UC Irvine Heads to Inland Empire for UCR Invitational

Saturday, September 15

UCR Ag/Ops Course - Riverside, CA

7:30 AM PT

UC Irvine

UC Riverside Invitational

UC Irvine Heads to Inland Empire for UCR Invitational

September 13, 2018 | Women's Cross Country

Live Results // Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's cross country team makes its way to the Inland Empire on Saturday, Sept. 15, for the 38th annual UC Riverside Invitational. The women's 6000-meter race is slated for a 7:30 a.m. start at the UCR Agricultural Operations Course.

STORYLINES
• UC Irvine has 11 returners, and has added to its depth with an incoming group of five student-athletes.
• Three of the newcomers were among the Anteaters' top-five at the season-opening Mark Covert Classic.
• Freshman Hannah Chau led the way with a 29th-place showing in her first collegiate 5K.
• Junior transfer Mariah Theologidy was also 33rd, while junior Keely Boyd established a personal record to come in 50th.

DID YOU KNOW?
• UCI has a storied history, winning 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 (1983, 1987, 1989, 1990), with a high finish of fourth in 1990.

LAST TIME OUT
• UC Irvine finished seventh at the season-opening Mark Covert Classic.
• The 'Eaters placed ahead of SDSU, San Diego, Long Beach State, UC Riverside, Pepperdine and CSUN.
• Hannah Chau led the Anteaters as she was 29th out of 163 NCAA Division I competitors.
• Chau completed her first collegiate 5K in 18:33.0, a time that would have put her fifth at the same meet a year ago.
• Mariah Theologidy was right on Chau's heels, placing 33rd overall with a time of 18:37.4.
• Keely Boyd was UCI's No. 3 runner, clocking in at 18:54.6, which beat her PR by over seven seconds.
• Freshman Natalie Ewe (19:05.8) and junior Anastasia Karnaze (19:25.2) rounded out UC Irvine's top-five.

UCR INVITATIONAL REWIND
• This is the third year in a row the 'Eaters will compete at the UC Riverside Invitational.
• In 2017, UC Irvine was 14th among NCAA Division I schools.
• Anastasia Karnaze was the Anteaters' top finisher as she covered the 6000m course in 21:59.2 (61st).
• Keely Boyd came in at 22:44.7, and Megan Mirkhanian registered a lifetime-best 23:08.1.

CHAMPIONSHIP PREP
• UC Irvine will get 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 will also make 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 season-opening Mark Covert Classic:
"We showed tremendous improvement from where we were last year. I was really impressed with how Hannah came out and attacked the race as a freshman. She will continue to learn and get better. Mariah finished five seconds behind her to really help our team, and Keely had probably the best race of her collegiate career. That all propelled us to a phenomenal finish, and put ourselves in a different place in the conference than we have been the past couple years."

UP NEXT
• UCI heads to Sacramento for the Capital Cross Challenge on Saturday, Sept. 29.