UC Riverside Invitational
Date: Saturday, Sept. 21
Event: Men's 8K
Time: 7:50 a.m. (PDT)
Location: UCR Ag/Ops Course - Riverside, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's cross country team is back in action this weekend as it heads to the Inland Empire for the UC Riverside Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 21. Ten Anteaters are entered in the 8K Invite which is slated for a 7:50 a.m. start at the UCR Agricultural Operations Course.

QUICK HITS
• UCI will be making its eighth-straight appearance in the UCR Invitational.
• Last year, the 'Eaters finished seventh overall.
• Redshirt freshman Juan Chantaca was named the Big West Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week on Sept. 10.
• The 'Eaters have a veteran squad with nine returners, including six seniors.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine claimed runner-up honors at the season-opening Irvine Invitational on Friday, Sept. 6, at the Great Park. The Anteaters, who co-hosted the meet with Concordia, finished with 60 points. They came in two points behind team champion Azusa Pacific (58). Three 'Eaters placed among the top-10 in the individual standings, led by redshirt freshman Juan Chantaca (25:10.9), who took second. Joshua Schuld came in seventh (25:33.5), while Zeid Hussain was ninth (25:41.2). Jacob Bustamante (25:53.7) and Cameron Smith (26:19.2) rounded out UCI's top-five scorers.

"Juan had a really good first 8K," UC Irvine distance coach Casey Kear said. "He had a good summer and is ready to go. We didn't have quite as much depth as we would have liked on the back end of the last loop, but it was still a pretty good start for the guys as a whole."

MAKING A STATEMENT
In his first collegiate cross country race, redshirt freshman Juan Chantaca led UC Irvine with a runner-up showing. He covered the Irvine Invitational 8K course at the Great Park in 25:10.9 to come in behind only Jared Wright of APU. Chantaca was nine seconds ahead of the third-place finisher. He was named the Big West Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week for his effort. Chantaca was one of the top freshmen distance runners in The Big West during the 2024 track & field season as he ranked second among first years in the 5K with a best of 14:29.19.

LAST YEAR, BEST YEAR
Of UC Irvine's nine returners, six are either fourth or fifth year seniors. The group has seen individual success with Zeid Hussain tying the 8K school record at 23:47.0, and Joshua Schuld sitting at No. 6 in program history. Schuld also owns the top 10K time among this year's squad with a personal-best 30:35.3.

ENTERING THE MIX
UC Irvine adds a pair of true freshmen to its roster for the 2024 season. Omar Reyes, who prepped at El Camino High School in Oceanside, finished fourth at the CIF State Cross Country Championships last year. He was also the 2023 CIF-San Diego Section champion and won the 2022 North County Conference Coastal League title. Angel Cordero was a two-time cross country league champion at Olympian High School. In addition, he was a standout on the track where he claimed four-straight league titles and two CIF-SDS championships in the 800m.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine will travel to Salem, Oregon, for the Charles Bowles Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 5.