John Elders Titan Invite
Date: Friday, Oct. 21
Event: 8K
Time: 5:35 p.m.
Location: Cal State Fullerton Campus Course - Fullerton, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's cross country team will send two student-athletes to the John Elders Titan Invite at Cal State Fullerton on Friday, Oct. 21. Jason Messner and Joshua Ochoa are set to compete in the men's 8K race starting at 5:35 p.m.
 
QUICK HITS
• UCI has placed among the top-six in all three of its meets this season.
• UC Irvine had a season-best runner-up finish at the Anteater Opener.
• Three 'Eaters have entered the program's all-time top-10 in the 8K.
• Zeid Hussain tied a school record with a 48-second personal-best 23:47.0 last Saturday at the Bronco Invitational.
• Lukas Amare added a PR 23:56.1 to jump to No. 3 on the all-time charts.
• Amare also earned his first collegiate cross country victory at the Anteater Opener, winning the 6K race in 18:26.0.
• He was UC Irvine's first individual champion since 2017.
• Joshua Schuld, who clocked a lifetime-best 24:15.0 at the UCR 8K Invitational, ranks sixth in program history.
• The Anteaters do not have any newcomers as their roster features 11 returning letterwinners.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Sophomore Zeid Hussain tied a school record to lead UC Irvine to a sixth-place finish last Saturday at the Bronco Invitational. Hussain completed the 8000-meter course at Baylands Regional Park in a personal-best 23:47.0 to take eighth in a field of 215 runners. His time matched UCI's standard that was set by Ricky Barnes back in 2006, while it was also his first collegiate top-10 showing. Sophomore Lukas Amare moved up to No. 3 on the program's all-time charts with a personal-record 23:56.1. He placed 14th overall. Sophomore Joshua Schuld was a couple seconds off his PR from his last outing in Riverside, clocking in at 24:17.6 to finish 27th. Sophomore Juan Sanchez (24:49.5), sophomore Henry McClish (24:54.8) and senior Sebastian Bautista (25:05.3) also established 8K lifetime bests.
 
SOPHOMORE RECORD SETTERS
A trio of sophomores have made their way into UCI's all-time top-10 in the men's 8K. Zeid Hussain tied a 16-year old school record at the Bronco Invitational on Oct. 15. He crossed the finish line in 23:47.0 to match Ricky Barnes' standard from 2006. Lukas Amare also broke into the top-three at 23:56.1, while Joshua Schuld's PR of 24:15.0 at the UCR Invitational ranks sixth. They are the first Anteaters to enter the program record books since 2015.
 
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.
 
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 make their way back to Riverside next weekend for the 2022 Big West Championships at the UCR Ag/Ops Course on Saturday, Oct. 29.