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IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's track & field team will make its home debut this weekend when it hosts the UCI Spring Break Collegiate Classic, March 17-18. The hammer, javelin, steeplechase and 5000m will be contested on Friday. A full day of events is then scheduled for Saturday as the pole vault kicks things off at 10 a.m., while action on the track starts at 12 p.m. with the 4x100 relay.

The two-day meet will be held at Anteater Stadium, with the exception of the hammer throw which is set to take place at Golden West College. The meet will be scored for Division I purposes with the 'Eaters squaring off against Army, Loyola Marymount, Northern Arizona, Pepperdine, San Diego State, UC Riverside and Utah State.

"I'm excited because I feel like there has been a step up in the competition across the board this year," head coach Jeff Perkins said. "It's also a team competition, as opposed to last week's invitational, and I think that will bring us closer together as we get through March. This is the meet where we really get going so we should perform well and get some good marks."

QUICK HITS
• Barbara Coward has been named the Big West Field Athlete of the Week twice this season.
• She earned her second honor after winning the discus with a school-record 180-08 at the Ben Brown Invite.
• Crystal Lizaola's PR of 60.97 in the 400H is tops in the Big West and in the NCAA this season.
• Megan George is the two-time defending Big West champion and school record holder in the 100H.  

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine continued to post top performances early in the outdoor season as it won six events at the Ben Brown Invitational in Fullerton last weekend. Sophomore Barbara Coward broke her own school record and the meet record in the discus as she went for 180-08 on her fourth and final throw to claim the title. On the track, UCI swept the relay events, while senior Crystal Lizaola finished ahead of the pack in the 400H with a personal-best 60.97. Junior Persis William-Mensah (200m, 24.33) and senior Aliya Shah (Steeple, 11:07.42) added individual victories in their respective events.

RACKING UP THE AWARDS
Barbara Coward has already picked up two individual victories and two school records in the discus to earn herself a pair of Big West Women's Field Athlete of the Week awards this season. Her first honor came after shattering the school and meet record with a toss of 177-10 at the All-UC Challenge. The Atwater, Calif., native then uncorked a throw of 180-08 at the Ben Brown Invitational. Coward's new standard ranks first in the NCAA and 25th internationally.

KEEPING PACE
Senior Crystal Lizaola set a couple indoor school records (600m, 800m) nearly two months ago, and she has not slowed down during the outdoor campaign as she was a double champion in the 400 hurdles and the 4x400 relay at the Ben Brown Invitational. Lizaola won the 400H in a personal-best 60.97 seconds, a mark that ranks first in the NCAA this season and 10th all-time at UC Irvine.

SUMMER TO REMEMBER
Junior Persis William-Mensah had an eye-opening summer in 2016 as she traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games as a member of Ghana's 4x100 relay team. At UC Irvine, William-Mensah is an all-conference performer and school record holder in both the 100m (11.59) and 4x100 relay (44.51). In her 2017 debut at the Ben Brown Invitational, she won the 200m (24.33) and ran the anchor leg on the Anteaters' 4x100 that finished ahead of the pack in a Big West-leading 45.85 seconds.

SETTING THE STANDARD
Senior Megan George is on track to continue her success in the 100m hurdles during her final campaign. She is already a two-time NCAA West Preliminary qualifier and two-time defending Big West champion in the 100H where she also owns the school record at 13.28 seconds. In addition, she was a member of last year's conference champion 4x100 relay that ran the fastest time in program history (44.51).

MEANWHILE, IN THE FIELD EVENTS
Senior Ariel Cheng is a two-time All-Big West performer in the pole vault. She was the conference runner-up as a freshman and owns a personal-best 12-10.75, which ranks second in school history. In her final season, Cheng will be looking to become just the second 'Eater to reach the 13-foot mark as Erin Curtis set the school record at 13-02.25 in 2003. Barbara Coward and junior Dazhana Bauer-Jackson are UCI's top returning throwers. Coward owns the school record in the discus (180-08), while Bauer-Jackson ranks second in the hammer (179-11).

UP NEXT
UC Irvine will close out the first month of the outdoor season next weekend when it heads to Riverside for the UCR Spring Track Classic, March 24-25.