Schoneborn Sets Meet Record at SLC Championship

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi sets four school records in Day One of the 2018 Southland Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, with newcomer Rabea Schoneborn beating the previous meet mark in the 5000m.

A trio of combined athletes started the Islanders' day at the Birmingham Crossplex, with athletes Bjoern Adden and James Manders sitting in the top-10 of the current SLC heptathlon standings after the first day. In his first year on the island, freshman James Manders set personal records in three of four of Wednesday's hept events, posting PRs in the 60m (7.36), long jump (6.51), and high jump (1.80m). Adden set a personal best of his own in the 60m (7.42), landing himself in a team-best seventh place at the conclusion of Day One.

On the track, newcomer Rabea Schoneborn set a new meet, and program, record in the 5000m, flying past her SLC competition with a 16:26.46. Her time bests the previous school mark set by Allyson Girard earlier in the indoor season by over 20 seconds, crossing the finish line 16 seconds before anyone else in the field.

On the men's side, Isaac Vargas and Jordan Wright both set personal bests in the 5000m with respective times of 15:03.32 and 15:38.71. Steven Galli qualified for tomorrow's one mile-final with his time of 4:21.85, while Girard accomplished the same feat for the women's team at 5:04.16.

Sierra Pruitt came within a hundredth of a second of her own PR in the 60m, as her fourth-best time of 7.55 qualified her for Thursday's final as well. The junior also qualified for the 200m final, running an impressive 24.67 later in the day.  

Schoneborn would not be the only Islander to set a new school record on the day, as senior Tashonna Williams beat the program-best in the 400m that she set earlier this year. The San Antonio product crossed the finish line in 55.93 to qualify for the event final, posting the second-fastest pace in the field.

Kaelin Simmons would break the greatest Islander weight throw distance for the fourth time this year, posting a 16.82m and finishing eighth overall.

Rounding out the Blue and Green's historic day, Corpus Christi's distance medley relay team of Samantha Miller, Makalah Griffin, Valentina Campos and Morgan McCutchen claimed fourth overall with a program record time of 12:10.99. The quartet's time beats their team's season-best by nearly a full minute and bests the previous school mark by just over a second. 

Upon the completion of Day One, the Blue and Green men currently sit in ninth overall with a point total of 11.50, while the Islander women are sniffing at their top finish in Championship history, placing fifth heading into Thursday with 17 points overall.

Top Islander Performances

Women's 5000m
1. Rabea Schoneborn (16:26.46) - MR & SR
10. Valentina Campos (18:03.71) - PR

Women's Weight Throw
8. Kaelin Simmons (16.82m) - SR & PR

Women's 400m Prelim
2. Tashonna Williams (55.93) - SR & Q
16. Kendall Rodriguez (57.85) - PR

Women's Distance Medley
4: Miller/Griffin/Campos/McCutchen (12:10.99) - SR

Men's 5000m
7. Isaac Vargas (15:03.32) - PR
18. Jordan Wright (15:38.71) - PR

Men's Heptathlon 60m
10. James Manders (7.36) - PR
12. Bjoern Adden (7.42) - PR

Men's Heptathlon Long Jump
11. James Manders (6.51) - PR

Men's Heptathlon High Jump
T7. James Manders (1.80m) - PR

Men's 800m
15. Jaran Cadena (1:54.98) - PR

Women's One Mile
1. Allyson Girard (5:04.16) - Q

Men's One Mile
6. Steven Galli (4:21.85) - Q

Women's 60m 
4. Sierra Pruitt (7.55) - Q

Women's 200m
7. Sierra Pruitt (24.67) - Q

SR: School Record
FR: Freshman Record
PR: Personal Record
MR: Meet Record
Q: Final Qualifier

COMING UP NEXT 
The Blue and Green look onward to Day Two of the Southland Conference Indoor Championship, with the remainder of the men's heptathlon scheduled to start at 8:30 AM. Athletes Hannah McWilliams and Sashane Hanson will be looking to qualify for this year's NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas, competing in Thursday's pole vault and high jump events respectively.

For more information on Islanders track and field, follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersTFXC), Instagram (@go_islanders) and like their Facebook page (Islanders Track & Field/Cross Country).