CORPUS CHRISTI – Junior Alberto Herrera won the Islander Splash to lead The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley men's and women's cross country teams on Saturday at the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Cross Country Course.
 
Herrera finished the fou-mile race with a time of 19:29.3, which was four seconds faster than the second place finisher. Herrera was one of three to finish in the top-five as junior Brian Yanez finished in fourth place with a time of 19:59.4 and sophomore Ricardo Mendoza finished in fifth with a time of 20:03.0.
 
With the men's team finishing with three in the top-five, they took first place in the dual competition with 26 points. They beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, who posted 45 points, to pick up two more points in the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union.
 
"I am proud of the way the boys executed today," UTRGV head coach Darren Flowers said. "Our goal was a 40 second gap from first through fifth and we got pretty close to that. Alberto ran great up front and the guys really made a charge in the last 2,000-meters to get the victory."
 
Junior Mathew Peynado posted a top-10 finish coming in sixth place with a time of 20:04.6 while freshman Juan Manzano came in 10^th with a time of 20:16.4. Freshman Jose Serna finished just outside the top-10 in 11^th with a time of 20:43.9 and freshman Jonathan Reyes posted an 13^th place finish with a time of 21:12.5.
 
Junior Isaac Arevalo came in 17^th place with a time of 22:05.6 while freshman Mikel Escobar finished in 20^th after crossing the finish line with a time of 22:25.0 and sophomore Carlos Roguera posted a 22^nd place finish with a time of 23:15.8
 
On the women's side, sophomore Krysta Martinez posted a fifth place finish after finishing the 5,000-meter race with a time of 20:05.8. Junior Thalia Polanco finished two spots behind Martinez in seventh place with a time of 20:14.8 while sophomore Alma Villanueva finished in ninth with a time of 20:30.6.
 
Freshman Kelly Aguinaga posted a 10^th place finish after crossing the finish line with a time of 20:39.5. Sophomore Bryana Rios came in 14^th place with a time of 20:52.1 while sophomore Monica Yanez finished in 20^th with a time of 22:15.2.
 
"The girls ran shorthanded today but we still didn't run as well as we are capable," Flowers said. "We need to stay dedicated and keep getting stronger as the weeks go by here. There is still a lot of racing left to do."
 
The women's team finished in second place behind Texas A&M-Corpus Christi giving the Islanders two points in the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union standings. UTRGV still holds the 9.5 to 6.5 lead with the next event coming on November 14 in women's basketball.
 
UTRGV will be back in action September 30 when they travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas to compete in the Chile Pepper Festival, hosted by the University of Arkansas.
 
Complete Results
Women's – 5,000 Meters
5. Krysta Martinez, UTRGV – 20:05.8
7. Thalia Polanco, UTRGV – 20:14.8
9. Alma Villanueva, UTRGV – 20:30.6
10. Kelly Aguinaga, UTRGV – 20:39.5
14. Bryana Rios, UTRGV – 20:52.1
20. Monica Yanez, UTRGV – 22:15.2
 
Men's - 4-Miles
1. Alberto Herrera, UTRGV – 19:29.3
4. Brian Yanez, UTRGV – 19:59.4
5. Ricardo Mendoza, UTRGV – 20:03.0
6. Mathew Peynado, UTRGV – 20:04.6
10. Juan Manzano, UTRGV – 20:16.4
11. Jose Serna, UTRGV – 20:43.9
13. Jonathan Reyes, UTRGV – 21:12.5
17. Isaac Arevalo, UTRGV – 22:05.6
20. Mikel Escobar, UTRGV – 22:25.0
22. Carlos Roguera, UTRGV – 23:15.8

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