
| 10. |
Wheeling |
20 |
| 11. |
West Virginia State |
10 |
2024 REVIEW
For the 12
th consecutive year, the Mountain Lions finished in the top three at the MEC Championship as they placed third. Now-graduated
Ethan Board and
Logan Zuchelli and junior
Braden Ward were All-MEC Second Team selections. At the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Championship, CU notched its seventh top-five finish in the last eight seasons by placing fourth. Overall, Concord was in the top five as a team in six of the seven meets it competed in last fall.
2025 SCHEDULE
CU's first meet of the season will be the Catawba Fleet Feet Invite in Salisbury, North Carolina September 6. The following weekend, September 12, the Mountain Lions travel to Huntsville, Alabama for the Southern Showcase hosted by Jacksonville State. Another long road trip to Louisville, Kentucky awaits October 4 as Concord competes in the Greater Louisville Classic. The Mountain Lions host their annual home meet October 10. Championship season begins with the MEC Championship October 25 in Wheeling, West Virginia, and the Atlantic Regional Championship is slated for November 8 in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania.
THE RETURNERS
Ward headlines the returners for CU after back-to-back All-MEC seasons. Fellow junior
Andrew Tickle had a breakout sophomore campaign while two more juniors,
Bramley Childress and
AJ Skeens, both had strong finishes to cross country season. Skeens' momentum carried over to the track where he was nearly All-MEC in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Ward just missed all-region honors in 2024 while Childress was in the top 50 of the Atlantic Region last fall.
Connor Cormack,
Alex Irvin and
Johnathan Payne are Concord's senior trio. Irvin was 24
th at last year's MEC Championship and finished 58
th at the regional meet.
THE NEWCOMERS
While Concord does return a substantial amount of experience and talent to this year's roster, the most notable new face is head coach Jonathan Kigel who assumed the head coaching role at Concord in June, taking over for
Mike Cox who spent 25 years in charge of the Concord running programs. Along with Kigel, two freshmen,
Zach Neal (Princeton, W.Va./Princeton HS) and
Johnny Walkup (Summersville, W.Va./Nicholas County HS), and one transfer from Lynn University,
Joshua Uhrig, make up the new faces.
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