HOUSTON, Texas - The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Cross Country team impressed in its season-opening event Friday evening at the Rice Invitational, earning a third-place finish from the men's squad and a fifth-place ranking from the women's. Junior College transfer
Oscar Leyva outpaced the remainder of the men's field by nearly nine seconds as he crossed the finish line first while teammate
Isaac Vargas maneuvered in for a third-place ranking.
With seven runners finishing in a range from first to 50th, the Islanders represented one of the strongest teams of the meet, failing to match only Rice and Houston, respectively. Fellow Southland Conference members Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State remained competitive, closing out fifth and sixth place finishes in the ten-team field.
On the women's side, a trio of seniors headlined the Islander pack as
Allyson Girard picked up a ninth-place finish,
Cynthia Quiroga grabbed 23rd and
Samantha Miller slid into 30th. The overall team results saw the women fall short of fellow Southland Conference member Stephen F. Austin, who notched a fourth-place finish, while Texas, Rice and Houston rounded out the top three, respectively. As a unit, though, the squad featured a tightly-knit group with placements ranging from ninth to 43rd.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is set to host its next competition event, the Islander Splash, on Friday, Sept. 21.
Men's Team Results
1) Rice (42)
2) Houston (78)
3) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (88)
4) Texas (102)
5) Stephen F. Austin (105)
6) Sam Houston State (130)
7) St. Edwards (201)
8) St. Thomas (219)
9) Prairie View A&M (221)
10) UT-Rio Grande Valley (229)
Women's Team Results
1) Texas (27)
2) Rice (41)
3) Houston (96)
4) Stephen F. Austin (102)
5) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (123)
6) Sam Houston State (165)
7) St. Edwards (197)
8) Prairie View A&M (236)
9) Houston Baptist (265)
10) UT-Rio Grande Valley (288)
11) Texas Southern (338)
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