Men Take Fourth At UTSA

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Allyson Girard sets a program record in the 1500m this Saturday, as the Islanders men and women finish fourth and fifth respectively at the UTSA Invitational.

Newcomer Colton Cohea set the precedent for the Islanders on Saturday morning clearing a height of 4.87m in the pole vault to take fifth in the event. Cohea's tally trails only freshman James Manders' 5.00m for the top-mark in program history, competing in the pole vault for the first time in his outdoor career.

Already owning the Corpus Christi indoor record in the mile, junior transfer Allyson Girard continued to rewrite the record books this Saturday, running a 4:32.87 in this week's 1500m. Her time was good for first in the event, finishing nearly a full four seconds ahead of the rest of her competition. Girard's pace currently sits atop the Southland Conference this outdoor season, and sixth in the west, barring the remainder of this week's national results.

Multiple Islander women set personal records in the 200m later in the afternoon, with junior Sierra Pruitt finishing a Blue and Green-best sixth-place in the event. Crossing in a time of 24.10, Pruitt was followed by two more Islander PRs from Tashonna Williams (24.37) in ninth, and Makalah Griffin (25.71) in 15th. Pruitt would also set a new personal best in the 100m dash in San Antonio, with her 11.89 beating her previous top-mark by nearly half of a second.

Will Maraggia tallied Corpus Christi's second win of the day after running a 1:53.04 in the 800m, while teammate Rashawn Black broke a personal record in sixth-place (1:58.66).

The Islanders had a superb day in the hurdles as well, as junior Kendall Rodriguez ran one of the fastest 400m hurdle times in program history. Rodriguez' pace of 1:03.54 was the fifth-fastest time in San Antonio this week, but beat her previous best by over a second and sits as the third quickest in the history of Blue and Green outdoor track. Men's sprinter Kevin Jaymez set a PR in the same event with a time of 56.61, edging out the 57.81 he ran the previous year.

Griffin recorded her second personal best of the day with a 1:00.55 in the 400m, as the Corpus Christi men and women tallied 70 points each over the two-day meet.

Both Corpus Christi teams finished ahead of UTRGV this weekend, gaining another four points in this year's South Texas Showdown, presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union, standings. The Islanders now sit a full six points ahead of their rivals with a 27.5 to 22.5 lead in the annual series.

Top Islander Performances

Women's 1500m
1. Allyson Girard (4:32.87) - SR

Men's 800m
1. Will Maraggia (1:53.04)
6. Rashawn Black (1:58.66) - PR

Women's High Jump
2. Sashane Hanson (1.70m)

Women's Pole Vault
3. Hannah McWilliams (3.80m)

Men's Pole Vault
5. Colton Cohea (4.87m) - PR

Women's 400H
5. Kendall Rodriguez (1:03.54) - PR

Women's 200m
6. Sierra Pruitt (24.10) - PR
9. Tashonna Williams (24.37) - PR
15. Makalah Griffin (25.71) - PR

Men's 400H
8. Kevin Jaymez (56.61) - PR

Women's 100m
9. Sierra Pruitt (11.89) - PR

Women's 400m
15. Makalah Griffin (1:00.55) - PR

SR: School Record
PR: Personal Record

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