'Eaters Head to Fullerton for Ben Brown Invitational

Friday, March 9

Fullerton, CA

9:30 AM PT

UC Irvine

Ben Brown Invitational

'Eaters Head to Fullerton for Ben Brown Invitational

March 08, 2018 | Men's Track & Field

Heat Sheets | Schedule | Live Results | UCI Meet Notes/Season Preview

IRVINE, Calif. - After the All-UC Challenge was canceled due to inclement weather last weekend, the UC Irvine men's track & field team will now make its 2018 debut at the Ben Brown Invitational in Fullerton, March 9-10. The 'Eaters have 22 athletes entered in 13 events that will take place at Titan Track Complex.

The meet gets underway Friday with the hammer throw and javelin. A full day of action is then slated for Saturday, with the field events starting at 9 a.m., and the track events commencing at 10:30 a.m.

2018 SEASON PREVIEW

The UC Irvine men's track & field team has many new faces in 2018, but the goal of a top-three finish, and ultimately a Big West title, remains unchanged. The road to the conference championships is a long one that starts this weekend at the Ben Brown Invitational.

"We are excited for the outdoor season to start," fifth-year head coach Jeff Perkins said. "We have some newcomers in the program that we're looking forward to seeing in their first collegiate season, as well as some junior college transfers."

In all, the Anteaters have 12 newcomers, including eight freshmen, many of who are expected to make an immediate impact.

Freshman Seth Enochs will lead the way in the long jump where he was a CIF state qualifier and two-time league champion at Yucca Valley High School. Junior college transfers Asa Allen and Brandon Lucas also bring championship experience to the track. Allen was the 2017 CCCAA state runner-up in the 110H at Merritt College, while Lucas advanced to the NJCAA national meet in the 400m and 4x400 as a sophomore at Central Arizona College. Allen will be filling a big hole left by the graduation of Lloyd Sicard, a three-time All-American and Big West champion in the 110H.

The newcomers join a well-established group of returnees that includes All-American Isaiah Jewett, who ranks second in program history in the 800m with a lifetime-best 1:47.43. Junior Paul Resong adds regional experience after advancing to the 2017 NCAA West Prelims as part of UC Irvine's Big West champion 4x400 relay. Sophomore Hector Garcia is also coming off an impressive cross country season in which he earned all-conference honors.

"Across the board, we have a lot of exciting talent that came in this last year," Perkins added. "We're really looking forward to seeing how they develop and what they can do at the conference and national level."

The 'Eaters will stay local for most of the campaign with 12 of their 13 regular-season competitions taking place in Southern California. Highlighting the 2018 slate are three home meets - the UCI Spring Collegiate Classic, Big West Challenge and Steve Scott Invitational.

"All three meets are going to be a lot more competitive than they were a year ago," Perkins said. "The Spring Break meet has a slew of teams coming from out of state so we're very excited to be hosting them and to have them come out to our facility. The Big West Challenge is a great meet to be a part of and a lot of fun to watch because the teams are really into it. And, the Steve Scott Invitational, which includes Olympians and post-collegiate athletes, is a really high-level meet and our last test before the conference championships."

QUICK HITS
• The season-opening All-UC Challenge in Santa Barbara (March 3) was canceled due to inclement weather.
• Junior Isaiah Jewett was a Big West champion in the 800m and 4x400 last year.
• He went on to place 11th in the 800m at the NCAA Championships, earning him second-team All-America distinction.
• Junior Paul Resong was also part of the 4x400 that won the conference title and qualified for the NCAA West Prelims.
• Sophomore Evan Singletary ran a 100m season-best 10.61 last year, putting him at No. 6 on UCI's all-time charts.
• Singletary scored in the 100m at the 2017 Big West meet, and garnered all-conference recognition in the 4x100 (2nd).
• Jon Dickinson enters his senior campaign ranked 10th in school history in the hammer throw (169-09).
• Hector Garcia placed seventh in the 1500m at the Big West Championships as a true freshman.
• The sophomore picked up his first career All-Big West award with a top-10 finish at the XC championships in the fall.
• The Anteaters' 28-man roster features 12 newcomers, including eight freshmen.
• 2016 Olympian Charles Jock has returned to his alma mater as a volunteer assistant.
• Jock was a three-time All-American and the 2012 NCAA individual champion in the 800m at UC Irvine.

UP NEXT
The Anteaters will host the first of their three home meets next weekend with the UCI Spring Collegiate Classic set to take place, March 16-17.