September 23, 2011

Men's Cross Country Takes Top Spot, Women Finish Second at Islander Splash

CORPUS CHRISTI – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's cross country team swept the top spot for the second year in a row in the 8k, while the women's team finished second in the 5k, Friday night at the 12^th annual Islander Splash at West Guth Park.

"I was really pleased with the underclassmen," head coach Shawn Flanagan said. "The freshmen really ran well today. We sat out the top five girls and three of the top five guys out of the race to give the underclassmen a chance to step up. All in all it was a good day for all of us."

On the women's side, the Islanders who are ranked No. 7 in the South Regional rankings, finished in second place with 55 points, one spot behind No. 6 Rice for the second week in a row. Texas-Pan American took third place with 74 points, followed by Angelo State, Texas A&M-Kingsville, St. Mary's and Texas Southern.

"Cecilia Gonzalez had a fantastic run and had a great finish the last 800 meters," Flanagan said. "She went from fifth to second and really ran well. Melissa Jones had her best race in her three years she has been here. The freshmen, Vanessa Galindo, Jasmine Boutte and Shelby Polasek ran well, along with Jennifer Ramirez and Julia Wohlschlegel. Rice rested just their top two and we rested our top five."

Gonzalez led the Islanders with a second-place finish with a time of 18:31, marking her best finish in her career. Last season, she finished in 14th place with a time of 18:56. The next Islander to cross the line was Jones in ninth place with a time of 19:13. Galindo finished in 12th with a time of 19:29, followed by Boutte in 14th place clocking a time of 19:35 and Polasek in 18th with a time of 19:59. Rounding out the field for the women in the 22nd and 29th slots was Ramirez and Wohlschlegel, respectively.

On the men's side, the Islanders, who consisted of five freshmen and one sophomore, swept the Splash for the second year in a row with 31 points. Right behind the No. 6 South Regional ranked Islanders in second place was Texas Pan-American with 36 points. Angelo State crossed the line in third with 76 points followed by Prairie View A&M, Texas Southern and Texas A&M-Kingsville.

"We notched a five point victory over UT-Pan American," Flanagan said. "It was good to bring home the bacon."

The men took four of the top 10 spots with freshman Angel Banda leading the way for the Islanders. Banda recorded his best finish of the season, placing second with a time of 26:19, eight seconds short of Mathew Kotut of Texas-Pan American. Sophomore Justin Adame crossed the line in fourth with a time of 26:42, improving his 27:02 mark last season. Freshmen Paul Hansel and Philipp Baar finished sixth and seventh, followed by freshmen Christoph Hintz in 15th and Brandon Lacy in 20th.

"We had spectacular results," Flanagan said. "Angel came through and Justin had a solid race. Phillipp came through, Hansel gutted it up the hills and Christoph ran well coming around the corner."

The Islanders will travel to Austin, Texas to compete in the University of Texas Rogue Runners Invite on Fri., Sept. 30, at 7:30 p.m.

For the latest information, follow Islanders Cross Country on Twitter (@IslandersTFXC) and Facebook (Texas A&M Corpus Christi Track & Field/Cross Country).

Complete results from the Islander Splash can be found at: http://flashresults.com/flashtexas/2011/IslanderSplash11/

Women's 5k Run Team Scores:

1. Rice 29

2. Texas A&M - Corpus Christi 55

3. Texas-Pan American 74

4. Angelo State 86

5. Texas A&M - Kingsville 121

6. St. Mary's University 180

7. Texas Southern 206

Texas A&M - Corpus Christi Individual Results:

2. Cecy Gonzalez 18:31

9. Melissa Jones 19:13