Titan Invitational
Date: Friday, Oct. 22
Event: 5K
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Cal State Fullerton Campus Course - Fullerton, Calif.
Live Results: FinishedResults.com

IRVINE, Calif. - In their final tune-up before the Big West Championships, UC Irvine women's cross country will send 14 student-athletes to Fullerton for the Titan Invitational on Friday, Oct. 22.
 
The women's 5,000-meter race is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start on the Cal State Fullerton campus.
 
QUICK HITS
• This will be the first 5K of the season for four Anteaters.
• Cathy Salazar-Gasca had the team's top 5K time (18:32.8) at the UCR Invitational on Sept. 18.
• UC Irvine has a young team with 24 underclassmen and only three upperclassmen.
• The Anteaters have eight incoming freshmen, and 10 freshmen returning from the canceled 2020 season.
• Fifteen 'Eaters made their collegiate cross country debuts in the season opener on Sept. 1.
• UCI kicked off the 2021 campaign with the Anteater Opener, which was the program's first home meet since 2015.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Junior Hannah Chau and freshman Anna Vogtmann both had a top-10 individual performance to lead UC Irvine to a runner-up team showing at the Highlander Invitational (Oct. 16). The Anteaters, who came in behind Cal State Fullerton, were second out of 25 teams. In a field of 262 athletes, Chau secured her third-straight top-three finish. She completed the 6,000-meter race at the UCR Ag/Ops Course in a personal-record 20:16.9 (3rd), improving her No. 2 time in program history by nearly five seconds. Vogtmann clocked in with a lifetime-best 20:52.0 to place seventh overall and move up to No. 6 on UCI's all-time charts. Freshman Amber Rios added a season-best 21:38.8 to come in 27th, while classmate Sameen Andar was 33rd at 21:42.8. Sophomore McKenna Paulson was also 34th with a personal-best 21:43.7. Rounding out the Anteaters' top-seven were sophomore Cathy Salazar-Gasca (22:00.1) and freshman Makena Castillo (22:03.2).
 
BIG WEST ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Hannah Chau was named the Big West Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week on Sept. 21. She was recognized for her runner-up performance at the UC Riverside Invitational (Sept. 18). Two weeks after establishing a 4000-meter school record, the Fairfield, California, native ran the second-fastest 6K in program history at 20:21.5. She improved her then personal best by 23 seconds to move up to No. 2 on the all-time list. Chau became the first 'Eater to earn Big West Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors since Kaycee Holcomb in 2014.
 
MAKING AN IMPACT
Freshmen Anna Vogtmann, Sameen Andar and Makena Castillo have been among the Anteaters' top-seven finishers in each of their first three collegiate meets. Vogtmann has a pair of top-10 performances, coming in eighth at the Anteater Opener and seventh at the Highlander Invitational. She already ranks fourth in school history in the 4K (14:30.0) and sixth in the 6K (20:52.0). Andar (8th) and Castillo (10th) also etched their names on UCI's 4K all-time charts.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine heads north to Davis next week for the Big West Championships on Friday, Oct. 29.