SACRAMENTO - The UC Irvine men's cross country team concluded the 2023 season with a 22nd-place finish at the NCAA West Regional Championships Friday at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex.
 
Junior Lukas Amare led UCI as he covered the 10K course in 30:26.1 to place 54th in a field of over 200 athletes. It was the best finish by an 'Eater in the men's regional race since Alex Tebbe (51st) in 2013. Amare was the Anteaters' No. 1 runner in every race this year.
 
Junior Cameron Smith also clocked a personal-record 31:13.9 to come in 93rd. Classmate Jacob Bustamante was next across the line for UC Irvine at 31.41.5.
 
Freshman Jimmy Markowicz had an impressive performance in his 10K debut, registering a time of 31:54.9, while junior Juan Sanchez had a lifetime-best 32:06.5. Juniors Zeid Hussain (33:06.9) and Joshua Schuld (33:33.3) rounded out UCI's lineup.
 
Stanford, which is ranked second in the West Region and 10th in the nation, took home the team title with 73 points, while Gonzaga (No. 6 in the West) was the runner-up. Both teams earned an automatic bid to next weekend's NCAA Championships.
 
Stanford's Ky Robinson was the individual champion at 28:55.6.