Islanders Shine in UIW Invitational

Cross Country | October 07, 2017

LIVE OAK, Texas - Allyson Girard and Marek Spriestersbach once again led the pack for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi this Saturday, with Girard picking up another individual win on the season. The Islander women totaled 27 points on the day to win the UIW Invitational, just a single point ahead of the hosting Cardinals, while the Blue and Green ran two athletes on the men's side.

Girard has registered three straight top-Islander performances since coming to the Island from Mesa CC this offseason, and finished first among Division I runners for a third consecutive meet this weekend. The junior transfer set a new personal record with her 22:17.4 6K, and cleared the rest of the field by a full 18 seconds. Girard's teammate Liz Romo was the next Islander to cross the finish line, posting a 23:06.0 in her first race since the Blue and Green's opener at the Norry Hersey Invitational.

The next three spots would all belong to the Islanders, with Valentina Campos, Sydney Cole and Cynthia Quiroga retrieving sixth through eighth in order. Campos recorded a time of 23:06.5 in the freshman's first 6K since arriving in Corpus Christi, finishing just a half-second behind Romo. Fellow freshman Sydney Cole placed in the top-10 for a third consecutive meet with Quiroga rounding out the five Islander point scorers on the morning. 

Spriestersbach and Isaac Vargas finished third and fourth in the 8K, registering finishes of 25:46.4 and 25:52.1 respectively. Spreistersbach and Vargas have consistently become the Islanders top two runners on the year, finishing first and second among Corpus Christi runners in all three meets this season. Spriestersbach's time was his fastest 8K since last year's UIW Invitational, while Vargas finished off the first collegiate 8K of his career. The pair of Blue and Green runners finished ahead of the bulk of the Cardinal runners and crossed the finish line a full 90 seconds ahead of all Texas Christian athletes.

Women's Top-Five
1. Allyson Girard (22.17.4)
5. Liz Romo (23:06.0)
6. Valentina Campos (23:06.5)
7. Sydney Cole (23:17.6)
8. Cynthia Quiroga (23:23.4)

Men's Top-Five
3. Marek Spriestersbach (25:46.4)
4. Isaac Vargas (25:52.1)

• The Islander women have now won the previous two UIW Invitationals as a team
• While the Blue and Green men did not qualify for a team score this weekend, this is the second year in a row a Corpus Christi runner has come in third among Division I runners
• The Islanders have not finished worse than second on the women's side this year, and have ben ranked 14th in the previous four USTFCCA South Central Region polls
• Spriestersbach is coming off his first Southland Conference Athlete of the Week honor two weeks ago, after the German runner took third in the Islander Splash

COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders' race at Live Oak is their last before the Southland Conference Championship on October 27th in Abilene, Texas. The Blue and Green men finished fourth in last year's championship and will be searching for their first Southland title in history. The women's side will be looking for its fifth all-time Southland Championship win however, finishing fifth in the 2016 competition. 

STAY SOCIAL
For more information on Islanders women's soccer, follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersTFXC), Instagram (@go_islanders) and like their Facebook page (Islanders Track & Field/Cross Country).