at Beach Opener
Date: March 3-4 (Friday-Saturday)
Location: Jack Rose Track - Long Beach, Calif.
Meet Info | Meet Schedule

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's track & field team is set to kick off the 2023 season this weekend at the Beach Opener, March 3-4. The hammer throw (11 a.m.) and javelin (1 p.m.) are scheduled for Friday, while a full day of events is slated for a 10 a.m. start on Saturday.
 
Twenty-five Anteaters are entered in 16 events over the course of the two-day meet at Jack Rose Track on the campus of Long Beach State.
 
UCI, which finished fifth at last year's Big West Championships, welcomes back 21 returners, while bringing in eight newcomers. Overall, the 'Eaters are still a young squad with 13 underclassmen.
 
"We have some good leadership in the group with veteran guys like Jacob Hawkins, Justin Willingham, Josh Farmer, Lukas Amare and Malcolm Overbaugh," said head coach Jeff Perkins. "I'm excited to see as young as our team is, what they can bring to the table across the board. We're very even which is something I always advocate for."
 
THROWS
Despite losing the last two Big West shot put champions to graduation, UC Irvine is still a force to be reckoned with in the throws. The Anteaters return four individuals who combined for 12 points at the 2022 conference meet. Sophomore Liam Miksic is back after a Big West podium finish (3rd) and NCAA West Preliminary appearance in the javelin as a true freshman. In his first collegiate season, Miksic made his way up to No. 2 among UCI's all-time leaders with a personal-best 215-11. Juniors Jacob Hawkins and Quincy Stokes were also conference scorers in the discus and shot put, respectively. Junior Justin Willingham, who competed in four meets last year, was a Big West scorer in 2021.
 
SPRINTS & HURDLES
The 'Eaters have two of the top hurdlers in the conference in junior Drew Pickett and sophomore Jarel Sayles. Pickett was the Big West runner-up in the 110m hurdles and a conference qualifier in the 400m hurdles in 2022. He enters his third year of competition ranked eighth in school history in the 110H (14.19). Sayles redshirted last season with an injury but took third as a true freshman in a tough 110H field at the 2021 Big West Championships. Sophomore Maxwell Jefferson is also back and healthy after battling through injuries in his freshman campaign.
 
Senior Malcolm Overbaugh and juniors Eric Parker and Ty Sheridan, will anchor the sprints squad in the 200m and 400m. Overbaugh is a two-time All-Big West performer (200m, 4x400), while Parker was a member of the 4x400 that had a podium finish in 2021. The 'Eaters have also added some youth with incoming freshmen Brandon Burns (100m/200m) and Jake Preston (400m). 
 
DISTANCE
The youth movement continues with the men's distance squad. Lukas Amare and Cameron Smith have emerged as leaders of a group that has five juniors and four sophomores. Last year, Smith scored in the steeplechase, while Amare was an All-Big West performer in cross country this past fall.
 
JUMPS & MULTIS
Senior Josh Farmer is a two-time All-American in the decathlon, while the Anteaters have also added sophomore transfer Max Daniels in the multis. Daniels was the 2022 California Community College Athletic Association state champion in the decathlon with a personal-record 6,577 points. In the jumps, freshman Elijah Yoshinaga will lead the way. He was a CIF State finalist in both the long and triple jump at Elsinore High School.
  
NEWS & NOTES
• UC Irvine will begin the season at the Beach Opener for the fourth time in the last five years.
• UCI will host two meets with the Vince O'Boyle Classic (March 31-April 1) and Steve Scott Invitational (April 28-29).
• Four current 'Eaters hold six marks that rank among the top-10 in program history.
• Josh Farmer leads the way as he is No. 2 in the decathlon, T-8th in the 100m and 10th in the long jump.
• Drew Pickett was the first Anteater to enter the record book in the 110H since 2019 with a PR 14.19 (8th) last year.
• Liam Miksic (2nd) and Jacob Hawkins (8th) round out the quartet with top-10 marks in the javelin and discus.
 
UP NEXT
The Anteaters will head to Santa Barbara for the UCSB Invitational, March 8-10. The decathlon will be contested next Wednesday and Thursday, while the individual events are set for Friday.