COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi cross country program wrapped up the 2026 regular season at the Arturo Barrios Invitational at Texas A&M on Friday morning, closing things out strong by finishing in the top half of a stacked field on both sides.
The men began the action at the Watts Cross Country Course in the 8K, where the Islanders tallied 341 points to finish 11
th overall out of 38 scoring teams. This was the second-best mark in the Southland Conference, placing just behind UIW and ahead of McNeese, Lamar, HCU, UTRGV, LSU New Orleans and Nicholls. It also ranked them ahead of three different power conference schools in Texas, Baylor and LSU and in-state opponents such as UTEP, North Texas, Texas State and Rice.
For the first time on the year, A&M-Corpus Christi's best finisher for the men was
Mathayo Bundotich, who posted the second-best 8K time of his collegiate career by crossing the line in 23:46.8, which earned him a placement of 32
nd out of 380 total competitors.
Diego Canto – the Islanders' top runner at each of the first two meets – ended up finishing right behind Bundotich with a new personal best, clocking in at 23:48.6 to take home 35
th overall.
After the two near the front,
Brendan DiStefano was the next-highest finisher, turning in a nice shift himself in his second meet with the team by finishing in 60
th place after crossing the line in 24:03.6. Rounding out the team's point scorers were
Dominic Kiptum in 120
th with a time of 24:36.9 and
Andrew Rivas right behind him in 127
th at 24:41.2.
This race was then followed by the women's 6k, with the Islanders recording 515 points to place 16
th in a larger 48-team field. Like the men, this was good for second in the Southland behind only Stephen F. Austin and in front of UTRGV, HCU, UIW, McNeese, Lamar, LSU New Orleans and Nicholls. It was also better than 5 power conference foes, with that list consisting of Arizona State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor.
Taking her normal spot at the top of the team's individual leaderboard was
Elizabeth Khatevi, who followed up her victory at last year's Arturo Barrios Invitational with a sixth place showing out of 417 athletes this time around. The reigning champion was near the top of the field at every recorded split, topping out at third at the 2.7k mark before eventually finishing her race with a time of 19:30.8.
The next two finishers for A&M-Corpus Christi ended up being Khatevi's compatriots, first with
Phylis Kibet finishing in an impressive 56
th with a time of 20:37.6 and
Caroline Yegon ending her run not far behind in 20:47.5 to come in 70
th overall. After this,
Neele Heyne ended up placing 176
th with a time of 21:39.4, and
Faith Ramos rounded out the points scorers in 245
th with a time of 22:15.1
The Islanders will now start the championship phase of the season in two weeks' time, first competing for glory at the Southland Conference Cross Country Championships on October 30 in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Men's Results
32.
Mathayo Bundotich: 23:46.8
35.
Diego Canto: 23:48.6
60.
Brendan DiStefano: 24:03.6
120.
Dominic Kiptum: 24:36.9
127.
Andrew Rivas: 24:41.1
154.
Dillon Smith: 24:55.3
224.
Gary Custer: 25:32.0
253.
Noah Fernandez: 25:45.8
275.
Carson Brown: 26:03.0
295.
Aaron Miranda: 26:16.7
300.
Coulson Boyd: 26:25.4
325.
Cooper Grady: 26:53.0
Women's Results
6.
Elizabeth Khatevi: 19:30.8
56.
Phylis Kibet: 20:37.6
70.
Caroline Yegon: 20:47.5
176.
Neele Heyne: 21:39.4
245.
Faith Ramos: 22:15.1
338.
Brooklyn Albert: 23:36.9
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