at New Mexico Collegiate Classic
Dates: Friday-Saturday (Feb. 3-4)
Location: Albuquerque Convention Center - Albuquerque, N.M.
Meet Info

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's indoor track & field team is headed back to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the NM Collegiate Classic, Feb. 3-4. The Anteaters have 25 individuals entered in 12 events. The two-day meet gets underway Friday at 8 a.m. (PST), while Saturday's action will start with the 60m hurdle qualifying round at 8:30 a.m. (PST).
 
STORYLINES
• The 'Eaters broke three school records at the Albuquerque Convention Center last weekend.
• Emma McCarthy set a new standard in both the 600m (1:33.74) and 800m (2:12.41).
• Jolie Robinson also shattered a 14-year old record in the long jump with a leap of 19-02.
• Robinson is slated to compete in her first indoor pentathlon on Friday.
• Twenty current Anteaters have combined for 33 marks that rank among the program's all-time top-10.
• Nineteen of those top-10 performances happened in the first two meets of the 2023 campaign.
• UC Irvine's roster features 19 student-athletes with previous indoor experience.
• The 'Eaters also have 12 newcomers (10 freshmen, 2 sophomore transfers) and four returning redshirts.
 
SETTING THE STANDARD
Sophomore Jolie Robinson and graduate student Emma McCarthy became first-time school-record holders last weekend at the UNM Team Open. Robinson shattered a 14-year old standard in the long jump with a leap of 19-02 (5.84m). She had an impressive series, eclipsing 18 feet on all six attempts with her record-breaking distance coming on her third jump. Robinson is the first Anteater to hit the 19-foot mark in indoor competition. On the track, McCarthy started the meet with a program-best 1:33.74 in the 600m. She came back the next day to top the charts in the 800m at 2:12.41. Both of her times beat out Crystal Lizaola's records from 2017.
 
MAKING A MARK
Sophomore Deandra Tyler has led a young throws squad through two indoor meets. At the season-opening Spokane Indoor Challenge on Jan. 14, Tyler was a double champion, winning the shot put (48-00) and weight throw (54-03.25). Both marks were personal bests and rank among the top-four in program history. A trio of true freshmen have also broke onto the scene, already etching their names in the UC Irvine record book. Nyla Baker (44-02.5) and Sydney Gontang (42-01.25) are fifth and sixth in the shot put, while DeAna Davis registered the 10th-best weight throw at 45-10.75 in her collegiate debut.
 
MORE TOP-10 PERFORMANCES
Junior Aryel Coats and freshman Samantha Bartz have the Anteaters' top times in the short sprints this season. At the UNM Team Open, Coats established a lifetime-best 24.98 in the 200m to move up to No. 4 in program history. In the 60m, Bartz notched a PR 7.68 at the Spokane Indoor Challenge to tie for fourth all-time. Junior Amari Fraser also ran a personal-best 8.78 in the 60m hurdles to crack UCI's top-10. In addition, Sienna Frederiksen, McCarthy, Lauren Aquino and Alexander ran the program's ninth-fastest 4x400 relay at 3:53.31.
 
Also making their way into the record books through the first two weeks of competition were Sameen Andar in the 5000m (2nd, 17:06.57), Reyna Johnson in the long jump (4th, 18-05), Reina Kabbara in the 600m (7th, 1:38.35) and Alexis Alexander (T3rd, 2:13.75) and Malia Gay (9th, 2:16.70) in the 800m.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will have a week off before making its way to The Podium in Spokane, Washington, for the MPSF Indoor Track & Field Championships, Feb. 17-18.