at Big West Championships
Date: Saturday, Oct. 28
Event: Men's 8K
Time:  9:15 a.m. (PDT)
Location: UCR Ag/Ops Course - Riverside, Calif.
Unofficial Live Results: Finished Results App

THIS WEEK
The UC Irvine men's cross country team will make its way to Riverside for the third time this season as it is set for the 2017 Big West Championships on Saturday, Oct. 28.
 
UCI has eight athletes entered in the men's 8K race that gets underway at 9:15 a.m. on the UCR Ag/Ops Course. Sam Ayala, Kit Carter, Ashton Garcia, Hector Garcia, Andrew Graciano, Izzak Mireles, Jon Rodriguez and Ravi Sharma will be competing for the 'Eaters with the top five counting toward team scoring.
 
"We are excited to get out and see how we stack up against the entire conference," UC Irvine distance coach Chris Evans said. "We have improved as a team each race this season and are looking to have our best race at the championship."
 
BACK TO THE I.E.
This will mark the Anteaters' third race on the UCR Ag/Ops Course this year. They were also in the Inland Empire for the UC Riverside Invitational 8K (Sept. 16) and the Highlander Invitational 6K (Oct. 14). In addition, this is the sixth time in the last eight years the Big West Championships will be held in Riverside.
 
ON THE RISE
The UC Irvine men's cross country team has improved on its Big West finish in each of the last two years. After placing seventh in 2014, the 'Eaters jumped to fifth in 2015 and fourth in 2016. Last year, Hector Garcia was UCI's No. 2 runner, coming in 16th overall with an 8K time of 25:20.8. Izzak Mireles was also 27th (26:13.4), and Ashton Garcia was 42nd (26:52.7). Cal Poly won the team title, while the Mustangs' Clayton Hutchins was the individual champion.
 
MIRELES EARNS BIG WEST ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS
Senior Izzak Mireles was named the Big West Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week on Oct. 17, for his performance at the Highlander Invitational. Mireles established a 6K personal-record 17:56.9, which eclipsed his previous best by over 12 seconds. The Livingston, Calif., native was the top Big West finisher and earned runner-up honors out of 122 overall competitors. It was Mireles' best showing of the year and his third top-three performance as he was also third at the Pepperdine Invitational and Master's University XC Invitational. It was Mireles' first career weekly award and it was the first for the 'Eaters since 2014.
 
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 three of their four 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.
 
AND WE'RE OFF
UC Irvine posted a second-place team finish with three individuals in the top-15 at the Highlander Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 14. Senior Izzak Mireles led the Anteater pack, claiming runner-up honors with a 6000-meter personal-record 17:56.9. Sophomore Hector Garcia also took ninth with a career-best 18:09.3, while junior Jon Rodriguez was 15th with a lifetime-best 18:19.7. Junior Ashton Garcia came in next for the 'Eaters, placing 22nd with a PR 18:28.2, and freshman Ravi Sharma was not far behind in 24th (18:30.2).
 
UCI was also second behind only Pac-12 member UCLA 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. Mireles added his second third-place showing of the year (25:10.0).
 
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.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine continues postseason action in two weeks when it heads to Seattle, Wash., for the NCAA West Regional on Friday, Nov. 10.