at Ben Brown Invitational
Date: March 8-9 (Friday-Saturday)
Location: Titan Track Complex - Fullerton, Calif.
Meet Schedule

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's track & field team is back in action this weekend when it makes the short trip to Cal State Fullerton for the Ben Brown Invitational, March 8-9. The hammer, long jump, pole vault and javelin will be contested Friday afternoon, while the distance events are slated for the evening. The remainder of the meet will take place on Saturday with the field events starting at 10 a.m. and action on the track getting underway at noon.
 
QUICK HITS
• The Anteaters will compete at the Ben Brown Invitational for the first time since 2021.
• 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.
• Justin Willingham moved up to No. 5 in program history with a lifetime-best 17.69m (58-0.5) in the shot put last Saturday.
• 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.
 
AT A GLANCE
The 'Eaters return 18 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 11 newcomers to bolster its roster.
 
"I am excited about the maturity of our men's team and the identity of who we are heading into the season," said head coach Jeff Perkins. "We have added depth that we have not had before so that should allow for us to have a bigger impact come championship season."
 
THROWS
UC Irvine has boasted an individual Big West champion in the throws in each of the last three years and will be looking to extend that streak in 2024. The Anteaters got out to a strong start in the season opener with junior Liam Miksic, who won UCI's first Big West men's javelin title last year, improving on his No. 2 mark in program history with a personal-record 65.85 meters (216-0). In his 'Eater debut, junior transfer Logan Peyton also threw for 63.40m (208-0), which ranks third among UC Irvine's all-time leaders. In the shot put, senior Justin Willingham claimed runner-up honors with a lifetime-best 13.76m (58-0.5) to move up two spots to No. 5 in school history. Junior Jacob Hawkins also made his return from a redshirt season with top-10 showings in the shot put and discus at the Beach Opener.
 
MULTIS
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.
 
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.
 
SPRINTS & HURDLES
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.
 
JUMPS
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.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine returns to Fullerton next week for the Challenge Cup on Friday, March 15.