RESULTS
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Texas A&M - Corpus Christi men's and women's track and field teams sent three Islanders to compete Saturday in the 22nd Air Force Invitational at the Academy's Cadet Field House. Senior Kassandrea Son, Sophomore Ernestine Cray and freshman Valentinas Rudys all competed.
"Today's meet at Air Force went pretty well," head coach Randy Bungard said. "Erenestine and Kassandrea both had a season-best long jump and Valentines was really strong in the 800m. It came down to the finish line."
In the 60m, Cray finished with a time of 7.85 in the preliminaries to finish 13th and followed it by clocking a time of 7.83 in the finals to finish in 14th place.
Son competed in the 200m and ran a time of 25.22 in the preliminaries to finish 11th before posting a 25.01 finish in the finals to place seventh. The two also competed in the long jump and triple jump. Son finished in sixth place in the long jump, marking a distance of 5.74m (18-10.00) and Cray placed three spots back in ninth place with a jump of 5.63m (18-05.75).
The two previously qualified in the long jump at the Texas Tech Indoor Open finishing first and second. Son sealed the top spot with a distance of 5.63m (18-05.75), which is good for second in the record book. Cray took the runner-up spot with a distance of 5.55m (18-02.50), which is good behind Son's mark in the records.
Cray highlighted the triple jump today placing second. The sophomore marked a distance of 12.34m (40-06.00) and Son finished in sixth place with a distance of 11.90m (39-00.50).
Cray broke the Islanders school record in the triple jump on Jan. 21 at the Texas Tech Indoor Open with a mark of 12.37m (40-07.00) to qualify for the Southland Conference Indoor Championships. Son also qualified for the championships at the Texas Tech Indoor Open finishing in sixth place with a mark of 11.62m (38-01.50).
Rudys had an impressive day in the 800m with a mark of 1:54.01 to place second. He improved his previous mark of 1:57.29 that was set at the McNeese State Cowboy Invite on Jan. 13. Rudys time is good for second in the record book behind Luis Garcia, who holds the record with a time of 1:53.86, which was set on February, 17, 2007 at the Southland Conference Indoor Championships.
Cray, Son and Rudys have already secured spots at the Southland Conference Indoor Championships. The rest of the Islanders who have qualified will be joining them on Feb. 24th and 25th in Norman, Okla.
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