at Beach Opener
Date: Friday-Saturday (March 7-8)
Location: Jack Rose Track - Long Beach, Calif. 
Live Results | Meet Schedule | Meet Info

at Ben Brown Invitational
Date: Friday-Saturday (March 7-8)
Location: Titan Track Stadium - Fullerton, Calif.
Live Results | Meet Schedule | Meet Info

Meet Notes

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine men's track & field is set to open the 2025 campaign with two local meets, March 7-8. Twenty Anteaters are entered in 12 events at Cal State Fullerton's Ben Brown Invitational, while 11 'Eaters are also set to compete in six events at the Beach Opener, hosted by Long Beach State. 

QUICK HITS
• The Ben Brown Invitational gets underway at 10 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday.
• In Long Beach, UCI will compete in the javelin on Friday (1 p.m.), while Saturday's events start at 10 a.m.
• Nine Anteaters are slated to make their NCAA Division I debuts this weekend.

AT A GLANCE
The Anteaters are coming off a 2024 season in which they had four Big West individual champions and six NCAA West First Round qualifiers. UCI welcomes back four student-athletes from that group, including Jacob Hawkins (Discus) and Liam Miksic (Javelin) who broke the school record in their respective events last year. The 'Eaters also bring in 10 newcomers with five junior college transfers and five true freshmen.

"The expectation is always to be better than the previous year and we are on track to do that," head coach Jeff Perkins said. "That is very exciting for all involved with the program."
 
THROWS
Senior Liam Miksic is the two-time defending Big West champion and a three-time NCAA West First Round qualifier in the javelin. Last year, he had a high NCAA finish of 14th when he broke the school record at 68.34 meters (224-2). Senior Jacob Hawkins is also the reigning Big West champion in the discus, while he advanced to the regional meet in both the shot put and discus. Earlier in the season, he broke a 41-year-old school record in the discus with a toss of 59.03m (193-8). In addition, senior Logan Peyton is coming off an NCAA regional appearance in the javelin.

SPRINTS/HURDLES
UCI has five returners in the sprints and hurdles, while bringing in four newcomers including junior college transfers Jake Jensen and AJ Taylor. Jensen helped Mt. SAC win back-to-back state championships in 2023 and 2024. He claimed the 3C2A state title in the 200m and 4x100 relay, while finishing second in the 100m last year. Taylor was also the 2024 junior college state champion in the 110m hurdles at El Camino College. 

JUMPS
Junior Kenechukwu Okonkwo returns in the triple jump after qualifying for the NCAA West First Round last year. Okonkwo joined the Anteaters as a mid-year transfer and in his second meet, he established the third-best mark in program history at 15.33 meters (50-3.5). Okonkwo, Garren Haynes (Long Jump) and Jake Reed (Pole Vault) were also Big West scorers. In addition, the 'Eaters welcome another Mt. SAC transfer in Jerry Roberts, who placed among the top-four in both the long jump and triple jump at the 2024 3C2A State Championships.

DISTANCE
The UC Irvine distance squad is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Big West Cross Country Championships in the fall. It was their best conference showing since 2016. Leading the group is sophomore Juan Chantaca, who was the Anteaters' No. 1 runner in four of his five races. Senior Jacob Bustamante also had an impressive cross country season, while clocking UCI's fastest 5K of the season during the 2024 track & field campaign. The 'Eaters add two freshmen into the mix in Angel Cordero and Omar Reyes.

MULTIS
UC Irvine welcomes back All-Big West performer Max Daniels in the decathlon. Daniels, who trained with three-time All-American and 2024 UCI graduate Josh Farmer over the last two years, has his eyes set on qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Daniels enters his senior season ranked among the top-10 in program history in the 100m, long jump and decathlon.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine hosts the first of its three home meets with the Challenge Cup next Friday, March 14. The 'Eaters will welcome Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara to Anteater Stadium for the one-day, scored meet. Field events get underway at 1 p.m., while action on the track is set for a 3 p.m. start.