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2014 Islander Open

March 15, Corpus Christi

Texas A&M - Copus Christi notes - It was a historic day for the Texas A&M – Corpus Christi Track & Field program, as it was able to showcase its brand new Dr. Jack Dugan Soccer and Track Stadium as part of the Country Inn and Suites Islanders Open.

The Islanders had a strong showing in their inaugural home meet, as it had seven different members of the team finish in first place in their perspective events.

In the early morning races, the Islanders dominated in the long distance events, sweeping both the 3000m and 2000m steeplechase. On the men's side it was Philipp Baar sweeping both events, as he finished first in the 3000m with an 8:36.88, followed by a performance of 6:15.91 in the steeple. Baar won the two races by a combined total of more than 43 seconds.

The Islanders also had two third-place finishers come in behind Baar in the two events, as Daniel Guerrero (8:56.74) did so in the 3000m, while it was Christoph Hintz (6:46.70) in the steeple.

For the women, Regina Salinas dominated the 3000m, finishing 20 seconds ahead of any other competitor in a time of 10:17.76. Coming in third in the event for the Islanders was Alexandria Rossi, crossing the line in 10:38.49.

Lara Huelsebusch paced the Islanders in the women's steeplechase, as she came in more than 20 seconds ahead of any other runners, splashing and hurdling her way to a time of 7:24.20.

A&M – Corpus Christi also ran very well in the other longer distance race of the day, as five Islanders finished in the top 10 in the 1500m. Four of which were on the women's side, with Salinas having another strong performance, coming in second with a time of 4:47.60. Also in the first heat were Brandie Garcia (4:54.21) and Ann-Kathrin Ott (4:58.51), crossing the line in fourth and seventh, respectively.

Samantha Hardin came in first in her heat of the 1500m, finishing eighth overall in 4:59.72.

For the men, it was Edgar Martinez leading the way in the race, as he came in behind two Southland Conference foes from Incarnate Word to place third in 4:12.42.

The team also had success in the half mile, with three Islanders claiming the top three spots collegiately in the men's race. It was Paul Hansel (1:56.21) coming in second overall and first against university runners, while Joseph Hefner (2:00.50) and William Scott (2:00.83) were the next two across.

For the women, Jasmine Boutte was the second collegiate competitor to finish the race, clocking a time of 2:19.51, while Ashley Mills finished ninth overall (2:24.24).

In the 200m Ashley Rosebrough had one of the best races of the day. Despite running in the second heat, Rosenbough notched the best time of the day in the event, crossing the line in 57.09.

Both the women and men performed well in the high jump, as four different competitors finished in the top five.

For the women, it was Kerrisa Wiley who tied for second with a clearance of 1.66m (5' 5.25"), while Marisa Ellis came in fourth 1.58 (5' 5.25").

On the men's side, only one person beat out Dallas Owen, as he finished tied for second by clearing 1.93m (6' 4"). The winner was a familiar face, as former A&M – Corpus Christi standout Roger de la Cruz won the event with a vault of 2.06 (6' 9").

Also with a strong day in the field were the throwers, as three different Islanders finished in the top 10 in the shot put. It was all on the women's side, as it was Vivian Rodriguez (12.90, 42' 4"), Kaelin Simmons (11.72, 38' 5.50") and Omesha Locke (11.72, 38' 5.50"), finishing fourth, fifth and eighth, respectively.

Locke also had a solid showing in the discus, with a third-place performance, tossing a 39.95 (131' 1").

Every first place-finish on the day became a new facility record, since this was the first meet at Dugan Stadium.

The Islanders will be right back in action a week from this meet, as they will compete in UTSA Texas Challenge Invitational in San Antonio.

UTSA notes - The UTSA men's track & field team got off to a successful start at Saturday's season-opening Country Inn & Suites Islanders Open, as the Roadrunners registered eight winning performances in the 14 events in which they had entries.

Leading the way was Taylor Reed, who broke his two-year-old program record in the pole vault. The senior from Tyler cleared 17-2 ¾ (5.25m) en route to winning by more than a foot and it added four inches to his previous school standard.

UTSA also received gold-medal efforts in four other field events.

All-American Richard Garrett Jr. picked up a pair of victories in his first outdoor action since the 2013 campaign. The Garland native easily won the shot put with a measurement of 62-1 ¼ (18.93m), which was an inch-and-a-quarter shy of his program mark, and he also was victorious in the discus with a toss of 169-8 (51.71m).

Meanwhile, Ronson Small skipped to a career-long 48-5 ½ (14.77m) leap in the triple jump and Phil Steinert threw the hammer 193-4 (58.93m). Both athletes also were returning from a one-year hiatus after redshirting last year.

Running event winners included Christopher Hall in the 200 meters (21.54w), Keyunta Hayes in the quarter (47.57) and the 400m relay of Aaron LeJeune, Nate Brunette, Small and James Johnson (41.18).

All told, the Birds recorded 12 other podium finishes at the one-day meet.

The Roadrunners will return to action next weekend when it hosts the two-day UTSA Texas Challenge Invitational at the Park West Athletics Complex. The program's first home meet since 1995 is scheduled to get underway on Friday, March 21.

UTPA notes - The University of Texas-Pan American Broncs men's and women's track and field teams kicked off their outdoor season with 23 top-five finishes at the Islanders Open on Saturday at the Dr. Jack Dugan Soccer & Track Stadium.

Jasmine Davison was crowned the first Broncs' outdoor champion as she won the hammer throw with a distance of 52.17 meters. Cristina Santiago Bravo finished in second place with a throw of 48.73 meters while Vivian Espinoza finished in fourth with a throw of 45.65 meters.

Deandra Barroso won the 400-Meter Hurdles with a time of 1:02.77 while Stephanie Vazquez finished in sixth with a time of 1:06.67.

In the women's discus, Klarissa Gonzalez finished in second place with a throw of 40.81 meters and Megan Shaw finished in fourth place with a throw of 48.65 meters. Shaw also went on to finish in the fifth place in the shot put with a mark of 12.81 meters.

Carolina Hinojosa finished in third place in the 400-Meter Dash with a time of 58.06 seconds and Melissa Rodriguez finished in fifth with a time of 59.12 seconds.

Robin Galloso, who competed unattached, finished in second place in the 800-Meter Run with a time of 2:19.40 while Rebekah Rodriguez finished in eighth with a time of 2:23.38. Galloso then went on to win the 1500-Meter Run with a time 4:44.68 and Rodriguez finished in third place with a time of 4:51.18.

On the men's side, Trey Taylor was crowned first outdoor champion as he won the javelin throw with a throw of 52.32 meters.

Edgar Moreno finished in fifth place in the 400-Meter Dash with a time of 49.79 seconds while Raymond Flowers posted a fifth place finish in the 1500-Meter Run with a time of 4:16.45.

Dijan Johnson and Carlos Cano finished in the top-five in the 400-Meter Hurdles as Johnson finished in fourth with a time of 54.14 seconds and Cano finished in fifth with a time of 54.77 seconds.

In the high jump, Antonio Gonzales finished in second place after clearing a height of 1.93 meters and Justin Gonzalez finished in fifth after clearing a height of 1.83 meters. Mar Gonzalez posted a fourth place finish in the long jump with a mark of 6.48 meters and then finished in second in the triple jump with a distance of 13.52 meters.

Javier Carretero posted a third place in the hammer throw with a distance of 56.27 meters.

The Broncs are back in action on March 22 when they compete at the IBC Bank Cactus Cup in Kingsville.

Trinity notes - The Trinity Tigers men’s and women’s track and field teams - the only NCAA Division III school in the competition - more than held their own Saturday at the Country Inn and Suites Islanders Open at Dugan Stadium.

Taylor Piske placed fourth in the men’s 1,500 meters with a time of 4:13.35, at the meet hosted by Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Will Paulus came in at No. 10 in the 400 meters (50.40), and was 20th in the 200 meters (23.26). Adam Saunders posted a time of 11:32 seconds in the 100 meters and finished in 14th place.

The women’s events were highlighted in the 800 meters, as Mariana Sigala finished fourth, clocking in at 2:20.19. Vanessa Moreno came in at No. 7, with a time of 2:21.93.

Jessie Dean ran a 1:07.13 for an eighth-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles. Maddie Murphy Placed ninth in the 1,500 meters (5:01.56), and Michelle Oberndorf was 12th (5:04.19). Bailey Drury was 10th in the 400 meters (1:00.57), and 11th in the 200 meters (26.36). The 100 meters event had Salome Wilfred finishing 14th (13.04), and Katie Groke at No. 15 (13.27).
Trinity will host the Tiger relays March 28 at the Trinity Track and Field/Football Stadium.

Incarnate Word notes - The University of the Incarnate Word track and field teams opened up the outdoor season at the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Invitational at the Dr. Jack Dugan Soccer and Track Stadium on Saturday. (Results)

The UIW women had a number of strong performances. Freshman Myah Antwi (Huntsville/Huntsville HS) set a pair of school records in the shot put and hammer throw. She took third place in the shot put with a toss of 42-5.25 and threw the hammer, 122-7 in her first collegiate meet. (Interviews with Jacob Ulbricht and Kathleen Hoffman)

The lone win for the Cardinals women came in the 4x100 relay where Brittney Holcombe, Daniela Anane-Bediakoh, Stephanie Nelson and Courtney Miller topped the competition with a time of 46.42. Anane-Bediakoh took second in the 100 meters with a time of 12.02 while Holcombe took third in 12.13. Nelson added a runner-up finish in the long jump with a distance of 18-6. Elizabeth Edohoukwa was right behind Nelson in the long jump with a third place length of 18-4.5.

The Cardinals had two other athletes grab second place results. Lindsey Frost crossed the line in the 2000-meter steeplechase with a time of 7:46.36. Jasmine Waring took second in the 400 meters with a time of 57.59 and added a third place finish with a 5-5.25 clearance in the high jump.

"We had a solid overall first outdoor meet," said UIW head coach Derek Reidel. "It is one of our best ever openers. I was pleased with the women's 4x100 and how strong they looked. Myah Antwi continues to improve."

The UIW men got the day started well in the distance events. Marcos Mora set a school record in the 3000 meters with a time of 8:57.99 and then he won the 1500 meters with a time of 4:11.68. His twin brother, Mario, followed with the runner-up slot in the 1500 in 4:12.08.

Junior Chris DeWitt led the sprinters with a pair of top three finishes. He was second in the 100 meters in a time of 10.66 and second in the 200 meters with a time of 21.61. The team had three freshman break 10.90 seconds in the 100 meters. Jamari Gilbert broke 49 seconds in the 400 meters with a time of 48.85 to take third place.

In the field events, sophomore Jacob Ulbricht set a new personal record in the pole vault with a clearance of 15-11.75. He took second place overall. (15-feet clearance, personal record clearance)

"The 400 guys looked strong with a tough wind and the 3K runners ran tough," added Reidel. "Chris DeWitt continued a nice progression and the freshmen sprinters were focused. It's a good building block for the next seven weeks leading into conference."

The Cardinals are back in action next Saturday at the IBC Bank Cactus Cup hosted by Texas A&M-Kingsville.