NCAA West Regional
Date: Friday, Nov. 15
Event: 10K
Time: 12:00 p.m. (PST)
Location: Colfax Golf Club - Colfax, Wash.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine men's cross country makes the trek to Colfax, Washington, for the 2024 NCAA West Regional on Friday, Nov. 15. The men's 10K race is scheduled for a 12 p.m. start at the Colfax Golf Club. 

Representing the Anteaters at the regional meet will be Jacob Bustamante, Juan Chantaca, Zeid Hussain, Jimmy Markowicz, Caleb McDaniel, Omar Reyes, Juan Sanchez, Joshua Schuld and Cameron Smith. This is the first career 10K for Chantaca, McDaniel and Reyes.

REGIONAL RANKINGS
UC Irvine re-entered the USTFCCCA Division I West Regional Rankings on Nov. 4, coming in at No. 13. It is the Anteaters' highest ranking in the current regional system that dates back to 2009. The 'Eaters made their first appearance in the poll since 2012 when they were ranked 15th on Sept. 30.

BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP
UCI placed fourth at the Big West Championships in Riverside on Saturday, Nov. 2, marking its best conference showing since 2016. Juan Chantaca led the 'Eaters for the fourth time this year, coming in 14th overall. Chantaca covered the 8K course in 24:06.3. Jacob Bustamante was next across the line for UC Irvine with another impressive performance after setting personal bests in each of his previous two races. Bustamante clocked in at 24:27.0 for a career-best 22nd-place conference finish. Cameron Smith wasn't far behind in 24th (24:33.8), while Zeid Hussain was 32nd (24:42.3). Omar Reyes was the Anteaters' fifth scorer in 34th, completing his first Big West Championship race in a PR 24:44.9.

VETERAN SQUAD
UC Irvine has nine returners, including six who are either fourth or fifth year seniors. Cameron Smith and AJ Sager joined the Anteaters in 2020-21, while Jacob Bustamante, Zeid Hussain, Juan Sanchez and Joshua Schuld came in together in 2021-22. The large graduating class already led UCI to its best Big West finish in eight years and will be looking to do the same at the NCAA West Regional.

FRESHMAN SENSATION
Redshirt freshman Juan Chantaca has placed among the top-20 in all four of his races this season. In his first collegiate cross country race, Chantaca claimed runner-up honors after completing the Irvine Invitational 8K at the Great Park in 25:10.9. He was named the Big West Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week for his effort. Two weeks later in Riverside, Chantaca improved his personal best by over a minute as he clocked the third-fastest time in program history at 23:51.4. On Oct. 5, he took fourth out of 279 with a time of 23:56.6 at the Charles Bowles Invitational. He added a 14th-place showing at the Big West Championships on Nov. 2.

MAKING THEIR MARK
Five current 'Eaters rank among the top-10 in 8K program history. This year, Juan Chantaca ran a personal-record 23:51.4 at the UC Riverside Invitational to sit at No. 3 among the Anteaters' all-time leaders. Jacob Bustamante (24:16.1) and Cameron Smith (24:18.8) have also run lifetime bests in 2024 to rank eighth and 10th, respectively. Two years ago, Zeid Hussain tied the school record at 23:47.0 and Joshua Schuld ran the No. 7 time in program history (24:15.0).

UP NEXT
Qualifying teams and individuals will head to Wisconsin for the NCAA Championships on Saturday, Nov. 23.