UC Irvine women's outdoor track & field has placed among the top four at the Big West Championships in each of the last four seasons. In 2024, the Anteaters had their best showing in 28 years as they claimed runner-up honors, finishing only 12 points shy of the program's first conference title.
 
The 'Eaters welcome back 13 scorers and five All-Big West performers from last year's squad. They have also added depth in all event areas with 26 newcomers.
 
"This team is already ahead of last year's team in terms of development and readiness," head coach Jeff Perkins said. "It's the championship mentality that we are continuing to instill in each athlete that we feel is ready to contribute to a team win."
 
UC Irvine will begin its 2025 slate at the Beach Opener and Ben Brown Invitational, March 7-8. UCI then hosts the first of three home meets as it welcomes fellow Big West members Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara to Anteater Stadium for the Challenge Cup on March 14.
 
The 'Eaters are also set to host the Vince O'Boyle Track & Field Classic (March 28-29) and the Steve Scott Invitational (May 2-3). The 2025 Big West Championships will be held at LBSU's Jack Rose Track in May.
 
Ahead of the season opener in two weeks, we take a look at each of the event groups.
 
MULTIS
UC Irvine has a trio of multi-event athletes that can make some noise at the conference and NCAA levels. The group is led by senior Jolie Robinson, who is the two-time defending Big West champion in the heptathlon. She ranks fifth in program history with a personal-record 5,343 points. Senior Jazzmine Davis also scored at the Big West meet last year, finishing fifth with a lifetime-best 5,085 points. Junior transfer Zharia Taylor, who was an All-American and 3C2A state runner-up in the heptathlon at Cerritos College last year, enters the mix in 2025.
 
"This has been an event area that we have been successful in over the years and we really look forward to seeing if Jolie Robinson can win another individual heptathlon championship," Perkins said. "We will also see if Jazzmine Davis and newcomer Zharia Taylor can continue to climb the ladder to the podium at the Big West Championships in May."
 
THROWS
UCI will continue to rely on its throws squad to produce in 2025. The Anteaters welcome back a core group of juniors in Nyla Baker, DeAna Davis and Nadia Combs-Mahone. Baker earned All-Big West distinction in the shot put, while Davis was a conference scorer in the hammer throw last year. They also bring in freshman Pinkie Schnayer, who was the 2024 CIF State champion in the shot put.
 
"This will always be an event area we rely on in its prominence in the conference," Perkins said. "DeAna Davis, Nyla Baker, Nadia Combs-Mahone and Pinkie Schnayer will be critical contributors throughout the season and at the championship."
 
SPRINTS & HURDLES
Sophomore Halle Sutherland and junior Samantha Bartz are back after breakout seasons in the short sprints last year. They both cracked UCI's all-time top-10 in the 100m, while Sutherland was also a conference scorer in the event. In addition, the 'Eaters have brought in a handful of newcomers to bolster their 400m depth, including junior transfer Esmeray Demirbas and freshmen Ihe Okoh and Mikah Longcob.
 
"I feel we may have improved the most in this area just due to a year of growth and some key additions in the offseason," Perkins said. "I am looking forward to watching Halle Sutherland and Samantha Bartz continue to grow throughout the year along with some of the rookies we have in the 400m."
 
The hurdles are another strong area for UC Irvine with the return of seniors Reyna Johnson and Jazzmine Davis, who placed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 100H at the 2024 Big West Championships. Sophomore Kailah McKenzie will also contribute in the 100H, while Demirbas is expected to anchor the 400H.
 
"I feel like we can make a big impact in the hurdles," Perkins added. "Jazzmine Davis, Reyna Johnson, Kailah McKenzie and the addition of Esmeray Demirbas will help to build on what has become an area we expect significant contributions from at the Big West Championships."
 
DISTANCE
The distance crew is one of UC Irvine's deepest event groups in 2025. Senior Anna Vogtmann is coming off an incredible cross country season in which she was the Big West runner-up and broke her own school record in the 6K. Senior Malia Gay, a two-time All-Big West performer in the 800m, will be looking to build off a strong indoor season in which she has taken down the school record in both the 600m and 800m. The Anteaters are also expecting to see an immediate impact from a handful of newcomers.
 
"Led by Anna Vogtmann and Malia Gay, the distance group will be extremely exciting to watch this season and will be the backbone of our success down the line," Perkins said. "With the additions of Luz Mercado and Cynthia Herrera, we should be able to continue to build and rely on this event area to help carry our team to a championship."
 
JUMPS
Sophomore Kailah McKenzie, senior Jolie Robinson and senior Reyna Johnson combined for 29 points in the jumps at the Big West Championships last year. McKenzie, who was named the 2024 Big West Women's Freshman of the Year, won the high jump and took third in the long jump. Robinson was also the runner-up in the long jump, while Johnson just missed the podium with a fourth-place finish.

"This is also a very exciting event area as we have Jolie, Reyna and Kailah returning in the long jump," Perkins said. "Then we have Kailah and the addition of Esmeray and Zharia in the high jump, all of whom have jumped 1.73 meters indoors already. We will really need this group to do well throughout the season if we plan to continue with our success at the championship level."