CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Three veteran coaches continue their
careers with the Islanders athletic program under new 3-year
contracts penned recently by Texas A&M University-Corpus
Christi.
Women's Basketball Coach Robert Robinson joins Director of Track
and Field Shawn Flanagan, who also is the head coach for Women's
Cross Country, and Director of Tennis Steve Moore in entering into
three more years of coaching beginning with the 2010-11 athletic
season.
"I'm very proud of what these three coaches have accomplished on
behalf of Islander athletics," said Director of Athletics Tim
Fitzpatrick. "Not only are they very strong teachers, strategists
and recruiters in their respective sports, but they are also
dedicated role models who have very high expectations for the
student-athletes they coach-academically, socially and
competitively.
"Our contractual commitment to each of them recognizes not only
their success on behalf of our university and athletic program, but
also our belief that they understand and embrace our mission as a
department." Fitzpatrick added.
Robinson goes into his fifth season at the helm of women's
basketball, a program he joined eight years ago. In the 2009-10
season, he led the Islanders to the most wins in school history
with a 24-11 record. After falling in the Southland Conference
title game to Lamar University, Robinson's team was selected for
the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational, reaching the
semifinals.
In Robinson's past four seasons, the Islanders have reached the
Southland Conference Tournament each campaign and have won at least
one game in the tournament in three out of four appearances.
Robinson has amassed 62 victories during this time and is quickly
closing in on former coach Jodi Kest's school record of 73
wins.
Flanagan is the senior member of the Islander coaching staff,
having built both the men's and women's track and field programs
from scratch. His women's cross country teams have won the past
three Southland Conference titles with four Independent
Championships prior to those.
A specialist in distance running, Flanagan mentored star runner
Shadrack Songok to three national titles on the track and multiple
appearances at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. On the women's
side he guided Anne Ronoh to back-to-back appearances at the
national cross country meet. This season, Kassandrea Son became the
first female Islander to reach the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field
Championships, competing in the long jump.
Moore recently completed his fourth season as the head coach for
men's tennis and his third season directing women's tennis. In that
time, the Corpus Christi native has been named the Southland
Conference Tennis Men's Coach of the Year on four occasions. From
2007-09, Moore's men's teams have achieved the second-best average
national ranking of 36th among NCAA Division I-AAA
schools.
In women's tennis, Moore's involvement in rebuilding the program
has resulted in back-to-back appearances in the Southland
Conference Tournament. This past season the women claimed the No.
6-seed in the Southland Tournament.
