at Highlander Invitational
Date: Saturday, Oct. 14
Event: Men's 6000m Invitational
Time:  8:00 a.m. (PDT)
Location: UCR Agricultural Operations Course - Riverside, Calif.
 
THIS WEEK
The UC Irvine men's cross country team returns to the UCR Ag/Ops Course in Riverside for the second time this season as it will compete in the Highlander Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 14. The men's 6000m gets underway at 8 a.m.
 
A total of nine men's programs will take part in the sixth annual Highlander Invitational this weekend, including fellow Big West members CSUN, Long Beach State and host UC Riverside. Sam Ayala, Kit Carter, Ashton Garcia, Hector Garcia, Andrew Graciano, Izzak Mireles, Jon Rodriguez, Ravi Sharma and Xavier Weaver are set to represent the Anteaters in a field of 86 runners.

RESULTS
Final results can be found at FinishedResults.com. Unofficial results can also be tracked live through the Finished Results app.
 
MEET REWIND
This is the sixth year in a row the 'Eaters will run at the Highlander Invitational. In 2016, they picked up their third victory of the season, winning the team title with 30 points. Izzak Mireles (6th) and Hector Garcia (8th) clocked in at personal-records of 18:09.56 and 18:15.90, respectively. Ashton Garcia added a top-20 showing with a career-best 18:34.00.
 
SOPHOMORE LEADER
The Anteaters may have graduated their top runner from last year, but sophomore Hector Garcia has made a smooth transition into that role in 2017. Garcia has led the team in all three races this season, opening the campaign with his first collegiate victory at the Pepperdine Invitational 5K. He was also the runner-up at the Master's University XC Invitational (8K), while notching a top-10 finish among an elite field of NCAA Division I athletes at the UC Riverside 8K Invitational.
 
ONE-TWO PUNCH
Senior Izzak Mireles has joined forces with Garcia to provide a solid 1-2 punch for UC Irvine. The duo has placed among the top-three in two meets this season as Mireles took third at the Pepperdine Invitational and Master's University XC Invitational. The Livingston, Calif., native established a 5K personal-record 15:52.13 in Malibu.
 
AND WE'RE OFF
The 'Eaters were second behind only Pac-12 member UCLA in their last outing at the Master's University XC Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 30. Hector Garcia was the individual runner-up, covering the 8000-meter course in 25:04.7. Izzak Mireles also notched his second third-place showing of the year after clocking in at 25:10.0. Junior Ashton Garcia was 20th overall with a time of 25:47.3, while freshman Ravi Sharma followed in 21st (25:48.1). Sophomore Sam Ayala (26:04.3) and junior Jon Rodriguez (26:04.4) came in next for UCI in 34th and 35th, respectively. Junior Andrew Graciano rounded out the team's top-seven with an 8K personal-record 26:39.7 (62nd).
 
On Sept. 16, UC Irvine placed eighth among NCAA Division I teams, and 11th overall, at the UC Riverside Invitational. Hector Garcia was the Anteaters' top runner, completing the 8K in a career-best 24:43.0 (15th).
 
On Sept. 1, the 'Eaters kicked off the 2017 campaign by going 3-0 in dual-meet scoring at the Pepperdine Invitational. UCI defeated CSUN, Long Beach State and Pepperdine. Garcia won the individual title at 15:41.97.
 
BIG WEST PREP
This is UC Irvine's final tune-up before the Big West Championships on Saturday, Oct. 28.  The conference meet returns to the Inland Empire for the eighth time in the last 10 years, as the 'Eaters will be back at UCR Ag/Ops Course for the third time in 2017.
 
"We have a lot of local races and we're really focusing on getting on that UC Riverside course where the conference championship will be held," distance coach Chris Evans said prior to the start of the season. "We're there for the UCR Invitational and Highlander Invitational, both of which give us a chance to race top-level competition and to get to know the course so when the Big West meet comes, we're ready with our game plan and how we are going to attack that course."