UCI Makes its Way to Four Local Meets This Week

Wednesday, April 12

Walnut, Calif.

11:00 AM

UC Irvine

Mt. SAC Relays

jolie-robinson-wtrack-2023-four-meet-week-preview

Photo by: Robert Huskey

UCI Makes its Way to Four Local Meets This Week

April 11, 2023 | Women's Track & Field

Meet Notes

at Mt. SAC Relays
Date: Wednesday-Thursday (April 12-13)
Location: Hilmer Lodge Stadium - Walnut, Calif.
Live Results

at Bryan Clay Invitational
Date: Thursday-Saturday (April 13-15)
Location: Cougar Athletic Stadium - Azusa, Calif.
Live Results | Stream on FloTrack (Subscription Required)

at Pacific Coast Intercollegiate
Date: Thursday, April 13
Location: Jack Rose Track - Long Beach, Calif.
Live Results

at Beach Invitational
Date: Friday-Saturday (April 14-15)
Location: Jack Rose Track - Long Beach, Calif.
Live Results

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine will send student-athletes to four local meets this week. The Anteaters are slated to compete at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut (April 12-13) and the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa (April 13-15), while also making their way to Long Beach for both the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate (April 13) and the Beach Invitational (April 14-15).

STARTING LINE
• Eleven current 'Eaters hold 19 marks that rank among the top-10 in program history with 12 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.
• At the Bob Larsen Distance Carnival, Sameen Andar ran the third-fastest 5K in program history at 16:36.87.
• Deandra Tyler also established top-10 marks in the shot put (3rd) and hammer (7th) this year.
• Tyler was named the Big West Women's Field Athlete of the Week on March 7 and March 28.
• Jolie Robinson compiled a PR 5,025 points in the heptathlon at the UCSB Invite to rank eighth in program history.
• Robinson will be competing in her second heptathlon of the season at the Mt. SAC Relays, April 12-13.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine had four event wins last Friday at the Challenge Cup in Santa Barbara. Deandra Tyler took first in the shot put for the second week in a row and third time this season. She finished ahead of the pack by three feet with a toss of 48-04. Cassious Fiaui (43-04.25) and Nyla Baker (43-03) also registered personal bests to place among the top-five, while Sydney Gontang came in seventh with a PR 41-08.5. Fiaui and Baker entered UCI's record books at No. 9 and 10, respectively. Shaelyn Amos earned an individual victory in the high jump, clearing a collegiate-best 5-01.25. Amos did not miss on each of her first three bar heights. Reyna Johnson notched her first win of the season with a leap of 19-02.75 in the long jump. On the track, the 'Eaters closed out the one-day meet with a first-place showing in the 4x400 relay. Amari Fraser, Mia Marquez, Lauren Aquino and Alexis Alexander combined for a winning time of 3:49.63.

TWICE AS NICE
Junior Deandra Tyler won two of the first four Big West Women's Field Athlete of the Week awards. On March 28, she was recognized for a pair of top-five finishes at UCLA's Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational. In the shot put, Tyler claimed runner-up honors with a then personal-record 49-02.25, while she added a fifth-place performance in the hammer throw. The Atascadero, California, native earned her first career weekly honor on March 7 after taking first in the hammer throw and second in the shot put at the Beach Opener. Tyler unleashed a lifetime-best 173-08 to move up to No. 7 among UCI's all-time leaders in the hammer. She also owns three shot put victories on the season, winning the event at the Challenge Cup, UCSB Invitational and at the Vince O'Boyle Classic where she established a PR 49-03.5, which ranks third in program history and is second in The Big West this season.

GOING THE DISTANCE
Graduate student Hannah Chau picked up right where she left off in 2022 after closing out last season with a school record and runner-up finish in her second career steeplechase at the Big West Championships. In her 2023 steeple debut at the UCSB Invitational on March 11, Chau shattered her own record with a 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. At UCLA, sophomore Sameen Andar ran UCI's third-fastest 5K with a PR 16:36.87. The distance crew is solid across the board as it returns all of its team-high 31 points from last year's conference meet. Chau (Steeple, 10K) and sophomore Anna Vogtmann (1500m) were 2022 All-Big West performers, while Andar, Montgomery Allison and Olivia Liuson were also conference scorers.

MAKING A MARK
Sophomore transfer Jolie Robinson has made an immediate impact, producing top-10 marks in the long jump, javelin and heptathlon. In her 'Eater debut, she registered a personal-best 19-01.25 in the LJ 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 ranks eighth in program history. Her personal-best 133-03 in the javelin at the Vince O'Boyle Classic also puts her at No. 9. During the indoor season, Robinson set 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 100H and long jump a year ago, moved up to No. 6 in program history in the latter event with a personal-record 19-03.5 on March 11. She also won the event at the Challenge Cup last Friday (19-02.75).

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.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine is back in action next Thursday, April 20, at The Battle in the OC, hosted by Cal State Fullerton. The meet will be held at Titan Track Complex, which is the site of the 2023 Big West Championships.