RESULTS
LAKE CHARLES, LA. – The Texas A&M – Corpus Christi men's and women's track and field teams qualified several runners to the Southland Conference Indoor Championships held Feb. 24 after a strong performance Friday at the McNeese State Cowboy Invite.
"We started practice this week and then ran in our first meet today," Director of Track and Field Shawn Flanagan said. "The freshmen got after it and qualified. We're looking good. We weren't expecting miracles. We just came out and ran well and hit the qualifying times."
The men's team qualified several individuals in the 800m, one-mile, 3,000m and junior Roger De La Cruz qualified in the Islanders only field event of the day, the high jump.
The Islanders dominated in the men's one-mile, qualifying six runners and took spots four through nine. Freshman Valentinas Rudys led the Islanders finishing in fourth place with a time of 4:23.21, which is good for sixth in the Islanders Top 10. Freshman Brandon Lacy finished behind Rudys in fifth place clocking a time of 4:23.77 for a seventh-place finish in the records. Freshman Paul Hansel and junior Daniel Barlow tied for sixth with a time of 4:24.16 for a ninth-place in the record books. Freshmen Christoph Hintz and Philipp Baar placed eighth and ninth with times of 4:24.96 and 4:26.94 to round out the Islanders.
Rudys and Lacy also advanced to the indoor championships in the 800m with third and fourth place finishes. Rudys clocked a time of 1:57.29 for third place and Lacy came in fourth with a time of 1:57.69. Rudys time is good for fourth in the Islanders Top 10 and Lacy's time places him sixth all-time.
Hintz and Barlow also moved on in the 3,000m, finishing behind each other. Hintz placed second with a time of 8:45.82 for a ninth-place finish in the Islanders Top 10 and Barlow clocked a time of 8:48.59.
De La Cruz tied for first with Southern's Micah McCulloch in the high jump with a clearance of 1.98m (6-06.00) to earn a spot at the indoor championships. De La Cruz holds the Islanders indoor record with a clearance of 2.08m (6-09.75).
On the women's side, junior BreAnna Briggs advanced in two out of her three events. Sophomore Cecilia Gonzalez also moved on in two events and moved into 10th place on the Islanders Top 10 in the one-mile. In the one-mile, Gonzalez, Briggs and freshman Shelby Polasek all advanced, finishing third, fourth and fifth. Gonzalez edged Briggs with a time of 5:14.75, while Briggs clocked a time of 5:16.26 and Polasek qualified with a time of 5:19.84. Freshman Jasmine Boutte just missed the 5:21.21 qualifying time, finishing in seventh with a time of 5:21.90 in her indoor track debut.
In the 3,000m Gonzalez finished in second with a time of 10:28.22 and Briggs clocked a time of 10:37.59 for third place to advance. Freshman Vanessa Galindo had an impressive first race as an Islander, placing fourth with a time of 10:41.00, just missing the 10:40.88 qualifying time.
"It was a very pleasing day," Flanagan added. "I'm impressed with our level of performance and there are 18 weeks until the end of the outdoor season. The freshmen got after it well."
The sprinters and jumpers will return to the track for the first time this season next Friday, Jan. 20, at the Texas Tech Invitational in Lubbock, Texas.
For the latest information, follow Islanders Track and Field on Twitter (@IslandersTFXC) and Facebook (Texas A&M Corpus Christi Track & Field/Cross Country).
