Ben Brown Invitational
Dates: March 12-13 (Friday-Saturday)
Time: 10 a.m. (PST) / 11 a.m. (PST)
Location: Titans Track & Field Complex - Fullerton, Calif.
Live Results

Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's track & field team is ready for its return to competition as it makes the short trip to Fullerton for the Ben Brown Invitational, March 12-13. The Anteaters' last meet came over a year ago when they competed in the 2020 season-opening Beach Opener (March 6-7). The following week, things started to change rapidly as they saw the remainder of their season canceled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
"It's been a challenge to say the least, but we are definitely excited about getting started this week," said head coach Jeff Perkins. "Right now, we are trying to do the best we can to develop everybody across the board."
 
The group that is furthest along in that development is the throws, thanks to the return of senior Jack Pickard and juniors Kyle Tsu and Noah Holm. Both Tsu (shot put) and Pickard (javelin) were 2019 All-Big West performers and NCAA West Preliminary qualifiers in their respective events, while Holm established personal records that rank among UCI's top-10 in the discus and shot put at the 2020 Beach Opener. Freshman Jacob Hawkins adds to the depth as he looks to make an immediate impact in the discus and hammer.
 
Junior Josh Farmer is ready to make some noise in the decathlon. Farmer, who transferred to UCI last year, took third at the 2019 Pac-12 Championships with a personal-record 7,089 points as a freshman at Colorado. Senior long jumper Seth Enochs will also look to pick up where he left off in 2019, when he claimed runner-up honors at the Big West Championships and finished 15th at the NCAA West Preliminaries.
 
In the sprints and hurdles, the Anteaters have a young but talented group. Sophomore Tobi Adegoke, was a CIF State Championship qualifier in both the 300m hurdles and long jump as a senior at Los Osos High School, while freshman Eric Parker was one of the top 400m runners in the state of California at Helix High School. Parker finished seventh at the 2019 CIF State Championships with a lifetime-best 47.91. The 'Eaters have also added Jarel Sayles (Steele Canyon HS) in the hurdles and Diablo Valley College transfer Miles Duncan in the 400m and 800m.
 
The distance group brings a lot of youth as well with only four returners - juniors Sebastian Bautista and Christian Hernandez, and sophomores Nick Krohn and Jason Messner. Messner ran the 800m at the Beach Opener last year, but Krohn has yet to compete in a track & field meet at UCI. The quartet will continue to develop alongside an incoming freshman class of six that includes multiple high school league champions and CIF State qualifiers.
 
MORE ON THE BEN BROWN INVITE
The Ben Brown Invitational is hosted by Cal State Fullerton at Titans Track & Field Complex. The Anteaters have 18 individuals, including eight who will be making their UCI debut, entered in 12 different events. The throws and distance events will be held on Friday, while the jumps and sprints are set for Saturday. 
  
NEWS & NOTES
• UC Irvine is set to compete in the Ben Brown Invitational for the fifth year in a row.
• Last season, the Ben Brown Invite was the second meet on UCI's schedule, but was canceled due to the pandemic.
• The Anteaters have 16 total returners, while adding 15 newcomers.
• Seth Enochs is the top returning long jumper from the 2019 Big West Championships where he was the runner-up.
• Enochs took second with a wind-aided personal-best 25-04.
• His last long jump competition came at the NCAA West Prelims (May 23, 2019), where he was 15th overall.
• Jack Pickard was also last in action at the 2019 NCAA West Preliminary Round.
• Pickard advanced to the postseason with a school-record 221-00 in the javelin.
• Kyle Tsu was a 2019 All-Big West performer (2nd) and NCAA Prelim qualifier in the shot put.
• Tsu ranks third in program history with a personal-record 57-11.25.
• In one meet last year, Noah Holm established lifetime bests in the shot put (56-10.75) and discus (173-08).
• Both marks rank among UC Irvine's all-time top-10.
 
UP NEXT
The Anteaters are still finalizing their 2021 schedule, be sure to check ucirvinesports.com for the latest updates.