CORPUS CHRISTI – The Texas A&M - Corpus Christi cross country and track and field programs have added 10 to their class of 2013, bringing the total to 23 newcomers to the track and field teams.
"This is a very strong class and it is our most track heavy class as we move into a new era in Islanders track and cross country with the opening of the Dr. Jack Dugan Family Soccer & Track Stadium," Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Shawn Flanagan said. "It reflects our move to expand the program beyond our traditional distance emphasis into all event areas of the sport."
The Islanders have signed Marisa Ellis (Spring Branch, Texas/Fischer-Canyon Lake HS), Saira Gonzalez (Brownsville, Texas/Brownsville HS), Jackson Davis (Sugar Land, Texas/George Ranch HS), Cesar Gonzalez (Lytle, Texas/Lytle HS), Javier Reyes (El Paso, Texas/Montwood HS), Angelo Garland (Turks & Caicos Islands/Munro College), Marcus Smoots Jr. (El Paso, Texas/Andress HS), Andres Salazar (San Antonio, Texas/Johnson HS), Dallas Owen (Pleasanton, Texas/Pleasanton HS) and Ron Williams (Pflugerville, Texas/Hendrickson HS).
Ellis and S. Gonzalez will both join the Islanders' women's track and field team. Ellis won the state title in the high jump and the district title in the triple jump during her senior year at Fischer-Canyon Lake High School. She will come to the Island University with a personal-best clearance of 5'6" in the high jump and a personal-best triple jump mark of 37'4½". S. Gonzalez will add distance to the women's cross country team as well as to the track team. She clocked a personal-best time of 11:38 in the 3200m at Brownsville High School.
On the men's side, Davis holds a personal-best time of 14.9 in the 110m hurdles and 38.29 in the 300m hurdles. He was part of the 4x400 meter relay team at George Ranch High School and clocked a personal-best time of 3:20.20. Davis was also a standout in the classroom where he garnered academic all-state honors. C. Gonzalez, a 3A state champion in cross country, and in the 3200m, will join the men's track and field and cross country teams. He holds a personal-best time of 9:19 in the 3200m.
Reyes, a state qualifier and National Junior Olympic qualifier, will add depth to the Islanders sprinters. He holds personal-best times of 47.74 in the 400m, 22.16 in the 200m and 10.81 in the 100m. As a senior, Reyes garnered Outstanding Track Athlete at Montwood High School while also earning second team all-city track accolades.
Joining Reyes and the Islanders sprinters are Garland, Smoots Jr. and Salazar. Garland comes to the U.S. after attending Munro College in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, and is the National Junior 400m record holder. He holds personal-best times of 22.02 in the 200m and 48.14 in the 400m. Garland earned two gold medals as a member of the 4x400 meter relay team at the Diamond League/Adidas Grand Prix and at the Penn Relays. The Turks & Caicos Islands native, is a two-time bronze CARIFTA medalist and holds the national record in the 4x400 meter relay in his home country. Garland earned a spot on the Turks & Caicos National Track and Field Team three consecutive years.
Smoots Jr. set personal-best times of 10.7 in the 100m and 48.88 in the 400m at Andress High School. Smoots Jr. earned the Outstanding Senior Track award and was also named all-district and all-city as a senior. Salazar, will join the Islanders track team with a personal-best time of 21.7 in the 200m and 48.7 in the 400m. He finished second in the sprint medley at the Texas Relays and earned all-district honors.
Owen, will look to step in and fill the spot of Islanders' high jump school-record holder, Roger De La Cruz, who wrapped his senior year at the NCAA West Preliminary Round. Owen, a regional qualifier in the high jump, 110m hurdles, 300m hurdles and 4x200 meter relay, is a three-time all-district and all-academic honoree at Pleasanton High School. As a senior he set a personal-best clearance of 6'6" in the high jump and went on to earn Most Outstanding Track Athlete for the Eagles.
Williams, a versatile track and field athlete, was a four-time regional qualifier and regional finalist for Hendrickson High School. He competed in the 110m hurdles, 300m hurdles, 1600-meter relay, triple jump and long jump. He holds a personal-best time of 14.7 in the 110m hurdles and a personal-best time of 38.2 in the 300m hurdles. He was a three-time district champion in the 300m hurdles and will add some depth to the Islanders' jumps team. He holds a personal-best mark of 44'6" in the triple jump and a personal-best distance of 20'8" in the long jump.
The 10 will join Ann-Kathrin Ott (Singen, Germany), Lara Huelsebusch (Pinneberg, Germany), Brandie Garcia (Laredo, Texas/Alexander HS), Kylie Conaway (Portland, Texas/Gregory Portland HS), Julia Urdiales (Sweeny, Texas/Sweeny HS), Edgar Martinez (Forth Worth, Texas/Paschal HS), Daniel Guerrero (Corpus Christi, Texas/Moody HS), Daniel Rhodes (Ebertsheim, Germany), Sampson Valadez (Corpus Christi, Texas/Carroll HS), Omesha Locke (Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica/Manning's School), Melina Ortiz (Port Lavaca, Texas/Calhoun HS), Kerissa Wiley (Markham, Texas/Tidehaven HS) and Luisa Pasold (Leipzig, Germany), who all signed in March.
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