NCAA West Regional
Date: Friday, Nov. 11
Event: 6K
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: Chambers Creek Regional Park - University Place, Wash.

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's cross country team continues postseason action this week when it heads to University Place, Washington, for the NCAA West Regional on Friday, Nov. 11. Seven Anteaters are entered in the women's 6,000-meter race that is scheduled for a 10 a.m. start at Chambers Creek Regional Park.
 
QUICK HITS
• UCI claimed runner-up honors at the 2022 Big West Championships.
• The 'Eaters finished one point behind Cal Poly in the closest women's championship race in conference history.
• Casey Kear was named The Big West co-Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year.
• Anna Vogtmann, Sameen Andar and Hannah Chau earned All-Big West recognition.
• Vogtmann was fifth at The Big West meet, running a PR and 6K program-record 19:52.8.
• Andar had her first career sub 20-minute 6K with a lifetime-best 19:57.6 to finish sixth and move up to No. 2 at UCI.
• Chau was seventh with a personal-best 20:01.0 to rank third in school history.
• Chau is the 10th Anteater on the women's side to earn three all-conference awards in her cross country career.
• The 'Eaters have placed among the top-six in each of their previous five meets this season.
• UC Irvine is 15th in the USTFCCCA West Region rankings.
 
BIG WEST ACCOLADES
Casey Kear was named the 2022 Big West co-Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year. Kear led UC Irvine to runner-up honors at The Big West Championships on Saturday, Oct. 29. The Anteaters had three individuals in the top-seven, four in the top-11 and combined for the fastest team time of the meet, but finished one point behind Cal Poly in the closest women's championship race in meet history. It was UCI's best conference showing since 2008. Kear joins the legendary Vince O'Boyle as UC Irvine's two recipients of The Big West Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year award. O'Boyle earned the honor 12 times in his career with the last coming in 2005.
 
The 'Eaters had a conference-best three All-Big West honorees (top-10), led by sophomore Anna Vogtmann who took fifth. She shaved two seconds off her school record from the Bronco Invitational (Oct. 15), completing the 6K course in 19:52.8. Sophomore Sameen Andar also ran her first career sub 20-minute 6K, clocking a lifetime-best 19:57.6 to finish sixth and move up to No. 2 in program history. Fifth-year senior Hannah Chau rounded out the trio in seventh with a PR 20:01.0 to rank third on UC Irvine's all-time charts. Chau, who was also an All-Big West performer in 2019 and 2021, became the 10th Anteater on the women's side to earn three all-conference awards in her career.
 
MORE FROM THE BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIPS
All seven Anteaters who finished in scoring position at the conference meet established a personal record. In addition to the aforementioned top-three, graduate student Evelin Meza took 11th in the race and moved up four spots to No. 6 in the UCI record books with a 27-second personal-best 20:28.7. Sophomores Maggie Sczupak (21:18.6), Olivia Liuson (21:19.6) and Malia Gay (21:32.3) also saw at least a 13-second PR.
 
RECORD BREAKERS
Sophomores Anna Vogtmann and Sameen Andar have both established school records this season. At the Bronco Invitational, Vogtmann shattered the 6K program record with a time of 19:54.7, surpassing the previous best of 20:12.5, which was set by four-time All-Big West performer Laura Olvera in 2008. Vogtmann bettered her time at the conference meet two weeks ago, running the 6K in 19:52.8. Andar, meanwhile, broke the 4K school record at the Anteater Opener (Sept. 1) as her 44-second PR of 14:10.4 narrowly beat teammate Hannah Chau's mark of 14:11.0 from the 2021 season. Andar and Chau are also second and third, respectively, in the 6K. In addition, Olivia Liuson (14:41.3) and Maggie Sczupak (14:42.5) are eighth and ninth all-time in the 4K, and Evelin Meza ranks sixth in the 6K.
 
UP NEXT
The top-two teams at each regional meet automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on Nov. 19. The first four student-athletes not on a qualifying team will also earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.