CORPUS CHRISTI, TEX. --- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi announced
the signing of 10 student-athletes to national letters of intent
for cross country and track & field, Thursday.
Islander head coach Shawn Flanagan received the commitments from
four women - Ashley Dill (Houston, Tex./Elsik HS), Kim Mathews (San
Antonio, Tex./Reagan HS), Michelle Milton (Lewisville,
Tex./Lewisville HS) and Jamie Taylor (El Paso, Tex./Montwood HS)
and six men - Cornelio Castanon (Bay City, Tex./Bay City HS), Luke
Funderburg (Kingwood, Tex./Kingwood HS), Mark Moralez (Del Rio,
Tex./Del Rio HS), J.R. Pulido (Columbus, Tex./Columbus HS), Alex
Ramos (El Paso, Tex./Mountain View HS) and Travis White (Nampa,
Id./Eagle HS).
"This is a very talented group of athletes that are going to be
with us in the fall," said Islander head coach Shawn Flanagan. "We
are looking forward to significant improvement in both our cross
country and track teams as a result of their joining our program.
They all have the potential to become outstanding in their
individual event areas."
Dill, a two-sport letterwinner at Elsik High School, specialized
in the 400 and 800-meter runs for coach Jackie Lemmons. During her
career, she was part of four district, two regional and one state
5A title squads. Dill also lettered three years in cross
country.
Mathews, the sister of current Islander Kenyata Mathews, was a
two-time district runner-up and regional qualifier in the 400
meters at San Antonio's Reagan High School. She is a partial school
record holder in the 800 and 1,600-meter relays. Mathews was a 2003
recipient of the Diamondbacker Association Athlete Award.
Milton, a three time regional qualifier, captured the district
title in the triple jump and qualified for regionals in the
200-meter dash and 4 X 400-meter relay her senior season at
Lewisville High School. She is the school record holder in the
triple jump (36-5) and shares the school standard in the
1,600-meter relay.
Taylor, a two-sport letterwinner at Montwood High School in El
Paso, won the district title in the 400-meter dash her senior
season for Coach Cloe Vasquez. During her prep career, she gained a
berth in regional competition all four years, twice as a high and
triple jumper. Taylor also lettered in cross country for the
Rams.
As a senior at Bay City High School, Castanon captured district
titles in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs en route to advancing to
regionals for the third time. During his prep career, he won four
consecutive district cross country crowns and eventually earned a
spot in the state championships three occasions. In 2002, he was an
all-state selection for Coach David Kautz. Castanon is a four-time
All-Matagorda County cross country MVP and is the school-record
holder in the 3,200-meter run.
Funderburg, a 2002 all-state cross country honoree at Kingwood
High School under the direction of Tate Symons, was a member of
back-to-back 5A state cross country title teams. As a senior, he
finished 15th at the cross country state championships, a 40-spot
improvement over his 2001 finish. As a junior, he placed third in
the 3,200-meter run at the District 22 5A Track & Field
Championships.
Moralez ran for Coach Ric Smith at Del Rio High School, where he
won two 800-meter district crowns. As a senior, he broke the school
standard in the 800 (1:54.75) en route to winning the title and
qualifying for the state competition. During his career, Moralez
was named the track & field athlete of the year and sprinter of
the year twice. He also lettered three years in cross country as
well.
As a senior, Pulido finished second at the Class 3A State Cross
Country Championships and placed third at the state track &
field event in the 3,200-meter run.
Ramos, a three-time cross country and track MVP for coaches Raul
Salas and Hector Chavez at El Paso's Mountain View High, finished
third in both the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs at the Class 4A State
Track Championships his senior campaign. He placed eighth in the
3,200 and 20th in cross country at the state level the previous
season. During his prep career, Ramos set school standards in the
1,600 and 3,200 his sophomore season and captured district titles
in both events. He also lettered two years in basketball for the
Lobos.
White, a three-sport letterman at Eagle (Id.) High School,
specializes in the 200 and 400-meter dashes. As a junior, he
captured the SIC and district titles in the 400 meters. White was
also part of three state champion 4 X 400-meter relay squads. Aside
from track, he lettered in cross country and precision rifle
shooting. During his career, White won the Idaho State and national
high school titles in rifle.
