IRVINE, Calif. - Four Anteaters have been named to the Academic All-District® Women's Track & Field Team as announced by the College Sports Communicators (CSC).
 
Sameen Andar, Hannah Chau, Emma McCarthy and Evelin Meza were all recognized for their work both in the classroom and on the track.
 
Last week, Andar just missed qualifying for nationals by six spots as she finished 18th in the 10,000-meter run at the NCAA West Preliminary Round. She clocked a personal-record 33:20.89, improving her No. 2 mark in program history by 13 seconds. It was a breakout season for the sophomore who won the Big West 10K title, took third in the conference in the 5,000m and took down a 37-year-old 5K school record with a time of 16:13.12 at the Steve Scott Invitational. During the fall, Andar also earned All-Big West honors in cross country after placing sixth overall with her first career sub-20-minute 6K. The San Ramon native registered a lifetime-best 19:57.6 to rank second among UCI's all-time leaders. Andar, a Big West and MPSF All-Academic selection, is majoring in biological sciences.
 
Chau scored in all three events of an extremely difficult triple at the 2023 Big West Championships. She started the meet with a podium finish in the steeplechase (3rd) before coming back five hours later to place fifth in the 10,000m where she established a personal-record 34:30.59. The following day, Chau took seventh in the 5,000m. The Fairfield, California, native is a four-time All-Big West performer in track & field and was the 2021 Big West champion in the 10K. She is also just the 10th 'Eater in program history to claim three All-Big West awards in cross country. Chau will leave UCI as the school-record holder in the steeplechsae, while holding top-10 marks in the 5K, 10K, indoor 3K and 5K, and both the 4K and 6K in cross country. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Public Health Sciences and is pursuing a Master's in Demographic and Social Analysis. The graduate student is a nine-time conference all-academic selection, seven-time Dean's List honoree, a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the 2022 Big West Service & Leadership Award winner.
 
McCarthy is a two-time Big West finalist in the 800m. She earned all-conference honors in 2022 after finishing second at the Big West Championships. McCarthy ran a personal-best 2:09.17 in the prelims to rank seventh in program history. This year, she broke two indoor school records, setting the standard in both the 600m (1:33.74) and 800m (2:12.10). The Danville, California, native scored at the MPSF Indoor Championships with a fourth-place showing in the 800m (2:12.33). McCarthy, who graduated Cum Laude from Saint Mary's, is in her second year at UC Irvine in the urban planning graduate program. She was named to the 2023 MPSF All-Academic Team.
 
Meza was an NCAA West Preliminary qualifier and Big West scorer in the 10,000m. She finished seventh overall at the conference championships, while she established a lifetime-best and NCAA qualifying mark of 34:07.28 at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 13. In the fall, she took 11th at the Big West Cross Country Championships, clocking a 27-second 6K PR of 20:28.7. That mark ranks sixth in school history. The Greenfield, California, native also ran the Anteaters' fifth-fastest 3,000m during the indoor campaign. Meza, a graduate student working toward her master's degree in public policy, was a 2023 Big West Fall All-Academic selection.

To be considered for Academic All-District honors, student-athletes must carry at least a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average, have participated in at least 50% of the team's meets, have completed one full calendar year at their current institution and be at least a sophomore both academically and athletically.
 
Academic All-District honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First, second and third-team Academic All-America selections will be announced on June 28.