Highlander Invitational
Date: Saturday, Oct. 18
Event: 6K
Time: 8:40 a.m.
Location: UCR Agricultural Operations Course - Riverside, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - Six Anteaters will make their way to UC Riverside for the women's 6K at the Highlander Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 18. The race is scheduled for an 8:40 a.m. start at UCR's Agricultural Operations Course.

STARTING LINE
• UC Irvine is 14th in the latest USTFCCCA West Region Rankings.
• UCI had back-to-back top-three finishes to start the season.
• The 'Eaters won the Vanguard Invitational on Sept. 5.
• They then took third out of 22 teams at the UC Riverside Invitational on Sept. 27.
• Kaia Schmidt (20:38.4) and Emma Hadley (20:47.6) both ran top-10 6K times in program history at Riverside.

REGIONAL RANKINGS
UC Irvine entered the USTFCCCA West Region Rankings at No. 15 on Sept. 29, and moved up one spot to No. 14 on Oct. 6. The Anteaters are one of three Big West schools among the top-15 in the West. 

DOUBLING DOWN
Junior Kaia Schmidt took home her second Big West Athlete of the Week award of the season on Oct. 14. Schimdt was recognized following a top-15 showing in a competitive Bill Dellinger Invitational field that featured seven regionally-ranked teams. For the second meet in a row, the West Linn, Oregon, native was the top Big West finisher, coming in 14th overall. She completed the 6K course at Pine Ridge Golf Club in 20:43.97. On Sept. 30, Schmidt won her first career weekly award after running a nearly eight-second personal-record 20:38.4 to finish seventh in a 6K field of 220 athletes at the UC Riverside Invitational. Her mark ranked second in The Big West at the time and moved her up one spot to No. 8 in program history.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine placed sixth at the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Friday, Oct. 10. The Anteaters came in behind five teams with a higher regional ranking, while holding a comfortable advantage over seventh-place Weber State, which was 11th in the Mountain Region. Host Oregon won the team title with 16 points. The Ducks were ranked first in the West and fourth in the nation. Kaia Schmidt had an impressive performance, placing 14th out of 102 runners (20:43.97). Emma Hadley was next across the line for the 'Eaters in 27th at 21:13.75. Makena Castillo (21:36.80) and Rachel Moen (21:41.30) were 41st and 43rd, respectively. Grace Baxter was UCI's fifth scorer, clocking in at 21:50.13 (53rd).

PERFECT START
The Anteaters opened the season with a clean sweep at the Vanguard Invitational 5K on Sept. 5. They took the top-five spots for a perfect score of 15 points. Liana Lee was the individual champion, notching a meet-record 17:43.4 for her first collegiate victory. Lee came in four seconds ahead of Anna Soares (17:47.6) in second. Rachel Moen (17:51.1), Grace Baxter (17:52.2) and Marjourie Lopez (17:54.6) rounded out the top-five.

ON THE RISE
UC Irvine has placed among the top-three in two of the last three Big West Women's Cross Country Championships. Last year, the Anteaters took third, while they claimed runner-up honors in 2022 when they finished one point behind Cal Poly. This past spring, UCI's distance crew combined for 40 points to help the 'Eaters win the program's first Big West Women's Track & Field Championship.

UP NEXT
UCI will head to Honolulu for the Big West Championships on Friday, Oct. 31.