Men's Cross Country Heads to Sacramento for NCAA West Regional

Friday, November 9

Haggin Oaks Golf Complex - Sacramento, CA

12:00 PM PT

UC Irvine

NCAA West Regional

Men's Cross Country Heads to Sacramento for NCAA West Regional

November 07, 2018 | Men's Cross Country

NCAA West Regional
Date: Friday, Nov. 9
Event: 10K
Time: 12 p.m. (PST)
Location: Haggin Oaks Golf Complex - Sacramento, Calif.
Live Results

Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's cross country team is back in action this week as it heads to Sacramento for the NCAA West Regional on Friday, Nov. 9. Thirty-two teams will compete in the 10000-meter race, which is slated for a 12 p.m. start at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex.

The Anteaters' lineup includes Sam Ayala, Sebastian Bautista, Kit Carter, Ashton Garcia, Hector Garcia, Christian Hernandez, Gabriel Ramirez and Jon Rodriguez.

STORYLINES
• This will be the Anteaters' first 10K of the year. All five of their regular-season races were at 8000 meters.
• Friday marks UCI's second trip to Sacramento as they ran the Capital Cross 8K at Haggin Oaks on Sept. 29.
• Last year, UC Irvine placed 19th out of 30 at the NCAA West Regional in Seattle.
• Junior Hector Garcia, who was a 2017 All-Big West performer, led the way in 77th place.
• He has continued to pace the 'Eaters in 2018 where he has been the team's No. 1 runner four times.
• Garcia established an 8K season-best 24:49.4 at the UCR Invitational.
• In his season debut at the Capital Cross 8K, junior Sam Ayala paced the Anteaters with a PR 25:10.8.
• Senior Ashton Garcia owns UCI's third-best 8K time of the year at 25:28.4.
• The 'Eaters have four underclassmen, three of whom are true freshmen.

LAST TIME OUT
• UC Irvine came in sixth with 162 points at the Big West Championships on Saturday, Oct. 27.
• Hector Garcia (25:16.2) led the 'Eaters for the fourth time this season, finishing 16th out of 67 runners.
• Sam Ayala was also among the top-20 with a time of 25:26.4 (19th).
• Freshman Sebastian Bautista (26:15.6) and Ashton Garcia (26:15.7) were 42nd and 43rd, respectively.
• Freshman Christian Hernandez was the team's fifth scorer with a time of 26:51.5.
• Sophomore Kit Carter (27:09.3) and senior Jon Rodriguez (27:55.3) rounded out the Anteaters' lineup.

QUOTABLES
Distance Coach Chris Evans on the team's performance at the Big West Championships:
"We were ranked right around sixth going into the meet. We wanted to go after Long Beach and Riverside but they were just better than us that day. We were able to hold off a hard charging UC Davis and Cal State Northridge. Sebastian and Sam stepped up well for us, they moved up really nicely in the last mile of the race and that secured our position."

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.