SAN ANTONIO – Behind a first-place finish by freshman
Mathayo Kiptoo Bundotich, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's cross country program won its first-ever Southland Conference Championship on Friday, and the women placed fourth at Windcrest Golf Club, hosted by UIW.
Every spot mattered for the men as they won the conference by one point with 37, ahead of UIW's 38. After the race, first-year head coach
Bryan Jackson was named the 2023 SLC Men's Coach of the Year, the first in program history.
"This championship is a testament to these men. They believed, worked hard before I had even arrived this summer and they executed the exact race we needed. That race could have gone either way, and obviously I am excited we came out on top. But I'm most proud of how they competed and trusted each other," Jackson said.
Bundotich won the 8K race by 10 seconds as he clocked in at 24:17.6 and was one of four Islanders to finish in the top-10. Bundotich sat in second-place but close to the leader for most of the race until the final of three laps where he pulled away. Bundotich won his second race of the year after placing first at the Rice Invitational on Sept. 8.
"I was just trying to follow the leader but it was not easy and I didn't try to push myself until the finish lap. I tried to run in long strides and make a great move at the end," Bundotich said.
It marked the second year in a row that A&M-Corpus Christi won the race individually after senior
Dennis Kipngeno was crowned champion last year. Kipngeno ended in third Friday with a 24:46.9 time.
"The plan today was to be patient and to make our moves at the right time," Kipngeno said. "This team had never won a men's cross country championship and we wanted to create an environment of a winning mentality. This was my final year and we had to give it our all."
Junior
Kelvin Kimaiyo followed with a top-five time of 24:56.6 and sophomore
Enock Kimutai was top-10 with a 25:20.9. The all-important fifth finisher for the Islanders was junior
Rogerio Gomez with a 25:55.8, which was good for 18th.
Bundotich, Kipngeno and Kimaiyo earned All-Conference First-Team honors, while Kimutai was named to the All-Conference Second-Team.
The women topped their placement from last year where they finished in sixth.
Senior
Sharon Kiprop led the pack with a 6K time of 22:43.5. Just two seconds behind was freshman
Kate Brockman with a 22:45.5 as they both finished top-20.
A top-25 showing came from freshman
Faith Ramos with a 23:16.2. Rounding out the scoring was junior
Chloe Garcia Grafing with a 23:26.1 and senior
Riley Cowan with a 23:29.7.
"For the women, we came up a bit short of our goal, but this group is moving this program in the right direction. I'm beyond proud of how much they've grown throughout the season, and excited for what's in store for this group," Jackson said.
The Islanders will now turn their attention to NCAA South Central Regionals when they compete in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Friday, Nov. 10.
Men's Team Standings
1. A&M-Corpus Christi, 37
2. UIW, 38
3. McNeese, 91
4. New Orleans, 106
5. HCU, 117
6. A&M-Commerce, 148
7. Lamar, 176
8. Nicholls, 237
9. Southeastern, 260
10. Northwestern State, 286
Individual Results (8K out of 77)
1.
Mathayo Kiptoo Bundotich, 24:17.6
3.
Dennis Kipngeno, 24:46.9
5.
Kelvin Kimaiyo, 24:56.6
10.
Enock Kimutai, 25:20.9
18.
Rogerio Gomez, 25:55.8
21.
Hunter Haas, 26:09.5
44.
Logan Rickey, 28:03.1
51.
Gregorio Alcorta, 28:40.6
Women's Team Standings
1. Lamar, 45
2. New Orleans, 49
3. McNeese, 77
4. A&M-Corpus Christi, 114
5. HCU, 122
6. UIW, 139
7. Nicholls, 181
8. A&M-Commerce, 184
9. Northwestern State, 260
10. Southeastern, 265
Women's Individual Results (6K out of 65)
16.
Sharon Kiprop, 22:43.5
19.
Kate Brockman, 22:45.5
25.
Faith Ramos, 23:16.2
28.
Chloe Garcia Grafing, 23:26.1
30.
Riley Cowan, 23:29.7
33.
Deandra Ibarra, 23:50.6
Stay Social
For more information on Islanders Cross Country/Track & Field, follow the team on Twitter (
@IslandersTFXC), Instagram (
@IslandersTFXC) and like their Facebook page (
Islanders Track & Field/Cross Country).
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