UC Irvine Returns to Action at UCR Invitational

Saturday, September 16

Riverside, CA

8:05 AM

UC Irvine

UC Riverside Invitational

UC Irvine Returns to Action at UCR Invitational

September 15, 2017 | Women's Cross Country

at UC Riverside Invitational
Date: Saturday, Sept. 16
Event: Women's 6K Invitational
Time: 7:30 a.m. (PDT)
Location: UCR Ag/Ops Course - Riverside, Calif.
Meet Info // Finished Results

THIS WEEK
The UC Irvine women's cross country team is back in action this weekend as it heads to the Inland Empire for the 37th annual UC Riverside Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 16.

Two women's races are scheduled with the 6000m Invitational at 7:30 a.m., and the 5000m Open at 8:40 a.m., both on the UCR Ag/Ops Course.

Seven Anteaters are entered in the 6K Invitational. Keely Boyd, Brenda Dorantes, Anastasia Karnaze, Olympia Martinez, Megan Mirkhanian and Jenessa Reyes will each be running their second race of the season, while freshman Amy Flores is set to make her collegiate debut.

AND WE'RE OFF
The 'Eaters opened the 2017 campaign two weeks ago at the Pepperdine Invitational, where they went 4-1 in dual-meet scoring. They defeated USC, Bakersfield, CSUN and Pepperdine, while falling to Long Beach State.

Sophomore Anastasia Karnaze was UCI's top finisher as she took fourth with a career-best 14:58.71 over the 4000-meter course. Junior Megan Mirkhanian came in second for the Anteaters at 15:42.61 (11th), while sophomores Keely Boyd (15:51.05) and Brenda Dorantes (15:52.27) were 14th and 15th, respectively. Senior Jenessa Reyes clocked in at 16:16.46 to place 21st overall. Reyes passed two Pepperdine runners down the final stretch to give UC Irvine a 26-29 victory over the host Waves.

"I am proud of the way the women came out and competed in their first race," UCI distance coach Chris Evans said after the meet. "Anastasia raced tough, improving on her time and place from last year, and Jenessa really lifted us as a team in those last 400 meters."

Senior Olympia Martinez (17:41.58) and junior Hallie Pullum (17:46.60) also competed at the Pepperdine Invitational.

UCR INVITATIONAL REWIND
This is the second year in a row the Anteaters will take part in the UC Riverside Invitational. In 2016, Anastasia Karnaze led the way with a 6K time of 21:27.97, which was good for 44th overall and 27th among NCAA Division I runners. Brenda Dorantes placed 86th in 22:25.20, while Keely Boyd (22:41.74), Megan Mirkhanian (23:20.01) and Veronica Lopez (23:44.55) also ran the 6000-meter race. Hallie Pullum came in 87th in the 5000m open at 19:30.12.

BIG WEST PREP
Saturday will mark the first of three meets for the Anteaters at the UCR Ag/Ops Course as they will be back in Riverside for the Highlander Invitational on Oct. 14 and the Big West Championships on Oct. 28. After being held in Kahuku, Hawaii, last season, the conference meet returns to the Inland Empire for the eighth time in the last 10 years.

"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," Evans stated. "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."

UP NEXT
UC Irvine returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 30, at the TMU XC Invitational (formerly known as the Mustang Challenge) in Santa Clarita. The women's 5K is slated for an 8:30 a.m. start.