CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas –  The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi cross country teams took advantage of the home course and the home weather as both the men's and women's squads won as hosts of the Islanders Splash Friday evening.
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With eight total teams in attendance, both the Islander men and women came up victorious in the team standings. With hot and humid conditions, the Islander men were the only Division I team to have five runners finish, giving the Blue and Green a perfect score of 15.
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On the women's side, three Division I teams finished with scores, but the Islanders topped both Sam Houston State and UTRGV for the win. A&M-Corpus Christi won with 17 points, while the Bearkats had 45 and the Vaqueros totaled 72.
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The Islanders also saw success on the individual side, winning both the men's and women's race.
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Resting a number of their top runners due to the heat,
Cesar Gonzalez led the way for the men's squad, finishing as the top collegiate runner in a time of 25:09.6 on the eight kilometer course.
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For the women it was recent Southland Conference Runner of the Week
Cynthia Quiroga leading the Islanders once again. The sophomore finished the five kilometer course in 19:08.1 to win the meet.
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The men went one, two, three in the Division 1 results, as
Steven Galli and Jeff Lopez finished behind Gonzalez in 26:05.7 and 26:32.4, respectively.Â
Steve Medlin (9
th; 28:21.1) and
Dominic Baptiste (11
th; 29:39.8) rounded out the scoring for the Islanders.
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The women produced the top four finishers in the Division 1 results, as
Morgan McCutchen took second in 19:41.9,
Liz Romo was third in 19:44.6 and
Carissa Piñón was fourth in a time of 19:54.8.Â
Rebekah Hardee was the final scorer for the Islanders, placing eighth in 20:36.8.
The Islanders defeated UTRGV in both the men's and women's race, earning the Islanders four total points in the South Texas Showdown presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union. Â The performances move the Blue and Green ahead of the Vaqueros in the Showdown, now leading 9-8 in the standings. Â The next contest will be Oct. 11 when the volleyball team plays at UTRGV.
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UP NEXT
The Islanders cross country teams will next compete at Texas A&M on Sept. 24.
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GET ON BOARD
Get on board with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Athletics by purchasing an Island Sports Pass for admission to all your favorite home soccer, volleyball, track & field, softball and baseball games in 2016-17. Call (361) 825-BALL or visit GoIslanders.com/tickets to purchase yours for just $80.
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FOLLOW THE ISLANDERS
For the latest information on Islanders Cross Country and Track & Field, follow the teams on Twitter and Instagram (@IslandersTFXC) and Facebook (/TAMUCCTFXC).
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