SATURDAY RESULTS
LAKE CHARLES, La. – Sophomore Philipp Baar placed second in the men's 3000m steeplechase and junior William Scott broke the school record in the men's 400 meter hurdles Saturday on the second day of competition at the Southland Conference Outdoor Championships. The Islanders advanced 12 student-athletes to the finals Sunday at the McNeese Cameron Communications Track and Field Complex.
"Billy (William) Scott had the best performance today in the 400 meter hurdles with a personal-best time and the fourth best time today," Head Coach Shawn Flanagan said. "Philipp ran a tough race and it was a lot warmer today than when he clocked his personal-best time. On the women's side, Kim Ward did really well, knocking 15 seconds off her personal-best time and scored in the women's steeplechase."
The Islanders opened the day in the preliminaries of the men's 1500m and all four Islanders advanced to the finals tomorrow. Patrick Kimeli led the way with a time of 3:57.39 to place second in his heat while Paul Hansel clocked a time of 3:58.66 to place fourth in his heat. Daniel Barlow had a season-best time of 4:02.78 to win his heat while Abel Koskey had a personal-best time 4:03.51 to notch a spot in the finals.
BreAnna Briggs and Alexandra Fernandez both advanced to the finals tomorrow of the women's 1500m after the preliminaries were scratched.
The women's team also advanced two into the 800m finals tomorrow. Jasmine Boutte led the way with the fourth best time today to place second in her heat with a time of 2:14.70. Freshman Ashley Mills also advanced to the finals with a third-place finish in her heat with a personal-best time of 2:16.54. Her time places eighth all-time in school history.
On the men's side, three Islanders advanced to the men's 800m finals. Valentinas Rudys led the way with the top time of the preliminaries with a time of 1:54.27 while Cordarius Edmondson finished with the fourth-best time of 1:54.74 and Brandon Lacy clocked a time of 1:55.87.
Scott then followed in the men's 400m hurdles and put together the best performance of the day with a school-record breaking performance. The junior clocked a time of 53.05, improving his school record time of 53.31, set at the Texas State Invitational this season.
The Islanders finished the day in the men's and women's 3000m steeplechase finals. Baar clocked a second-place finish with a time of 9:06.86, to finish behind Adam Saloom of Stephen F. Austin who finished with a time of 9:00.60.
Cecilia Jones and Ward finished back-to-back in sixth and seventh places, respectively in the women's 3000m steeplechase finals. Jones crossed the line in sixth place with a time of 11:27.03 while Ward clocked a personal-best time of 11:36.42 to place seventh.
The women's team is currently in seventh place while the men's team sits in ninth place after seven events.
"We have a big day tomorrow," Flanagan added. "We are looking good as we head into tomorrow with our best events yet to come."
The Islanders will wrap the championships tomorrow with Micah Nolan and Allison Baker set to open the field events in the women's high jump at 10 a.m. Southland Conference Indoor Champion Roger De La Cruz and senior Quincy Obeng will then open competition in the men's high jump at 12:30 p.m. De La Cruz currently holds the top mark in the conference with a clearance of 2.10m (6' 10¾"). Last season at the Southland Conference Championships, De La Cruz broke the school record with a mark of 2.15m (7' 0½") to place third. Obeng sits in sixth place in the conference with a season-best clearance of 2.01m (6' 7").
The Islanders will then compete in the men's and women's 4x100 meter relays. Sidney Siepert, Ebony Collins, Shanice Prendergast and Ashley Rosebrough are scheduled to compete for the women's team while Scott, David Carrillo, Michael Diamond and Eric July are slated to team up on the men's side.
Kimeli, Hansel, Barlow and Koskey will follow in the men's 1500m finals while Briggs and Fernandez will compete in the women's 1500m finals.
Diamond is set to compete in the men's triple jump at 3:30 p.m. He holds a personal-best mark of 13.60m (44' 7 ½"). The 800m finals will follow with Lacy, Rudys and Edmondson set to compete for the men's team while Boutte and Mills are slated to compete for the women's team. William Scott will look to place in the 400 meter hurdles finals.
10 Islanders will then compete in the women's 5k while four are slated to compete in the men's 5k. Briggs, Regina Salinas and Vanessa Galindo are set to lead the way for the women's team. Briggs sits in fifth place, Salinas in sixth place and Galindo in seventh place in the conference. Briggs placed eighth last season at the championships and holds a season-best time of 17:48.54 while Salinas and Galindo each clocked personal-best times this season. Also competing in the 5k are Alexandria Rossi, Samantha Hardin, Kayla Fischer, Fernandez, Jones, Mills and Ward.
On the men's side, Christoph Hintz, Jason Garcia, Justin Adame and Baar are set to compete. Baar sits in third place in the conference after clocking a personal-best time of 14:25.60 this season at the Mt. SAC Relays. Hintz (13th SLC), Garcia (14th SLC) and Adame (15th SLC) all clocked season-best times at Rice University this season.
The Islanders will conclude the championships in the men's and women's 4x400 meter relays Sunday evening. Prendergast, Siepert, Kayla Castillo and Boutte are set to team up for the women's team while Scott, Carrillo, Edmondson and Bryce Johnston are slated to compete for the men's team.
For the latest information, follow Islanders Track and Field on Twitter (@IslandersTFXC) and Facebook (Texas A&M Corpus Christi Track & Field/Cross Country).
Men's Team Scores – Through Seven Events
1. Stephen F. Austin – 73
2. McNeese State – 59
3. Southeastern Louisiana – 43
4. Sam Houston State – 37
5. Central Arkansas – 23
6. Lamar – 14
7. Oral Roberts – 11
8. Northwestern State – 8
9. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – 5
Women's Team Scores –Through Seven Events
1. Stephen F. Austin – 51
2. Sam Houston State – 40
3. Central Arkansas – 39
4. McNeese State – 37
5. Northwestern State – 34
6. Southeastern Louisiana – 32
7. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – 13
8. Nicholls State – 10
9. Oral Roberts – 9
10. Lamar – 8
