Anteater Opener
Date: Thursday, Sept. 1
Event: Men's 6K
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: ARC Fields

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's cross country team is set to kick off the 2022 campaign by hosting the second annual Anteater Opener on Thursday, Sept. 1. The men's 6,000-meter race is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. at the ARC Fields on campus, and will feature four teams - UCI, California Baptist, CSUN, and Long Beach State.
 
"We love being able to be on campus for our first meet of the year, and hopefully that is a tradition we can continue," said UCI distance coach Casey Kear. "It's a small meet and kind of low key, but it's a great way to kick off our cross country season before we get into some of the bigger competitions."
 
QUICK HITS
• UC Irvine will open the new campaign at home for the second consecutive year.
• In 2021, Lukas Amare was UCI's top finisher at the Anteater Opener 6K, coming in ninth overall (19:02.6).
• Joshua Schuld was also 10th in his first collegiate race.
• The 'Eaters do not have any newcomers as their roster features 11 returning letterwinners.
 
YOUTHFUL EXPERIENCE
Among UC Irvine's 11 returners are nine sophomores, one junior and one senior. Although still young with a majority of the team entering their second year of eligibility, the group gained invaluable experience in 2021. As true freshmen, Joshua Schuld and Zeid Hussain, both local products out of Beckman High School, were consistently among UCI's top-three. Schuld led the 'Eaters in three of his five races, including in his first career 10K at the NCAA West Regional. Sophomore Lukas Amare was also UC Irvine's No. 1 runner at last year's Anteater Opener and Big West Championships. Overall, it is a collective unit that should show depth and strength in numbers.
 
"Last year, within our top-seven, all but one were freshmen eligibility-wise," said Kear. "There is a learning curve jumping from the high school distances of 5K and 3 miles to the 8K and 10K. Now we have a group that has a little experience running the collegiate distances so it's going to be really exciting to see what they can do as sophomores. They understand what college cross country is about and are ready to climb the Big West rankings."
 
MAKING STRIDES
The Anteaters' youth showed last year as they came in eighth place at the Big West Championships. Disappointed with their finish, the student-athletes realized a change was needed, so they 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.
 
STAYING PATIENT
The 'Eaters also know that patience will be key to their success. It is still a young group with much more room for growth as they strive to improve at both the conference and regional levels.
 
UP NEXT
The Anteaters will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 17, when they make their way to the Inland Empire for the UC Riverside Invitational.