CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi cross country team got its 2025 season started with a bang on Friday morning, taking home a perfect score on the men's side and racing tough on the women's side at the Cross Country at the Seashore meet on Padre Island.
"What a fun morning!" said head coach
Bryan Jackson following the first meet of his third cross country season with the program. "Can't beat watching the sun rise from the beach and coupling it with a cross country race. We accomplished exactly what we needed to this morning. The men controlled it from wire-to-wire and looked really smooth, and the women handled their challenge very well and also looked really good doing it. We still have work to do and growth to chase, but we are in a good place with both teams!"
The day started out with the men's 6,000m race, where the Islanders took on Texas Wesleyan and Texas Southmost College and pulled off the clean sweep, placing in each of the first nine spots and having all 12 of its competitors finish within the top 15. The leader of the pack was junior
Mathayo Bundotich, who took home the individual top prize after crossing the line in 19:23.67. This marked the second year in a row that the Kenya native took home first place at the event, and his time helped move him up two spots to No. 4 in program history in the 6k.
Following right behind Bundotich was fellow countryman
Dominic Kiptum, with the sophomore taking home the silver with a time of 19:28.00 that helped debut him in a tie for fifth in the school's record books. The rest of the top five was rounded out by a trio of sophomores in
Kye Lowth,
Diego Canto and
Dillon Smith, who finished with marks of 20:44.38, 20:44.39 and 20:46.76.
After this, A&M-Corpus Christi would go on to race to a second-place finish as a team in the women's 4k, finishing ahead of the two teams that the men did and just behind Power 4 opponent SMU by a narrow margin of just three points. This race brought another individual champion for the Islanders, as sophomore
Elizabeth Khatevi picked up right where she left off from track season in the spring and took home the gold medal with a time of 14:02.16 that places her second in school history in the event.
The next Islanders finisher after Khatevi was sophomore
Phylis Kibet, who competed in her first cross country meet with the team after coming on during track season and started things off with a third-place finish overall and a time of 14:31.24. Sophomore
Alicia Finnis would then go on to cross the line in fifth place with a time of 14:35.91, and rounding out the rest of the scorers were sophomore newcomer
Sharon Jemeli and sophomore returner
Neele Heyne in 10
th and 11
th place with marks of 15:29.53 and 15:31.39.
The Islanders will now prepare for their next meet in just a week's time, as they travel north next Friday to take part in the Gerald Richey UTA Invitational in Arlington.
Men's Top 5 Times
1. A&M-Corpus Christi: 1:41:07.20
2. TSC: 1:56:14.48
3. Texas Wesleyan: 2:02:32.87
Men's Individual Times
1.
Mathayo Bundotich: 19:23.67
2.
Dominic Kiptum: 19:28.00
3.
Kye Lowth: 20:44.38
4.
Diego Canto: 20:44.39
5.
Dillon Smith: 20:46.76
6.
Ewan Wheelwright: 20:47.19
7.
Andrew Rivas: 20:47.30
8.
Joseph Lopez: 20:47.42
9.
Philip Jensen e Castro: 20:55.00
11.
Gary Custer: 21:23.44
12.
Carson Brown: 21:30.41
15.
Max Lowrey: 21:44.35
Women's Top 5 Times
1. SMU: 1:13:36.66
2. A&M-Corpus Christi: 1:14:10.23
3. TSC: 1:45:19.06
Inc. Texas Wesleyan: 3 Finishers
Women's Individual Times
1.
Elizabeth Khatevi: 14:02.16
3.
Phylis Kibet: 14:31.24
5.
Alicia Finnis: 14:35.91
10.
Sharon Jemeli: 15:29.53
11.
Neele Heyne: 15:31.39
12.
Micah Mizell: 15:33.23
14.
Abbey Coberly: 15:44.15
16.
Faith Ramos: 16:08.65
18.
Hannah Claire Gonzalez: 16:29.35
19.
Deandra Ibarra: 16:49.67
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