Women Win Islander Splash, Men Take Second

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women take five of top-six spots individually, while the Islander men finished 1-1 in this Saturday's Islander Splash duals.

Newcomer Allyson Girard turned in the top time for the Islander women this weekend, giving the recent transfer the best Blue and Green performance for a second consecutive meet. Her time of 18:53.00 in the 5K was good for second overall and produced the top pace among all athletes competing in duals this weekend. The hosting Islanders finished with a point total of 16, to come in a full 29 ahead of south Texas rival UTRGV and 69 points ahead of Houston Baptist. 

Freshmen Valentina Campos and Sydney Cole finished second and third respectively among dual racers. Campos' time of 19:11.7 was just 15 seconds faster than Cole's, with junior Cynthia Quiroga rounding out the top-four at a time of 19:28.7. Bridgette Kozar was the last runner to score points for Corpus Christi pacing 20:07.9.

Marek Spriestersbach and Isaac Vargas posted the top-two Islander men performances for the second time this year. Spriestersbach finished second among athletes racing in Saturday's duals, with a time of 19:33.4. His pace was just four seconds off lead runner Alberto Herrara of UTRGV, as the junior crossed the finish line in the top-10 for the second time this season. Freshman Isaac Vargas tallied a 19:50.1 in Saturday's four-mile race, while senior Jordan Wright rounded out the top-seven at 20:05.6.

Zach Harrach and Will Maraggia were the last two runners to score points for the Blue and Green with finishes of 15th and 18th. Corpus Christi's 45 points was 14 better than visiting Houston Baptist, while finishing 19 off the Vaqueros' point total. 

Women's Top-Five
1. Allyson Girard (18:53.0)
2. Valentina Campos (19:11.7)
3. Sydney Cole (19:26.7)
4. Cynthia Quiroga (19:28.7)
6. Bridgette Kozar (20:07.9)

Men's Top-Five
2. Marek Spriestersbach (19:33.4)
3. Isaac Vargas (19:50.1)
7. Jordan Wright (20:05.6)
15. Zach Harrach (21:45.6)
18: Will Maraggia (22:17.3) 

• Four of the Islanders' top-five women finishers are newcomers this year, with Girard transferring from Mesa CC and Kozar arriving from Stephen F. Austin
• This is the second year in a row the Blue and Green women have won the Islander Splash, while the men have placed in the top-two for five straight years
• Saturday was Spriesterbach's third career top-performance for the Islanders
• Girard was one of only two runners to finish Saturday's 5K in under 19 minutes
• Four of the Islanders' top-five on the men's side are newcomers to Corpus Christi cross country this season, with Zach Harrach transferring from Mesa CC this offseason

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