Women's Cross Country Prepares for NCAA West Regional

Friday, November 12

Sacramento, Calif.

10:00 AM

UC Irvine

NCAA West Regional

Photo by Bill Payne/The Big West

Women's Cross Country Prepares for NCAA West Regional

November 10, 2021 | Women's Cross Country

NCAA West Regional
Date: Friday, Nov. 12
Event: 6K
Time: 10 a.m. (PST)
Location: Haggin Oaks Golf Course - Sacramento, Calif.
Live Results: Record Timing

Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's cross country team will make its way to Sacramento for the NCAA West Regional on Friday, Nov. 12. The 6,000-meter race is slated for a 10 a.m. start at Haggin Oaks Golf Course.

Running for the Anteaters are Sameen Andar, Hannah Chau, Olivia Liuson, Evelin Meza, McKenna Paulson, Amber Rios, Cathy Salazar-Gasca, Patricia Sanchez and Anna Vogtmann.

QUICK HITS
• Junior Hannah Chau earned her second career All-Big West honor after coming in seventh at the conference meet.
• Chau has placed among the top-10 in all four meets this year with two third-place finishes and a runner-up showing.
• She established UCI's 4K record (14:11.0) and second-fastest 6K (20:21.5) earlier in the season.
• Freshman Anna Vogtmann also has a pair of top-10 showings in four collegiate races.
• Vogtmann has already entered the school record books, ranking fourth in the 4K and sixth in the 6K.
• The Anteaters have a young team with 24 underclassmen and only three upperclassmen.
• Among those underclassmen are eight true freshmen, and 10 freshmen returning from the canceled 2020 season.
• Four of UC Irvine's nine student-athletes entered in the NCAA West Regional are true freshmen.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine had a fourth-place finish at the Big West Championships in Davis, California, on Friday, Oct. 29. It was the Anteaters' best conference showing since 2008, when they claimed runner-up honors.

"While we had our highest team finish in over a decade, we were hoping for a bit more," distance coach Casey Kear said of the team's performance at the Big West meet. "It's still a good step in the right direction, but the group is definitely not satisfied. We are hoping to return to Northern California with a better outcome at the NCAA Regionals, and fight for a top-15 spot."

Hannah Chau led the 'Eaters with her second career All-Big West performance. She completed the 6,000-meter course in 20:48.3 to take seventh. Anna Vogtmann had an impressive outing in her conference debut, coming in 14th overall, and fifth among Big West freshmen, at 21:10.6. Three other Anteaters added a top-30 showing. McKenna Paulson was 25th with a time of 21:50.8, while Sameen Andar came in 27th at 22:00.4. Olivia Liuson wasn't far behind in 29th (22:05.0). Rounding out UCI's top-seven were Patricia Sanchez (22:33.4) and Amber Rios (22:40.6).

BIG WEST ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
UC Irvine claimed two Big West Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week awards in 2021. Hannah Chau was the first Anteater to be recognized in seven years when she earned the distinction on Sept. 21, following a runner-up performance at the UC Riverside Invitational (Sept. 18). Two weeks after establishing a 4,000-meter school record, the Fairfield, California, native ran the second-fastest 6K in program history at 20:21.5. Evelin Meza also received the weekly accolade on Oct. 26, after leading UCI to the team title at the Titan Invitational (Oct. 22). Meza was third overall, and the top NCAA Division I finisher, with a 5K personal-record 17:58.1.

MAKING AN IMPACT
Freshmen Anna Vogtmann, Sameen Andar and Makena Castillo have made an immediate impact in their short time with the program. Vogtmann posted two 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
The qualifying teams and individuals will head to Tallahassee, Florida, for the NCAA Championships on Nov. 20.