2018 Men's Cross Country Season Preview
August 22, 2018 | Men's Cross Country
IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine men's cross country has recently been knocking on the door of a top-three Big West finish as they have placed either fourth or fifth at the conference meet over the last few years. Now, with a strong and experienced core group returning, along with the addition of several highly-touted freshmen, the Anteaters are primed to make their move up the league standings in 2018.
"Our men's team definitely wants to improve on their conference finish," UCI distance coach Chris Evans said. "UC Davis barely got us last year (for fourth place), so I know our guys feel there is some unfinished business there. They are looking to see what they can do and how far up in the conference they can go."
"We have three returners who have seen a lot of success," Evans added. "We have Hector Garcia, who placed sixth last year at the conference championships, along with Ashton Garcia and Jon Rodriguez. Those guys have stepped up big for us in the past, and they are coming back to do it again this year. Sam Ayala is looking really good as well. Then, for our freshmen, it's going to be a matter of who will put in the work and make that leap to help our team."
AT A GLANCE
>> The 'Eaters return six letterwinners, including four of their top five performers from last year's squad.
>> Junior Hector Garcia leads the way after earning All-Big West distinction in 2017. Garcia was UCI's No. 1 runner in five of six races, with four top-10 showings including at the conference championships where he placed sixth overall. Garcia also recorded the team's best times of the year in both the 8K (24:43.0) and 10K (31:17.0).
"Hector is one of the top four returners in the conference, so he's definitely back with some big goals," Evans said. "He put in a great summer and has things he wants to accomplish this year, so we are really excited about that."
>> Seniors Ashton Garcia and Jon Rodriguez are projected to join Hector at the front of the Anteater pack. Garcia had a career-best finish at the Big West Championships and established personal records in the 8K (25:20.4) and 10K (32:56.6) last year. Rodriguez was UC Irvine's third finisher at the 2017 NCAA West Regional where he notched a 10K lifetime-best 31:18.5.
"Ashton has learned and grown so much from when he first came to UC Irvine," Evans stated. "It has been awesome to see his growth and maturity, and to see him take a real leadership role on this team. I can't wait for him to get out there and have those changes come to fruition in competition."
>> Sophomore Ravi Sharma is coming off a solid freshman campaign where he was consistently among UCI's top-five. His best performance came at the season-opening Pepperdine Invitational where he was fourth overall.
>> The 'Eaters also welcome back junior Sam Ayala and sophomore Kit Carter, while junior Jhamani Long joins the squad after running the 800m for the Anteaters during the 2018 track & field season. Long competed two years in cross country at Cerritos College prior to his arrival at UC Irvine.
>> Entering the mix in 2018 are five true freshmen who have the ability to make an immediate impact.
>> Josh Ma (Loyola HS) placed among the top-30 at the 2017 CIF Division I State Cross Country Championships, and was the individual Mission League champion as a sophomore.
>> Omar Adel is a local product out of Irvine who helped Woodbridge High School to three-straight Pacific Coast League titles.
>> Sebastian Bautista had an impressive senior campaign at Whittier High School where he claimed medalist honors at the Del Rio League Championships and took 12th at the CIF Division II State Championships.
>> Christian Hernandez (Garfield HS) and Gabriel Ramirez (California HS) also advanced to the state championships during their prep careers.
>> UC Irvine kicks off its six-meet slate next Saturday, Sept. 1, when it makes the short trip to Carbon Canyon Regional Park in Brea for the Mark Covert Classic.
"Our men's team definitely wants to improve on their conference finish," UCI distance coach Chris Evans said. "UC Davis barely got us last year (for fourth place), so I know our guys feel there is some unfinished business there. They are looking to see what they can do and how far up in the conference they can go."
"We have three returners who have seen a lot of success," Evans added. "We have Hector Garcia, who placed sixth last year at the conference championships, along with Ashton Garcia and Jon Rodriguez. Those guys have stepped up big for us in the past, and they are coming back to do it again this year. Sam Ayala is looking really good as well. Then, for our freshmen, it's going to be a matter of who will put in the work and make that leap to help our team."
AT A GLANCE
>> The 'Eaters return six letterwinners, including four of their top five performers from last year's squad.
>> Junior Hector Garcia leads the way after earning All-Big West distinction in 2017. Garcia was UCI's No. 1 runner in five of six races, with four top-10 showings including at the conference championships where he placed sixth overall. Garcia also recorded the team's best times of the year in both the 8K (24:43.0) and 10K (31:17.0).
"Hector is one of the top four returners in the conference, so he's definitely back with some big goals," Evans said. "He put in a great summer and has things he wants to accomplish this year, so we are really excited about that."
>> Seniors Ashton Garcia and Jon Rodriguez are projected to join Hector at the front of the Anteater pack. Garcia had a career-best finish at the Big West Championships and established personal records in the 8K (25:20.4) and 10K (32:56.6) last year. Rodriguez was UC Irvine's third finisher at the 2017 NCAA West Regional where he notched a 10K lifetime-best 31:18.5.
"Ashton has learned and grown so much from when he first came to UC Irvine," Evans stated. "It has been awesome to see his growth and maturity, and to see him take a real leadership role on this team. I can't wait for him to get out there and have those changes come to fruition in competition."
>> Sophomore Ravi Sharma is coming off a solid freshman campaign where he was consistently among UCI's top-five. His best performance came at the season-opening Pepperdine Invitational where he was fourth overall.
>> The 'Eaters also welcome back junior Sam Ayala and sophomore Kit Carter, while junior Jhamani Long joins the squad after running the 800m for the Anteaters during the 2018 track & field season. Long competed two years in cross country at Cerritos College prior to his arrival at UC Irvine.
>> Entering the mix in 2018 are five true freshmen who have the ability to make an immediate impact.
>> Josh Ma (Loyola HS) placed among the top-30 at the 2017 CIF Division I State Cross Country Championships, and was the individual Mission League champion as a sophomore.
>> Omar Adel is a local product out of Irvine who helped Woodbridge High School to three-straight Pacific Coast League titles.
>> Sebastian Bautista had an impressive senior campaign at Whittier High School where he claimed medalist honors at the Del Rio League Championships and took 12th at the CIF Division II State Championships.
>> Christian Hernandez (Garfield HS) and Gabriel Ramirez (California HS) also advanced to the state championships during their prep careers.
>> UC Irvine kicks off its six-meet slate next Saturday, Sept. 1, when it makes the short trip to Carbon Canyon Regional Park in Brea for the Mark Covert Classic.
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𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝. 𝐋𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝. 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩.
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