UC Irvine Spring Break Collegiate Classic
Dates: March 15-16, 2019 (Friday-Saturday)
Times: 2 p.m. / 11 a.m.
Location: Anteater Stadium - Irvine, Calif.
Live Results // Schedule // Meet Program // Meet Info

Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's track & field team makes its home debut this weekend as it hosts the UC Irvine Spring Break Collegiate Classic at Anteater Stadium, March 15-16. The meet gets underway Friday with the hammer throw at 2 p.m. The javelin, steeplechase and 5000m will also be contested on the first day of competition. On Saturday, the field events kick things off at 10 a.m., while the track events are slated for a 12 p.m. start with the 4x100 relay.
 
The 'Eaters have 28 entries in 16 individual events (not including relays). They will be going up against competition from Utah State, South Dakota, Army, Pepperdine Loyola Marymount, Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly Pomona.
 
STORYLINES
• Senior Barbara Coward earned back-to-back Big West Women's Field Athlete of the Week nods on March 5 and 12.
• At the Beach Opener, she won the discus and hammer, while breaking her own school record in the latter event.
• Coward was also the hammer champion and runner-up in the discus at the Ben Brown Invitational (March 8).
• All of UCI's regular-season meets will take place in Southern California.
• The only time UCI travels outside of the region is for NCAA postseason competition.
• The NCAA West Prelims are in Sacramento, while the NCAA Championships will be held in Austin, Texas.
• The 'Eaters have a good mix of experience and youth with 22 returners and 19 newcomers.
• Of their 22 returners, 10 have already etched their names in the program's record book.
• Coward leads the way as the school record holder in the discus (180-08) and hammer (196-02).
 
HAMMER TIME
• Barbara Coward earned the first two Big West Women's Field Athlete of the Week awards of the 2019 campaign.
• Coward kicked off the outdoor season by taking home the hammer and discus titles at the Beach Opener.
• She started the meet by breaking her own school record in the hammer with a toss of 196-02.
• The Atwater, Calif., native topped her previous best by nearly four feet.
• Coward also finished ahead of the pack by over 10 feet in the discus (156-06).
• One week later, she notched a season-best 175-06 at the Ben Brown Invitational.
• She added her second-straight individual victory in the hammer at 187-04.
• Both of Coward's season-best marks rank first in all of NCAA DI after the first two weeks of outdoor competition.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The 'Eaters produced the top collegiate finisher in three of the four events they competed in at the Ben Brown Invite.
• Barbara Coward won the HT (187-03) and was first among collegians in the discus with a season-best 175-06.
• Brianna Villanueva also took fifth in the discus with a personal-record 157-07, which ranks seventh in school history.
• Villanueva added a fourth-place finish in the hammer (160-03), while Tayla Crenshaw was sixth.
• Crenshaw's season-best of 158-02 put her among the top-10 on UCI's all-time charts (No. 9).
• Elizabeth Akindele claimed the shot put title with a season-best 45-03.75.
 
SPRINTS/HURDLES
• Senior Hope Bushnell ranks among the top-three in school history in the 100m (11.76) and 200m (24.03).
• She finished third in the 200m at the 2018 Big West Championships to earn all-conference honors.
• Sophomore Mikayla Scott was a work horse at last year's Big West meet, scoring in the 100m, 200m and 4x400.
• Bushnell, Scott and senior Julia Sambvani were also part of the 4x100 relay that qualified for the NCAA West Prelims.
 
THROWS
• Barbara Coward was the Big West champion in the discus and runner-up in the hammer in 2018.
• She is a three-time NCAA West Prelim qualifier in the discus, while also advancing to regionals in the HT last year.
• Junior Brianna Villanueva has made huge strides as she sits among UCI's top-10 in the discus and hammer.
• Senior Elizabeth Akindele was a 2018 All-Big West performer with a third-place finish in the shot put.
• Akindele is currently fourth in school history with a lifetime-best 47-01.
 
JUMPS
• Last year, sophomore Natalie Koppel became the first 'Eater to reach the 19-foot mark in the long jump since 2011.
• She ranks third in program history with a personal-record 19-05.5.
• Junior Tatyana Hamlett saw big improvements in 2018 with lifetime bests in the LJ (17-06.25) and TJ (37-05.75).
 
DISTANCE
• Freshmen Hannah Chau and Natalie Ewe look to continue the success they saw during the cross country season.
• UCI also has a solid returning group in Anastasia Karnaze, Brenda Dorantes, Keely Boyd and Megan Mirkhanian.
 
UP NEXT
• UC Irvine makes its way to the Inland Empire for the UC Riverside Spring Classic, March 22-23.