Big West Championships
Dates: May 13-14 (Friday-Saturday)
Location: Woody Wilson Track - Davis, Calif.
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IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's track & field team makes its way to UC Davis for the 2022 Big West Championships, May 13-14. The conference meet gets underway Friday with the javelin at noon, and will continue through Saturday with the 4x400 relay closing out the championships at 4:20 p.m.
 
QUICK HITS
• Twenty-three Anteaters are entered in 17 Big West Championship events.
• Hannah Chau made a statement in her steeplechase debut at the Steve Scott Invitational on April 29.
• Chau not only won the race by 22 seconds, but she also established the No. 2 time in program history at 10:36.58.
• True freshman Anna Vogtmann ran the second-fastest 5K in school history at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
• Vogtmann crossed the finish line in a lifetime-best 16:32.93 to jump six spots on UCI's all-time list.
• Graduate transfer Emma McCarthy has been the top collegiate finisher in four of her six 800m races this season.
• She had seen a time improvement in four-straight meets, culminating with a PR 2:10.19 at the Beach Invitational.
• Reyna Johnson won the long jump in her outdoor collegiate debut on March 5 with a personal-best 19-01.25.
• Johnson is eighth all-time at UCI in both the long jump and 100m hurdles (13.99).
• Montgomery Allison made her way into the program's all-time top-10 in the steeplechase in her first collegiate meet.
• Allison has since moved up to No. 5, registering a PR 10:55.38 at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
• UC Irvine's roster is comprised of 26 returning letterwinners, 15 newcomers and seven redshirt freshmen.
 
DISCUS DOMINANCE
The Anteaters have won each of the last three Big West women's discus titles. School-record holder Barbara Coward was the back-to-back champion in 2018 and 2019, while Brianna Villanueva took the crown last season. The 2020 Big West Championships were canceled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, Kassidy Sani will be looking to extend the streak as she enters the meet ranked fourth in the conference with a personal-best 165-10.
 
JUST THROWING IT OUT THERE
The throws squad might not have the same veteran presence as the last few seasons, but they have proven they have the talent to carry on the tradition of success. Kassidy Sani has made her way into UCI's all-time top-10 in the discus (165-10), javelin (143-07) and hammer throw (159-06). Sophomore Deandra Tyler has also notched five individual victories in the shot put and established the fifth-best mark in school history at 46-11.25.
 
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Kassidy Sani was named the Big West Women's Field Athlete of the Week on April 26. She earned her first career weekly award after winning the discus (165-10), hammer (154-02) and javelin (130-01) to lead UCI to a dual-meet victory over host Cal State Fullerton at The Battle in the OC. The Cazadero, California, native was the top finisher in the discus by 25 feet as she notched a personal record that moved her up six spots to No. 3 in program history. It was the best toss by an Anteater since 2019.
 
GOING THE DISTANCE
The 2022 distance crew has combined to post six marks that rank among the top-10 in program history. Freshman Anna Vogtmann ran UC Irvine's second-fastest 5K at the Bryan Clay Invitational (16:32.93). It was her second PR in the 5000m as she saw a nearly 20-second improvement to climb six spots to No. 2 on the all-time charts. In her first career steeplechase at the Steve Scott Invitational on April 29, junior Hannah Chau registered the Anteaters' second-best time at 10:36.58. She was only .19 seconds off the school record. Chau (34:43.17) and freshman Sameen Andar (35:11.84) also ran lifetime bests in the 10K at the Bryan Clay Invite to rank fourth and fifth, respectively. In addition, Andar is eighth in the 5K (16:44.70) and freshman Montgomery Allison is fourth in the steeple (10:55.38).
 
NOW THAT'S A DEBUT
True freshman Reyna Johnson claimed the long jump title at the Beach Opener with a personal-record 19-01.25. That stood as the top mark in the Big West from March 5 until April 29, and puts her at No. 8 in school history. Johnson added individual victories in the event at The Battle in the OC, Vince O'Boyle T&F Classic and the UCSB Invitational.
 
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 'Eaters. 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. Lorraine Nance also made her return off a redshirt season, leading UCI in the jumps. Her lifetime-best of 39-11.5 in the triple jump puts her at No. 4 all-time, while she established a PR 18-02.25 in the long jump.
 
UP NEXT
The NCAA West Preliminary Round will be held at the University of Arkansas, May 25-28. The top-48 declared student-athletes in each individual event and the top-24 declared relay teams will be accepted into the competition.