'Eaters Set for Highlander Invitational on Saturday

Saturday, October 13

UCR Ag/Ops Course - Riverside, CA

8:40 AM PT

UC Irvine

Highlander Invitational

'Eaters Set for Highlander Invitational on Saturday

October 10, 2018 | Women's Cross Country

Highlander Invitational
Date: Saturday, Oct. 13
Event: 5K Invitational
Time: 8:40 a.m. (PDT)
Location: UCR Ag/Ops Course - Riverside, Calif.
Live Results: FinishedResults.com

Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's cross country team makes the trek to Riverside for the second time in four weeks as it will compete in the Highlander Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 13. The women's 5000-meter race is slated for an 8:40 a.m. start at the UC Riverside 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 will be the Anteaters' last meet before the Big West Championships in Brea on Oct. 27.
• Freshman Hannah Chau has been UC Irvine's No. 1 runner in every meet this season.
• In her first career 6000-meter race on Sept. 15, Chau clocked the eighth-fastest time in school history at 20:59.2.
• Chau was the first individual to enter the program's all-time top-10 in the 6K since 2011.
• Newcomers Mariah Theologidy and Natalie Ewe have also been strong additions to the lineup this year.
• Theologidy, a junior transfer from Antelope Valley College, has consistently been among UCI's top-three.
• Juniors Anastasia Karnaze and Keely Boyd have paced the returners.
• Karnaze owns the squad's second-best 6K time of the season (21:49.3), while Boyd has set PRs in the 5K and 6K.

DID YOU KNOW?
• UCI won nine of the first 10 Big West Women's Cross Country team titles, including five-straight from 1983-87.
• The Anteaters lead all current and former Big West members with 12 conference championships.
• The 'Eaters have made four NCAA Championship appearances with a high finish of fourth in 1990.

LAST TIME OUT
• UC Irvine finished 10th at the Capital Cross Challenge on Sept. 29.
• Hannah Chau (22:24.5) led the way as she was 45th out of 251 overall competitors.
• Keely Boyd (22:29.3) and Mariah Theologidy (22:35.1) weren't far behind in 49th and 53rd, respectively.
• Freshmen Perla Aguilar came in at 22:44.5 to place 63rd.
• Brenda Dorantes clocked in with a season-best 22:53.8 to round out the Anteaters' top-five.

CHAMPIONSHIP PREP
• UC Irvine 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 the team's performance at the Capital Cross Challenge:
"Our pack was a little too aggressive early in the race, but it is exciting to see them with that type of confidence. We were very close to the three teams in front of us, and we know we have to work on finishing our race to get to the next level."

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.