Corpus Christi Completes Day 1 of Houston Invite

HOUSTON, Texas - With Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's male combined athletes going to work in Lubbock this Friday, the remaining Islanders squad concluded day one of the Houston Invitational in Houston.

Thrower Kaelin Simmons has reset the Islanders' women's weight throw record three times this year, and this week would be no different, as the Canyon Lake-native tossed an all-time best 16.37m at Yeoman Fieldhouse. Simmons clinched third overall with her throw, to beat the previous program record by .18 meters and clinch the sixth-longest mark of the year among Southland Conference athletes.

In her first three meets since coming to the Island, Allyson Girard has earned event wins and program records in each invite she's participated in, running to first place in the Houston Invitational 5000m. Crossing the finish line in 16:48.03, Girard's time beats both Corpus Christi's top performance of all-time and the Houston Invitational's previous meet record by over 30 seconds.

The Islanders had a career day in the sprints, as junior Sierra Pruitt tied fastest indoor 60-meter pace in Blue and Green history, with a personal record of 7.54. The junior runner's time qualifies her for tomorrow's semifinal run, as teammates Tashonna Williams, Makalah Griffin and Kendall Rodriguez all competed in the event for the first time in their indoor careers.

Combined athletes Bjoern Adden, James Manders and Bryan Wersterfer all made the trip back to west Texas this Friday to compete in the Texas Tech Classic and Multi's heptathlon.

Upon the conclusion of day one, Adden currently leads all Islanders with 2606 points after four events, setting a personal best in the long jump (6.55m). Wersterfer set three heptathlon PRs of his own with marks of 7.41 in the 60m dash, 6.25 in the long jump and 11.62m in the shot put. 

All three of the Islanders' heptathlon athletes sit in the middle of the pack headed into day two, with Adden sitting 12th overall, followed by Manders (14th) and Wersterfer (15). All three will get back to work this Saturday, starting with the 60-meter hurdles at 10 a.m. insid the Texas Tech Sports Performance Center

Top Islander Performances

Women's 5000m
1. Allyson Girard (16:48.03) - SR & MR
3. Liz Romo (17:33.44)

Women's Weight Throw
3. Kaelin Simmons (16.37m) - SR

Women's 60m Dash
8. Sierra Pruitt (7.54) - PR & Ties SR

Men's Heptathlon Long Jump
8. Bjoern Adden (6.55m) - PR
13. Bryan Wersterfer (6.25m) - PR

Men's Heptathlon Shot Put
8. Bryan Wersterfer (11.62m) - PR

Men's Heptathlon 60m Dash
14. Bryan Wersterfer (7.41) - PR

SR: School Record
FR: Freshman Record
PR: Personal Record
MR: Meet Record

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