Bill Dellinger Invitational
Date: Friday, Oct. 10
Event: 6K
Time: 12 p.m.
Location: Pine Ridge Golf Club - Springfield, Ore.

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's cross country team makes its way to Springfield, Oregon, for the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Friday, Oct. 10. The women's 6K race is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Pine Ridge Golf Club.

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 also took third out of 22 teams at the UC Riverside Invitational 6K on Sept. 27.
• Kaia Schmidt (20:38.4) and Emma Hadley (20:47.6) both ran top-10 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. Last year, the 'Eaters were featured in every regional poll and rose to as high as No. 11.

BIG WEST ACCOLADES
Junior Kaia Schmidt earned her first career Big West Athlete of the Week award on Sept. 30, following her performance at the UCR Invitational. In her season debut, Schmidt ran a nearly eight-second personal-record 20:38.4 to finish seventh in a 6K field of 220 athletes. Her time ranked second in The Big West and moved her up one spot to No. 8 in program history. She was the only top-10 finisher among the five Big West schools competing in the 6K race at UCR's Agricultural Operations Course.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine finished third out of 22 teams at the UC Riverside Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 27. Junior Kaia Schmidt led the 'Eaters, completing the 6K course in a personal-record 20:38.4 to place seventh overall. Schmidt moved up one spot to eighth among UCI's all-time leaders. Junior Emma Hadley had an impressive Anteater debut, clocking a PR 20:47.6 to come in 11th. Her time ranks 10th in program history. Sophomore Liana Lee (21:02.1), sophomore Rachel Moen (21:03.0), freshman Grace Baxter (21:03.2), senior Nicole Contreras (21:11.4), and sophomore Anna Soares (21:37.7) added 6K personal bests.

PERFECT START
The Anteaters opened the season with a clean sweep at the Vanguard Invitational 5K on Friday, Sept. 5. They took the top-five spots for a perfect score of 15 points. Liana Lee was the top finisher, 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 makes its way back to Riverside for the Highlander Invitational next Saturday, Oct. 18.