at Bob Larsen Distance Invitational
Date: Friday, March 24
Location: Drake Stadium - Los Angeles, Calif.
Meet Schedule

at Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational
Date: Saturday, March 25
Location: Drake Stadium - Los Angeles, Calif.
Meet Schedule

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's track & field heads to Los Angeles this weekend for the Bob Larsen Distance Carnival on Friday, March 24, and the Rafer Johnson/Jackie-Joyner Kersee Invitational on Saturday, March 25. Both meets will be held at UCLA's Drake Stadium. Friday's distance events get underway at 5 p.m., while the hammer throw and javelin will also be contested. A full day of events is then slated for Saturday, starting with the long jump at 12 p.m.
 
NEWS & NOTES
• Nine current 'Eaters hold 16 marks that rank among the top-10 in program history with five being set in 2023.
• Hannah Chau broke her own school record in the steeplechase with a time of 10:20.11 at the UCSB Invitational.
• Reyna Johnson (19-03.5) and Jolie Robinson (19-02.5) are sixth and eighth in the long jump.
• Robinson also notched UC Irvine's eighth-best heptathlon score with a PR 5,025 points in Santa Barbara.
• Deandra Tyler unleashed a lifetime-best 173-08 in the hammer at the Beach Opener to move up to No. 7 at UCI.
• UC Irvine will host two meets this year, starting with the Vince O'Boyle Classic next weekend (March 31-April 1).
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine had an impressive showing at the UCSB Invitational, March 8-11. Hannah Chau highlighted the meet by breaking her own school record in the steeplechase with an eight-second personal-best 10:20.11 to win the event in her season debut. Reyna Johnson moved up two spots to No. 6 in program history in the long jump with a lifetime-best 19-03.5, while Jolie Robinson took third at 19-02.5. Robinson's PR gave her sole possession of eighth on UCI's all-time charts. Deandra Tyler earned her second event win in as many meets, finishing first in the shot put with a toss of 45-10.5. Tyler added a runner-up showing in the hammer throw (171-11). On the track, Malia Gay had an individual victory in the 1500m, clocking a personal-record 4:29.98, and Lauren Aquino took top honors in the 400m with a lifetime-best 56.78. A trio of Anteaters also competed in the heptathlon in Santa Barbara, and were led by Robinson, who was the runner-up with a personal-record 5,025 points. She entered the school record books at No. 8 following her first NCAA DI heptathlon. Shaelyn Amos and Chaselyn Amos added personal bests of 4,306 and 4,155 points, respectively.
 
ON THE RISE
The 'Eaters are coming off their first top-three finish at the Big West Championships since 2014. Last year they had eight podium finishes and compiled 101 points. In 2023, they bring back over 75% of their scoring including six all-conference performers.
 
GOING THE DISTANCE
After closing out last season with a school record and runner-up finish in her second career steeplechase at the Big West Championships, graduate student Hannah Chau has picked up right where she left off. In her 2023 steeple debut at the UCSB Invitational on March 11, Chau shattered her own record with an eight-second personal-best 10:20.11. She won the event by a 40-second margin and had the fastest time in The Big West since 2016. Chau leads a distance crew that returns all of its team-high 31 points from last year's conference meet. Sophomore Anna Vogtmann was an All-Big West performer in the 1500m in 2022, while classmates Sameen Andar, Montgomery Allison and Olivia Liuson were also conference scorers.
 
WEEKLY HONORS
Junior Deandra Tyler earned her first career Big West Women's Field Athlete of the Week award on March 7. She was recognized for her performance at the Beach Opener where she won the hammer throw and claimed runner-up honors in the shot put. Tyler unleashed a personal-record 173-08 to move up to No. 7 in program history in the hammer, while she had a season-best 46-08.75 in the shot put. The Atascadero, California, native came back the following weekend to win the shot put at the UCSB Invitational. She established a lifetime-best 47-03, which ranks fourth on UCI's all-time charts, in a Big West runner-up finish a year ago.
 
MAKING A MARK
Through two meets, sophomore transfer Jolie Robinson has produced three marks that rank among the top-10 in school history. In her Anteater debut, she registered a then personal-best 19-01.25 in the long jump to tie for eighth all-time at UCI. The following weekend at the UCSB Invitational, she saw an improvement with a leap of 19-02.5 to take over sole possession of No. 8 in the record book. That performance came just two days after a runner-up finish in the heptathlon where she compiled a lifetime-best 5,025 points, which also ranks eighth in program history. During the indoor season, Robinson established a school-record 19-02 in the long jump, while she was the 2022 California Community College Athletic Association state champion in the heptathlon at Saddleback College. Sophomore Reyna Johnson, a Big West scorer in the long jump and 100H a year ago, also moved up to No. 6 in program history in the long jump with a personal-record 19-03.5 on March 11.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine makes its home debut next weekend, hosting the Vince O'Boyle Track & Field Classic, March 31-April 1.