Bronco Invitational
Date: Saturday, Oct. 15
Event: 8K
Time: 8:45 a.m.
Location: Baylands Regional Park - Sunnyvale, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's cross country team returns to the course this weekend, traveling to Sunnyvale, California, for the Bronco Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 15. Ten Anteaters are entered in the 8K Invitational which is set to get underway at 8:45 a.m. at Baylands Regional Park.
 
QUICK HITS
• UCI placed among the top-five in each of its first two meets this season.
• UC Irvine claimed runner-up honors at the Anteater Opener and took fifth among 30 teams at the UCR Invitational.
• Three 'Eaters broke into the program's all-time top-10 in the 8K in their last outing in Riverside.
• Joshua Schuld led the way with a lifetime-best 24:15.0, which ranks fourth in school history.
• Lukas Amare earned his first collegiate cross country victory at the Anteater Opener, winning the 6K race in 18:26.0.
• Amare was UC Irvine's first individual champion since 2017.
• The Anteaters do not have any newcomers as their roster features 11 returning letterwinners.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine came in fifth overall at the UC Riverside 8K Invitational on Sept. 17. The Anteaters finished with 224 points to place ahead of Pac-12 schools Arizona (230) and Arizona State (264). It was UCI's second top-five finish in as many meets and the second time they cracked the top-eight in their last six appearances at the UCR Invite, beating out their seventh-place showing in 2016. Nine 'Eaters established a personal record in the team's first 8K of the season. Sophomore Joshua Schuld paced the group as he was 19th in a field of 266 runners. He clocked a lifetime-best 24:15.0, which ranks fourth in program history. Sophomore Lukas Amare was UC Irvine's next finisher in 33rd with the sixth-fastest time in school history at 24:23.5. Sophomore Zeid Hussain also broke into the Anteaters' all-time top-10 with a personal-best 24:35.4. Sophomores Jacob Bustamante (24:42.5) and Cameron Smith (24:49.7) rounded out UCI's scorers with big PRs as both ran their first sub 25-minute 8K race in their young collegiate careers.
 
6K CHAMPION
Lukas Amare claimed the individual title to lead UC Irvine to a runner-up team finish in the Anteater Opener at the ARC Fields on Sept. 1. The 'Eaters took two of the top-three spots and combined for 33 points to come in just behind California Baptist (27), which was ranked seventh in the West Region. Amare became UCI's first individual champion in five years as he pulled ahead of the lead pack on the final 1K loop for a two-second victory. He cut 36 seconds off his 6K personal record with a time of 18:26.0.
 
YOUTHFUL EXPERIENCE
Among UC Irvine's 11 returners are nine sophomores, one junior and one senior. The team's youth showed last year as they came in eighth place at the 2021 Big West Championships. Disappointed with their finish, the student-athletes took the initiative to dedicate themselves to an off-season altitude camp in Flagstaff, Arizona, on their own. They ran some of their highest mileage weeks of their careers and got in some of the best training they've ever had.
 
UP NEXT
The Anteaters will head to Fullerton for the Titan Invitational next Friday, Oct. 21, before making their way back out to Riverside for the Big West Championships on Saturday, Oct. 29.