General 9/2/2026 2:43:00 PM

Blinn opens season against four-year competition

The Buccaneer men and women finished fifth at the UIW Twilight in San Antonio

General 9/2/2026 2:43:00 PM

Blinn opens season against four-year competition

The Buccaneer men and women finished fifth at the UIW Twilight in San Antonio

The Blinn College men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2026 season Tuesday night against a challenging field of four-year programs at the University of the Incarnate Word Twilight in San Antonio, Texas.

The Blinn men placed fifth out of eight teams in the 6-kilometer race, totaling a combined time of 1 hour, 39 minutes and 19 seconds for an average finish time of 19:51.

Sophomores Ryan Fernandez and Matthew Binkley led the Buccaneers, finishing 21st and 23rd overall, respectively. Fernandez crossed the finish line in 19 minutes, 28.42 seconds, while Binkley followed in 19:33.70.

Sophomore Aidan Hernandez cracked the top 40 with a 33rd-place finish in 19:51.93. Sophomores Brandon Lopez and Nolan Schreiber rounded out Blinn's top five, placing 41st and 42nd, respectively. Lopez finished in 20:11.93, while Schreiber posted a time of 20:13.71.

A total of 93 runners competed in the men's race, which included three NCAA Division I programs.

"We came away with mixed feelings about the men's race today," Blinn head men's and women's cross country coach Jesse Parker said. "We accomplished our individual goals, with Ryan and Matthew finishing in the top 25% of the race, followed by Aidan, Brandon, and Nolan finishing in the top half.

"That is all very encouraging in a field where three of the eight teams are quality NCAA Division I programs. However, we felt we could have run much better with every athlete."

The Blinn women also competed against an eight-team field in a 4K race and used their depth to finish fifth. The Bucs totaled a cumulative time of 1:21:27 and averaged a finish time of 16:17.

Sophomore Rosario Botello was Blinn's top finisher, placing 37th overall with a mark of 15:59.40. Freshman Mary Antkowiak finished 46th in 16:11.89, while fellow freshmen Annie Fildes and Jaquelin Garcia Padron placed 48th and 49th, respectively. Fildes posted a time of 16:18.48, followed by Garcia Padron in 16:24.41.

A total of 81 runners competed in the women's race.

"Our depth showed well today," Parker said. "Competing against all four-year programs, we knew it would be difficult to compete with the top individuals. We ended up having seven runners finish in the top 75% of the field, and that made a difference in the team standings.

"I was also impressed with Mary and Annie. They showed a lot of maturity and competitiveness in how they approached and executed their races."

Both Blinn teams will return to action at the Texas A&M Invitational hosted by Texas A&M University on Friday, Sept. 11, in College Station, Texas.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 53 national championships since 1987.

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Players Mentioned

Matthew Binkley: Sophomore

Ryan Fernandez: Sophomore

Aidan Hernandez: Sophomore

Brandon Lopez: Sophomore

Nolan Schreiber: Sophomore

Mary Antkowiak: Freshman

Rosario Botello: Sophomore

Annie Fildes: Freshman

Jaquelin Garcia Padron: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Matthew Binkley
: Sophomore

Ryan Fernandez
: Sophomore

Aidan Hernandez
: Sophomore

Brandon Lopez
: Sophomore

Nolan Schreiber
: Sophomore

Mary Antkowiak
: Freshman

Rosario Botello
: Sophomore

Annie Fildes
: Freshman

Jaquelin Garcia Padron
: Freshman