at Challenge Cup
Date: Friday, April 8
Time: 1:15 p.m.
Location: Jack Rose Track - Long Beach, Calif. 
Live Results // Meet Info

Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's track & field team is set to make its second trip to Jack Rose Track in Long Beach for the 28th annual Challenge Cup on Friday, April 8.
 
The one-day meet will be a scored competition featuring four Big West teams - UCI, UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Fullerton and host Long Beach State. The women's javelin is the first scheduled event at 1:15 p.m., while action on the track is slated for a 3 p.m. start.
 
QUICK HITS
• The 'Eaters have won the Challenge Cup four times with their last team title coming in 2009.
• UC Irvine's roster is comprised of 26 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.
• Deandra Tyler also leads the conference in the shot put with a lifetime-best 46-11.25 at the UCSB Invite.
• 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 three weeks later, 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 started the month with the inaugural Vince O'Boyle T&F Classic.
• The 'Eaters are also set to bring back the Steve Scott Invitational, April 29-30, in their final tune-up before conference.
 
JUST THROWING IT OUT THERE
The throws squad might not have the same veteran presence as the last few seasons, but they have already proven they have the talent to carry on the tradition of success. In five shot put competitions, sophomore Deandra Tyler has picked up three individual victories, winning the event at the Vince O'Boyle Track & Field Classic (44-09.5), Ross and Sharon Irwin Invitational (45-01.75) and UCSB Invitational (46-11.25). Her toss of 46-11.25 is a personal best and ranks fifth in program history. Sophomore Kassidy Sani also notched a pair of lifetime bests that cracked UC Irvine's all-time top-10 as she is fifth in the new javelin (140-09) and ninth in the hammer (159-06). Freshman Laura Lindquist (134-11) and sophomore Cassious Fiaui (40-08) have added personal records in the javelin and shot put, respectively.
 
GOING THE DISTANCE
The distance crew 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).
 
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. Johnson added individual victories in the event at the Vince O'Boyle T&F Classic and the UCSB Invitational. Montgomery Allison was also first to cross the finish line in the steeplechase at the season opener with a then lifetime-best 11:13.28.
 
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. Lorraine Nance also returns off a redshirt season, leading the 'Eaters in the jumps. Her lifetime-best of 39-03 in the triple jump puts her at No. 6 all-time, while she also established a PR 18-02.25 in the long jump last weekend.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine has a busy week ahead with the Bryan Clay Invitational (April 13-15), Mt. SAC Relays (April 14-16), Pacific Coast Intercollegiate (April 14) and the Beach Invitational (April 15-16).