Triton Invitational
Dates: Friday-Saturday, April 13-14
Time: 9:30 a.m. (PDT)
Location: Triton Track & Field Stadium - La Jolla, Calif.
Meet Program // Schedule // Live Results

UC Irvine Meet Notes

The UC Irvine men's track & field team is back on the road this weekend as it makes its way to La Jolla for the Triton Invitational, April 13-14. The two-day meet will be held at Triton Track & Field Stadium on the campus of future Big West member UC San Diego. The 'Eaters have a small travel squad with 10 individuals entered in five events, all of which will take place on Saturday.

QUICK HITS
• Brandon Lucas established personal bests in the 100m (10.60) and 200m (21.08) at the Mondo Team Challenge.
• Both of those marks rank among UCI's all-time top-10 as he is sixth in the 100m and seventh in the 200m.
• Asa Allen has finished ahead of the pack in each of his last two 110m hurdle races.
• Freshman Seth Enochs, who won the long jump in his first three meets, is tied for fifth in school history at 24-05.5.
• The Anteaters' 27-man roster features 12 newcomers, including eight freshmen.
• 2016 Olympian and 2012 NCAA champion Charles Jock has returned to his alma mater as a volunteer assistant.
 
LAST TIME OUT: BIG WEST CHALLENGE HIGHLIGHTS
• Paul Resong finished fourth in the 400m with a personal-record 48.27.
• Andres Woodruff (54.33) and CJ Hicks (55.65) were third and fourth, respectively, in the 400m hurdles.
• Ashton Garcia was the Anteaters' top performer in the 1500m, placing fourth at 3:55.52.
• Hector Garcia led the way in the 800m where he notched a season-best 1:54.90 (5th).
• Izzak Mireles (8:38.57) and Jon Rodriguez (9:47.35) added fourth-place showings in the 3000m and steeplechase.
• Omar Valenzuela also took fourth in the discus with a toss of 166-08, while Seth Enochs was fourth in the long jump.
 
LEADING MAN
Junior Brandon Lucas owns UC Irvine's top times of the 2018 campaign in the short sprints. At the Mondo Team Challenge, Lucas won the 200m in a personal-record 21.08, which ranks seventh in school history. He became the first Anteater to register a top-10 mark in the 200m since Dayne Comrie (2008). The transfer from Central Arizona College also established a lifetime-best 10.60 in the 100m, putting him at No. 6 among the program's career leaders. As of April 8, Lucas' 200m time is No. 2 in the Big West and No. 26 in the NCAA West Region.
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Freshman Seth Enochs wasted no time in making a name for himself at the collegiate level as he won the long jump in each of his first three meets. At the season-opening Ben Brown Invitational (March 10), Enochs recorded a winning mark of 23-02.5. The Yucca Valley, Calif., native followed that performance by earning his second-straight individual victory at the UCI Spring Break Collegiate Classic on March 17. He had the top distance in the prelims with a lifetime-best 24-01.75, but that PR was short-lived as he saw an improvement of over three inches in the finals, hitting 24-05.5. It was the first time an Anteater surpassed the 24-foot mark since 1992, and was best jump by an 'Eater in 34 years. He went on to pick up his third-straight title at the UCR Spring Track Classic (24-00.25).
 
FILLING THE VOID
UC Irvine suffered a big loss with the graduation of three-time All-American and Big West champion Lloyd Sicard, but junior transfer Asa Allen (Merritt College) has made a smooth transition into the Anteaters' leading role in the 110H. In just his second race of the season, Allen ran a 14.28 to win the event and rank eighth in program history. The Oakland, Calif., native currently sits atop the Big West leaderboard and owns the 30th-fastest time in the NCAA West Region.
 
TESTING THE WATERS
Sophomore Hector Garcia ran his first collegiate 800m at the UCR Spring Track Classic on March 24 and finished sixth out of 29 competitors with a time of 1:55.01. He ran the half-mile race again last weekend at the Big West Challenge and saw an improvement of .11 seconds as he placed fifth overall at 1:54.90. That is the Anteaters' top 800m time of the year. Garcia also set personal records and owns UC Irvine's season bests in the 1500m (3:52.87) and mile (4:16.38). He added a PR of 15:07.84 in the 5000m at the season-opening Ben Brown Invitational.
 
JUST THROWING IT OUT THERE
Senior Jon Dickinson improved his career best in the hammer throw by six feet, five inches with a toss of 176-02 at the Ben Brown Invitational (March 9), moving him up one spot to No. 9 in school history. Junior Omar Valenzuela also stepped into the spotlight on his home turf, taking second in the discus at the UCI Spring Break Collegiate Classic. He unleashed a personal-record 168-04 on his final attempt of the meet.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine has a busy week ahead as it will send athletes to the Bryan Clay Invitational (April 19-20) in Azusa, the Mt. SAC Relays (April 19-21) in Torrance, and both the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate (April 19) and Beach Invitational (April 20-21) in Long Beach.