'Eaters Head to UCLA on Friday and Saturday

Friday, March 24

Los Angeles, Calif.

5:00 PM

UC Irvine

Bob Larsen Distance Invitational

maxwell-jefferson-mtrack-2022-steve-scott

'Eaters Head to UCLA on Friday and Saturday

March 23, 2023 | Men's Track & Field

Live Results Meet Notes

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 men'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
• UC Irvine will be competing in a meet hosted by UCLA for the fifth time in the last six years.
• At the UCSB Invitational (March 11), the throws squad posted three marks that sit among UCI's all-time top-10.
• Justin Willingham notched a personal-best 55-05.5 in the shot put to rank ninth in school history.
• Julian Sotelo also had the program's sixth-best javelin throw (since 1986) with a lifetime-best 198-04.
• Quincy Stokes rounded out the trio, unleashing a 14-foot PR of 181-10 in the hammer to come in at No. 7.
• UCI 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 a handful of impressive performances in its last outing at the UCSB Invitational on March 11. The throws squad led the way with three marks that rank among the program's all-time top-10. Julian Sotelo established a personal-record 198-04 in the javelin to claim runner-up honors and rank sixth in school history. Quincy Stokes also saw a 14-foot improvement in the hammer with a toss of 181-10. He finished third overall and now sits at No. 7 among the Anteaters' all-time leaders. Justin Willingham picked up an individual victory in the shot put with UCI's ninth-best mark at 55-05.5. In the long jump, Elijah Yoshinaga finished ahead of the pack with a season-best 23-01.75. On the track, Malcolm Overbaugh clocked in at 48.42 to win the 400m. Overbaugh was just .03 seconds off his PR in his season debut. Eric Parker (48.59) was right on his heels in second and Jake Preston (49.27) took third. Maxwell Jefferson registered a collegiate lifetime-best 14.74 for a second-place finish in the 110H, while Brandon Burns (200m) and Cameron Smith (Steeple) added runner-up showings in their respective events.

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 had a Big West podium finish (3rd) and made an 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 comprised of 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 out of Mt. SAC 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.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine will make its home debut next weekend, hosting the Vince O'Boyle Track & Field Classic, March 31-April 1.