Friday, January 10
Reno, Nev.
11:00 AM
UC Irvine
at
Silver and Blue Invitational
Photo by: Matt Brown
Anteaters Head to Reno for Indoor Season Opener
January 09, 2025 | Women's Indoor Track
at Silver & Blue Invitational
Dates:Β Friday-Saturday (Jan. 10-11)
Location:Β Reno-Sparks Convention Center - Reno, Nev.
Meet Info
IRVINE, Calif. -Β The UC Irvine women's indoor track & field team begins the 2025 campaign this weekend as it heads to Reno, Nevada, for the Silver & Blue Invitational, Jan. 10-11. The two-day meet will be held at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, which is home to Nevada's only indoor track.
Twenty Anteaters are entered in 10 events. The meet gets underway Friday at 11 a.m., while action on Saturday is slated for a 10 a.m. start.
AT FIRST GLANCE
UC Irvine welcomes back 21 letterwinners, including seven MPSF scorers from last year's team that finished fourth at the conference meet. The Anteaters have also brought in a versatile group of 14 newcomers who have the ability to make an immediate impact across all event areas. Seven of those individuals will be making their UCI indoor debuts this weekend.
"In totality, our team depth is better than it has been in years past," head coach Jeff Perkins said. "We learned a couple lessons from last season, then in the offseason we made some adjustments in our recruiting to strengthen our women's team holistically."
Β
THE BIG THREE
Senior Reyna Johnson, senior Jolie Robinson and sophomore Kailah McKenzie set the top three long jump marks in program history last year. Johnson leads the trio with a school-record 5.97 meters (19-7), which she established in her long jump victory at the 2024 MPSF Championships. Robinson isn't far behind with a personal-best 5.84m (19-2), while McKenzie is third at 5.80m (19-0.5).
YEAR TWO
Kailah McKenzie and Halle Sutherland are both coming off impressive freshman campaigns. Last year, Sutherland made her way into the top-three in program history in the 60m and 200m. Both of her personal bests came at the MPSF Championships where she clocked in at 7.56 seconds (No. 2) in the 60m and 24.51 seconds (No. 3) in the 200m. McKenzie also concluded her first season among UCI's all-time leaders in multiple events as she ranks third in the long jump (5.80m), fourth in the high jump (1.67m) and eighth in the 60m hurdles (8.74).
MULTIS DEPTH
Seniors Jolie Robinson and Jazzmine Davis return in the pentathlon where they rank third and fourth, respectively, in school history. Robinson established a personal-record 3,660 points in a third-place finish at the 2024 MPSF Championships, while Davis notched a lifetime-best 3,470 points at the Riverfront Invitational. Both Robinson (2022) and Davis (2023) came to UCI as California Community College Athletic Association State Champions in the heptathlon. This year, the Anteaters also add the 2024 3C2A state runner-up in Zharia Taylor (Cerritos College).
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Despite losing Deandra Tyler, the 2024 MPSF shot put champion, to graduation, UC Irvine has a strong group in the throws, anchored by three returning juniors. Leading the way is Nyla Baker, who took third in the shot put at the 2024 conference meet. She currently ranks fourth in program history with a best of 14.22 meters (46-8). Nadia Combs-Mahone is also sixth among UCI's all-time leaders in the shot put (13.05m/42-9.75), while DeAna Davis ranks seventh in the weight throw at 15.18m (49-9.75). Entering the mix in 2025 is freshman Pinkie Schnayer, who was the CIF state champion in the shot put as a senior at Campolindo High School, and freshman Leilah Lauifi (Helix HS).
UP NEXT
UC Irvine makes a return trip to Reno for the Nevada Invite/Multis, Jan. 23-24.
Dates:Β Friday-Saturday (Jan. 10-11)
Location:Β Reno-Sparks Convention Center - Reno, Nev.
Meet Info
IRVINE, Calif. -Β The UC Irvine women's indoor track & field team begins the 2025 campaign this weekend as it heads to Reno, Nevada, for the Silver & Blue Invitational, Jan. 10-11. The two-day meet will be held at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, which is home to Nevada's only indoor track.
Twenty Anteaters are entered in 10 events. The meet gets underway Friday at 11 a.m., while action on Saturday is slated for a 10 a.m. start.
AT FIRST GLANCE
UC Irvine welcomes back 21 letterwinners, including seven MPSF scorers from last year's team that finished fourth at the conference meet. The Anteaters have also brought in a versatile group of 14 newcomers who have the ability to make an immediate impact across all event areas. Seven of those individuals will be making their UCI indoor debuts this weekend.
"In totality, our team depth is better than it has been in years past," head coach Jeff Perkins said. "We learned a couple lessons from last season, then in the offseason we made some adjustments in our recruiting to strengthen our women's team holistically."
Β
THE BIG THREE
Senior Reyna Johnson, senior Jolie Robinson and sophomore Kailah McKenzie set the top three long jump marks in program history last year. Johnson leads the trio with a school-record 5.97 meters (19-7), which she established in her long jump victory at the 2024 MPSF Championships. Robinson isn't far behind with a personal-best 5.84m (19-2), while McKenzie is third at 5.80m (19-0.5).
YEAR TWO
Kailah McKenzie and Halle Sutherland are both coming off impressive freshman campaigns. Last year, Sutherland made her way into the top-three in program history in the 60m and 200m. Both of her personal bests came at the MPSF Championships where she clocked in at 7.56 seconds (No. 2) in the 60m and 24.51 seconds (No. 3) in the 200m. McKenzie also concluded her first season among UCI's all-time leaders in multiple events as she ranks third in the long jump (5.80m), fourth in the high jump (1.67m) and eighth in the 60m hurdles (8.74).
MULTIS DEPTH
Seniors Jolie Robinson and Jazzmine Davis return in the pentathlon where they rank third and fourth, respectively, in school history. Robinson established a personal-record 3,660 points in a third-place finish at the 2024 MPSF Championships, while Davis notched a lifetime-best 3,470 points at the Riverfront Invitational. Both Robinson (2022) and Davis (2023) came to UCI as California Community College Athletic Association State Champions in the heptathlon. This year, the Anteaters also add the 2024 3C2A state runner-up in Zharia Taylor (Cerritos College).
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Despite losing Deandra Tyler, the 2024 MPSF shot put champion, to graduation, UC Irvine has a strong group in the throws, anchored by three returning juniors. Leading the way is Nyla Baker, who took third in the shot put at the 2024 conference meet. She currently ranks fourth in program history with a best of 14.22 meters (46-8). Nadia Combs-Mahone is also sixth among UCI's all-time leaders in the shot put (13.05m/42-9.75), while DeAna Davis ranks seventh in the weight throw at 15.18m (49-9.75). Entering the mix in 2025 is freshman Pinkie Schnayer, who was the CIF state champion in the shot put as a senior at Campolindo High School, and freshman Leilah Lauifi (Helix HS).
UP NEXT
UC Irvine makes a return trip to Reno for the Nevada Invite/Multis, Jan. 23-24.
Players Mentioned
Throws
/ Women's Indoor Track
Throws
/ Women's Indoor Track
Throws
/ Women's Indoor Track
Pentathlon
/ Women's Indoor Track
Hurdles/Jumps
/ Women's Indoor Track
Throws
/ Women's Indoor Track
Hurdles/Jumps
/ Women's Indoor Track
Pentathlon
/ Women's Indoor Track
Throws
/ Women's Indoor Track
Sprints
/ Women's Indoor Track
Pentathlon
/ Women's Indoor Track
Throws
/ Women's Indoor TrackAnteater Spotlights | Ep. 6 | Zharia Taylor
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