Bill Dellinger Invitational
Date: Friday, Oct. 10
Event: 8K
Time: 11:15 a.m.
Location: Pine Ridge Golf Club - Springfield, Ore.

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's cross country team makes its way to Springfield, Oregon, for the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Friday, Oct. 10. The men's 8K race is scheduled for an 11:15 a.m. start at Pine Ridge Golf Club.

STARTING LINE
• Juan Chantaca broke the 8K school record two weeks ago at UC Riverside.
• Chantaca has won two Big West Athlete of the Week awards this season.
• UCI won the team and individual titles at the Vanguard Invitational (Sept. 5).
• The 'Eaters return four letterwinners and add three true freshmen in 2025.
• The Anteaters placed fourth at the 2024 Big West Championships.

LAST TIME OUT
Sophomore Juan Chantaca broke the 8K school record in a top-five finish at the UC Riverside Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 27. Chantaca crossed the finish line in 23:38.4 to beat UC Irvine's previous record of 23:47.0, which was set in 2006 and later matched in 2022. He also bettered his own PR by 13 seconds. Chantaca held steady with the lead pack throughout the race and ended up fourth in a field of 224. Freshman Ziyad Abadallah was the Anteaters' No. 2 runner, coming in 62nd. Abdallah clocked in at 24:52.9, improving his time by four seconds in just his second career 8K race.

RACKING UP THE AWARDS
Sophomore Juan Chantaca has been named the Big West Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week after both of his races this season. Chantaca was most recently recognized on Sept. 30 after breaking the 8K school record with a personal-best 23:38.4 at the UC Riverside Invitational. He notched his second-straight top-five showing with a fourth-place finish (out of 224). The San Clemente native earned his first honor of the season following his first individual collegiate victory at the Vanguard Invitational (Sept. 5). Chantaca led wire-to-wire, clocking a meet-record 24:05.8 for a 35-second win. 

SEASON-OPENING WIN
UC Irvine took home both the team and individual titles at the season-opening Vanguard Invitational at Mason Regional Park in Irvine on Sept. 5. Five Anteaters placed among the top-10, led by Juan Chantaca, who was the individual champion with a meet-record 24:05.8. Ziyad Abdallah had an impressive collegiate debut, placing fourth in his first career 8K. Abdallah crossed the finish line in 24:57.4. Sophomore Jimmy Markowicz added a PR 25:01.7 to come in fifth, while freshman Mark McAleenan Jr. was sixth at 25:18.1. Sophomore Omar Reyes rounded out UCI's top-five in ninth with a time of 25:34.6.

ON THE RISE
Last year, the Anteaters finished fourth at the Big West Championships, marking their best conference finish since 2016. Juan Chantaca was the team's top performer, coming in 14th. The 'Eaters also had two runner-up showings during the regular season, taking second at the Irvine Invitational and the Charles Bowles Invitational. In 2024, UCI made its way into the USTFCCCA Division I West Region Rankings for the first time since 2012.

UP NEXT
UCI makes its way back to Riverside for the Highlander Invitational next Saturday, Oct. 18.