at Challenge Cup
Date: Friday, March 15
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Titan Track Complex - Fullerton, Calif.
Meet Schedule

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's track & field team is back in Fullerton for the Challenge Cup on Friday, March 15. The Anteaters will compete against Big West foes Long Beach State, UC Santa Barbara and host Cal State Fullerton. The men's field events get underway with the hammer throw at 2 p.m., while action on the track is slated for a 5:30 p.m. start. Twenty-nine Anteaters are entered in 17 events.
 
QUICK HITS
• UCI has won the Challenge Cup twice in the meet's 31-year history, claiming the team title in 2004 and 2005.
• Justin Willingham broke a 9-year-old school record in the shot put with a PR 18.62m at the Ben Brown Invite.
• Jacob Hawkins also moved up to No. 4 in program history in the discus with a toss of 57.42m (188-4).
• Liam Miksic, the reigning Big West champion in the javelin, established a PR 65.85 (216-0) at the Beach Opener.
• Miksic is a two-time all-conference performer and NCAA Regional qualifier.
• Josh Farmer is a two-time All-American in the decathlon and is back for his senior season after redshirting in 2023.
• Farmer ranks second in school history with a best of 7,648 points in the decathlon.
 
RECORD BREAKER
Senior Justin Willingham broke a nine-year-old school record in the shot put last Saturday at the Ben Brown Invitational. He had an impressive series, as he led wire-to-wire in the individual victory. After opening the competition with a then personal-best 17.77m (58-3.75), he saw an improvement on his third (17.93m) and fourth (18.23) attempts. On his sixth and final throw, Willingham unleashed his record-breaking toss of 18.62m (61-1.25). He is just the second Anteater to surpass 60 feet, beating out the previous standard of 18.44m (60-6) that was set by Mason Miller in 2015.
 
MORE FROM THE THROWS
Junior Jacob Hawkins was the runner-up in the shot put and discus with personal-bests of 57.42m (188-4) and 17.80m (58-4.75), respectively, at the Ben Brown Invitational. Hawkins ranks among the top-five in program history in both events. In addition to his school record in the shot put, Willingham cracked UCI's all-time top-10 in the discus (53.98m/177-1) last Saturday. At the Beach Opener on March 1, junior Liam Miksic, who won the Anteaters' first Big West men's javelin title last year, improved on his No. 2 mark in program history with a PR 65.85m (216-0). Junior transfer Logan Peyton also threw for 63.40m (208-0), which ranks third among UC Irvine's all-time leaders.
 
BACK FOR MORE
Senior Josh Farmer is back from a redshirt season to lead the Anteaters in the decathlon. Farmer qualified for the NCAA Championships where he earned second-team All-America honors in 2021 and 2022. He is joined by junior Max Daniels, who was the 2022 California Community College Athletic Association state champion in the decathlon at Mt. SAC. Last year, Daniels was hampered by injury but still set PRs in four events during the regular season.
 
GOING THE DISTANCE
The Anteaters have a seasoned distance crew, returning all four conference scorers from a year ago. Junior Jacob Bustamante had a fourth-place finish in the 10K, while senior Cameron Smith placed among the top-eight in the steeplechase and 5K. Junior Joshua Schuld was also fifth in the steeple and junior Zeid Hussain was seventh in the 10K. In addition, UCI welcomes back junior Lukas Amare, who redshirted the 2023 campaign. Entering the mix are freshmen Juan Chantaca and Jimmy Markowicz.
 
OUT OF THE BLOCKS
Senior Drew Pickett and junior Jarel Sayles lead the hurdles group. Both have earned All-Big West honors (110H) in their careers. The 'Eaters also bring in freshman Roman Mendoza, who was the 2023 CIF-Southern Section champion in the 110H at Santa Margarita Catholic High School. Seniors Eric Parker and Ty Sheridan, along with sophomores Brandon Burns and Jake Preston, return in the sprints, while the group will be strengthened with the addition of junior transfer Bryce Bushnell and freshman Alex Skalmowski.
 
FRESH FACES
The jumps crew is comprised mostly of newcomers including transfers Anthony Victa and Garren Haynes. Victa is a graduate transfer from UC Santa Barbara where he was a two-time Big West scorer in the triple jump. Haynes comes to UCI from Mt. SAC which won back-to-back CCCAA state titles. Haynes scored in both the long jump and triple jump at the 2023 state championships.
 
AT A GLANCE
The 'Eaters return 16 letterwinners from last year's team that finished sixth at the Big West Championships. UCI also welcomes back three key members of the squad who redshirted the 2023 campaign and brings in 12 newcomers to bolster its roster.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will send its decathletes to the UC Riverside Multis, March 21-22, while the rest of the squad will travel to San Diego for the Aztec Invitational, March 22-23.