The West Virginia Wesleyan men's and women's cross country squads began their 2023 season at the Panther Open hosted at Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, PA. This open included schools such Carnegie Mellon, Slippery Rock, Davis & Elkins and Pittsburgh University. The squads were led by Leigha Hall, Kent Niland, and Cade Robinson, as both teams came in 5th place overall, putting up solid times for the beginning of the season.

The Women's XC team was lead by Leigha Hall, who came in 16th, with a time of 18:28.9. She was closely followed by her teammates, Mariam Al'Zoubi , Marimo Akita, and  Sofia Pancoast who put up times of 19:47.8, 20:20.9 and 20:25.4. Pitt University would come in 1st place. They were closely followed by Davis & Elkins, Slippery Rock, and Carnegie Mellon in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.  

The Men's XC was led by both, Kent Niland and Cade Robinson, who came in the top 50 of the entire open, putting up times of 15:39.2 and 15:41.0. This very competitive open finished with Pitt University coming in 1st, clocking in times of 14:20.0 and 14:20.2 by their leaders Jack Miller and Luke Henseler. Pitt was closely contested by Carnegie Mellon who came in 2nd only by a few points. The leader board was finished out by Davis & Elkins, Slippery Rock, and Wesleyan in 3rd, 4th, and 5th. 

The Wesleyan cross country squads will continue their seasons Sept. 9, at the Bethany Invitational hosted by Bethany College.