Vince O'Boyle Track & Field Classic
Dates: April 1-2 (Friday-Saturday)
Location: Anteater Stadium - Irvine, Calif.
Live Results // Meet Schedule // Meet Program // Meet Info

Admission: Free
Parking: $13 (Mesa Parking Structure)
Fan Attendance Guidelines

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IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's track & field team will host the inaugural Vince O'Boyle Track & Field Classic at Anteater Stadium, April 1-2. The hammer (1 p.m.) and javelin (3:30 p.m.) will be contested on Friday, while a full slate of events are scheduled for Saturday, starting with the long jump at 10 a.m.
 
Legendary head coach Vince O'Boyle, the namesake of this weekend's meet, spent 32 years at the helm of the Anteater cross country and track & field program. The 20-time Big West Coach of the Year mentored an NCAA individual champion, 27 All-Americans and 23 Big West Athletes of the Year. O'Boyle led the 'Eaters to 12 conference titles in women's cross country and seven in men's cross country. He also elevated the women's program to national prominence as they made four trips to the NCAA Championships during his tenure. His teams had three top-10 NCAA finishes, including in 1990 when the Anteaters were fourth in the nation. O'Boyle will be recognized Saturday at 11 a.m., prior to the start of the track events.

This weekend's meet will feature student-athletes from UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, Azusa Pacific and Point Loma. Forty-one Anteaters are entered in 19 events. 
 
QUICK HITS
• UC Irvine has 27 returning letterwinners, 15 newcomers and seven redshirt freshmen.
• Reyna Johnson made a statement in her outdoor collegiate debut on March 5, winning the LJ with a PR 19-01.25.
• That marks stands as the best in the Big West this season, and ranks eighth in school history.
• Montgomery Allison made her way into UCI's all-time top-10 in the steeplechase in her first collegiate meet.
• Allison jumped five spots to No. 4 last weekend, registering a PR 10:55.69 at UCLA's Bob Larsen Invitational.
• Hannah Chau is the defending Big West women's 10K champion and is a two-time All-Big West XC performer.
• Chau ranks fourth in school history in the 10,000-meter and seventh in the 5,000-meter.
• Zani Meaders competed in the team's first two meets last year before utilizing a redshirt season.
• Meaders ranks third in outdoor school history (55.00) and holds the indoor school record (54.81) in the 400m.
• UCI will host two meets in April as it starts the month with the inaugural Vince O'Boyle T&F Classic.
• The 'Eaters will then bring back the Steve Scott Invitational, April 29-30, in their final tune-up before conference.
 
JUST THROWING IT OUT THERE
Although this year's throws squad isn't as deep as it has been in the past, it has already proven that it has the talent to carry on the tradition of success. In four meets, sophomore Deandra Tyler has picked up two individual victories in the shot put, winning the event at the UCSB Invitational (46-11.25) and the Ross and Sharon Irwin Invitational (45-01.75). Her toss of 46-11.25 is a personal best and ranks fifth in program history. Tyler also cracked UCI's all-time top-10 in the hammer on March 11 in Santa Barbara (157-05). Sophomore Kassidy Sani has notched a lifetime-best 140-09 in the javelin, putting her eighth all-time at UC Irvine, while freshman Laura Lindquist (134-11) and sophomore Cassious Fiaui (40-08) have established personal records in the javelin and shot put, respectively.
 
NOW THAT'S A DEBUT
UC Irvine had a pair of true freshmen win their events with personal records in their collegiate debuts. Reyna Johnson claimed the long jump title at the Beach Opener with a leap of 19-01.25. That stands as the top mark in the Big West this season, and puts her at No. 8 in school history. Montgomery Allison was also first to cross the finish line in the steeplechase with a then lifetime-best 11:13.28.
 
GOING THE DISTANCE
The distance squad had an impressive outing at UCLA's Bob Larsen Invitational on March 25. Montgomery Allison bettered her personal record in the steeplechase by over 17 seconds, clocking in at 10:55.69. She is the sixth 'Eater in program history to break the 11-minute mark and moved up to No. 4 on UCI's all-time charts. In the 5000m, Anna Vogtmann cracked the Anteaters' top-10, crossing the finish line in 16:52.68. Sameen Andar also saw a 15-second improvement in her second 5K of the season (16:56.89).
 
ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS
UC Irvine is coming off one of its best Big West Championship performances in recent years. In 2021, the Anteaters, who had 10 podium finishes and five event wins, placed fourth in the team standings with 123 points, marking their best conference showing since 2014 and their highest point total since 1996. Back from that squad are defending 10K champion Hannah Chau, who won UCI's first title in that event in 19 years, along with all-conference performers Mia Marquez (400m, 4x100, 4x400), Aryel Coats (4x100, 4x400) and Amari Fraser (4x400).
 
BACK FOR MORE
Junior Zani Meaders, who redshirted the 2021 season, is back on the track for the Anteaters. Meaders was an all-conference performer in the 400m as a true freshman in 2019, and ranks third in school history with a personal-record 55.00. At the UCSB Invitational (March 11), Meaders was just shy of her PR with a season-best 55.50. That time is fourth in the Big West and 31st in the West Region this season.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will make the short trip to Long Beach for the Challenge Cup on Friday, April 8.