Islander Women Finish Fifth In SLC Championship

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women set a program best in this week's Southland Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship with 69 points over two days, finishing fifth overall in the SLC field of 12. On the men's side, freshman James Manders made Blue and Green history in the heptathlon, providing an Islander record point-total of 4964.

Corpus Christi's long distance runners dominated the competition on Day Two of the SLC Championship, as Allyson Girard and Rabea Schoneborn both tallied first-place finishes in the mile and the 3000m respectively. Girard's time of 4:53.65 beat the program record she set earlier this year, finishing ahead of the rest of the SLC field by just under four seconds, while Schoneborn's 9:37.62 in the 3000m fell just short of her personal best and is the second quickest in Blue and Green history. Girard came in just a few spots behind her teammate, posting a personal record time of 9:49.80 in the same event.

Manders set a personal best with his 1000m time of 2:49.03 on the way to finishing third overall in this year's heptathlon. His pole vault clearance of 4.90m was the top mark among combined athletes on Thursday, and ties the personal record he set earlier this season. The first-year Islander was not the only Corpus Christi athlete to to put up career performances in the heptathlon, as Bjoern Adden (3:04.29) and Bryan Wersterfer (2:52.12) both beat their fastest marks in the 1000m.

Jordan Wright and freshman Isaac Vargas both tallied a pair of personal records in the men's 3000m, with respective times of 8:41.67 and 8:42.23, with Wright's pace going down as the fastest any Islander has recorded in the 2018 indoor season.

Hannah McWilliams and Sashane Hanson would both record second-place finishes on the day, with the former providing a 4.02m mark in the pole vault, and Hanson clearing a height of 1.72m in the high jump. McWilliams finishes the season ranked 24th in the country after putting up a 4.17m at the Texas Tech Shootout, while Hanson's 1.77m at the same meet remains the greatest in the SLC this year.

The Islander men finished 10th as a team with their total of 20.50 points, while the women's 69 tally is the greatest that any Blue and Green squad has registered in the SLC Indoor Championship. 

Top Islander Performances

Women's 3000m
1. Rabea Schoneborn (9:37.62)
4. Allyson Girard (9:49.80) - PR
12. Valentina Campos (10:16.36) - PR

Women's One Mile
1. Allyson Girard (4:53.65) - SR & PR

Men's Heptathlon
3. James Manders (4964) - SR & PR
8. Bryan Wersterfer (4587) - PR

Men's 3000m
11. Jordan Wright (8:41.67) - PR
12. Isaac Vargas (8:42.23) - PR

Men's Triple Jump
12. De Kwan Wynn (13.70m) - PR

Women's Shot Put
7. Diamond Thomas (13.82m) - PR

Women's Pole Vault
2. Hannah McWilliams (4.02m)

Women's High Jump
T2. Sashane Hanson (1.72m)

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

COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders get ready to head outdoors next month, kicking off the season competing in the UTSA Invitational.

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).