Anteaters Travel to Riverside for Highlander Invitational

Highlander Invitational
Date: Saturday, Oct. 13
Event: 8K Invitational
Time: 8:00 a.m. (PDT)
Location: UCR Ag/Ops Course - Riverside, Calif.
Live Results: FinishedResults.com

Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's cross country team heads to Riverside for the second time in four weeks as it will compete in the Highlander Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 13. The men's 8000-meter race is slated for an 8 a.m. start at the UCR Agricultural Operations Course. The 'Eaters will face four other Big West schools - Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Long Beach State and host UC Riverside - in their final tune-up before the conference championship.

STORYLINES
• This is UC Irvine's last meet before the Big West Championships in Brea on Oct. 27.
• Junior Sam Ayala led the 'Eaters in his season debut at the Capital Cross Challenge two weekends ago.
• Ayala, who missed the first two meets with an injury, ran an 8000-meter personal-record 25:10.8.
• Junior Hector Garcia was UCI's No. 1 runner at both the Mark Covert Classic and UC Riverside Invitational.
• Garcia ran an 8K season-best 24:49.4 at UCR (Sept. 15), which is tops on the team by 21 seconds.
• Senior Ashton Garcia owns the Anteaters' third-best 8K time of the year at 25:28.4.
• UC Irvine finished fifth at the Big West Championships last year.
• Hector Garcia earned all-conference honors in 2017 and is one of the top four returners in the Big West.
• The 'Eaters have five underclassmen, three of whom are true freshmen.

LAST TIME OUT
• UC Irvine came in ninth overall at the Capital Cross Challenge on Sept. 29.
• Sam Ayala paced the 'Eaters in his season debut, taking 32nd out of 267 runners in the 8000m race.
• Ayala ran a personal-record 25:10.8, shaving over 20 seconds off his previous best.
• Hector Garcia was next to cross the finish line, clocking in at 25:30.5 to place 60th.
• Freshman Sebastian Bautista registered a season-best 26:00.8 to come in 97th.
• Sophomore Kit Carter also posted a season best with a time of 26:03.7 (101st).

CHAMPIONSHIP PREP
• UCI got an early look at both the Big West Championship and NCAA West Regional courses this year.
• The 'Eaters ran the Carbon Canyon Park course (Big West) at the Mark Covert Classic on Sept. 1.
• They also made their way to Haggin Oaks Golf Complex (NCAA) for the Capital Cross Challenge on Sept. 29.

QUOTABLES
Distance Coach Chris Evans on Sam Ayala's season debut and prepping for the NCAA West Regional:
"We are excited to have Sam back. He really stepped up and had a great race (at the Capital Cross Challenge). We traveled up here to get a look at the regional course and now we know what changes we have to make before we race here again in November."

UP NEXT
• UCI will head to Carbon Canyon Regional Park in Brea for the Big West Championships on Saturday, Oct. 27.
• The NCAA West Regional is then slated for Friday, Nov. 9, at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento.

Schedule

Anteaters Travel to Riverside for Highlander Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Sam Ayala

Sebastian Bautista

Kit Carter

Ashton Garcia

Hector Garcia

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