UCI Travels to La Jolla for Triton Invitational

Friday, April 4

La Jolla, Calif.

9:00 AM

UC Irvine

Triton Invitational

halle-sutherland-wtrack-2025-triton-invite-preview

UCI Travels to La Jolla for Triton Invitational

April 03, 2025 | Women's Track & Field

Live Results Meet Notes

at Triton Invitational
Date: Friday-Saturday (April 4-5)
Location: Triton Track & Field Stadium - La Jolla, Calif.
Meet Info & Schedule

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's track & field makes its way to La Jolla for the Triton Invitational, April 4-5. Forty-six Anteaters are entered in 14 events at Triton Track & Field Stadium. Action on Friday and Saturday is set for a 9 a.m. start.

LAST TIME OUT
UCI hosted the fourth annual Vince O'Boyle Classic at Anteater Stadium last weekend. Esmeray Demirbas won the 400m hurdles in a personal and meet-record 58.88, which ranks third in program history. It was the fastest 400H race by an Anteater since 2012. Nyla Baker also took home the shot put title with a lifetime-best 15.48 meters (50-9.5). Baker moved up one spot to No. 3 among UC Irvine's all-time leaders. Reyna Johnson claimed runner-up honors in both the 100H (13.79) and long jump (6.34m/20-9.75w) where she established personal bests. DeAna Davis added a second-place showing and PR 57.65m (189-1) in the hammer throw. Davis is now second in school history. Samantha Bartz clocked a 100m personal-record 11.77 to rank seventh on UCI's all-time charts. The distance crew traveled to San Marcos for the Mangrum Invitational on Friday, March 28. Kaia Schmidt highlighted the one-day meet with an individual victory in the 5000m (16:56.08).

EVENT SQUAD RANKINGS
The USTFCCCA released their first Event Squad Rankings of the season with UC Irvine leading the nation in the high jump (1.72m/5-7.75) and long jump (6.18m/20-3.25). The rankings average out the season-best qualifying marks from a team's top-four athletes on the national descending order list.

THE BIG THREE
In the long jump, senior Reyna Johnson, sophomore Kailah McKenzie and senior Jolie Robinson rank 1-2-3 in The Big West and are the only athletes in the conference to surpass 20 feet. Johnson leads the way with a wind-aided personal-record 6.34m (20-9.75), which she established at the Vince O'Boyle Classic on March 28. McKenzie is right on Johnson's heels with a PR 6.33m (20-9.25) that she set in a victory at the Challenge Cup on March 15. Johnson and McKenzie are seventh and ninth in the nation, respectively. Robinson also notched a lifetime-best 6.19m (20-3.75) in her first long jump competition of the outdoor campaign at the UCR Spring Classic on March 22.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Juniors Zharia Taylor and Esmeray Demirbas both cleared a personal-record 1.79 meters (5-10.5) in the high jump at the Challenge Cup on March 15. Taylor did not miss at her first five heights to finish first, while Demirbas claimed runner-up honors. The UCI duo lead the Big West and are tied for eighth in the nation this season, while they are also tied for second among the Anteaters' all-time leaders.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Reyna Johnson was named the Big West Women's Field Athlete of the Week on April 1. Johnson was recognized for her effort in the long jump at the Vince O'Boyle Classic. She surpassed 20 feet on her first three attempts, and notched a wind-aided PR 6.34m/20-9.75 (+2.7) on her final jump in Flight 3. Her distance ranks first in The Big West, fourth in the West Region and seventh in the nation. Johnson also ran a personal-record 13.79 in the 100m hurdles, which is sixth in program history.

BACK-TO-BACK
Kailah McKenzie won back-to-back Big West Women's Field Athlete of the Week honors on March 11 and March 18. McKenzie earned her first award of the season following a high jump victory where she cleared 1.76 meters (5-9.25) at the Beach Opener. That height was just a half-inch shy of her PR and is 23rd in the nation this season. The following week, the 2024 Big West Women's Freshman of the Year was recognized for her winning long jump mark of 6.33m (20-9.25) at the Challenge Cup. McKenzie's distance is ninth in all of NCAA Division I and was the Anteaters' best wind-legal leap since 1983, moving her up to No. 2 in program history.

LETTING IT FLY
Junior Nyla Baker has four individual victories this season. Last weekend, Baker took first in the shot put with a personal-record 15.48m (50-9.5) at the Vince O'Boyle Classic. She also won the discus at the Ben Brown Invitational, Challenge Cup and UCR Spring Classic, where she established a PR 49.85m (163-6). Baker ranks third in school history in the shot put and seventh in the discus. Junior DeAna Davis also claimed the title in the hammer throw at the Ben Brown Invite and UCR Spring Classic. She notched a PR 57.65m (189-1) in a runner-up showing at the VOB Classic, which puts her second on UCI's all-time charts. Freshman Pinkie Schnayer added two wins in the shot put including at the Challenge Cup where she hit a lifetime-best 14.74m (48-4.5) to rank fourth in program history.

GOING THE DISTANCE
Seniors Malia Gay and Luz Mercado went 1-2 in the 800m at the Challenge Cup. Gay clocked a lifetime-best and then NCAA-leading 2:06.90, while Mercado registered a season-best 2:09.87. In her first career steeplechase, sophomore Kaia Schmidt finished ahead of the pack in 10:50.78 at the Beach Opener. Schmidt's time ranks sixth in school history. She also won the 1500m at the Challenge Cup (4:28.54) and the 5000m at the Mangrum Invitational (16:56.08).

ANTEATER SPEEDSTERS
Sophomore Halle Sutherland won the 100m in a wind-legal personal-best 11.63 seconds at the Challenge Cup. Sutherland's time is second in the Big West this season. She also moved up one spot to No. 3 in program history. Junior Samantha Bartz added a PR 11.77 in the 100m at the Vince O'Boyle Classic to rank seventh among UCI's all-time leaders. In the 400m hurdles, Esmeray Demirbas' lifetime-best 58.88 ranks third in school history, and puts her second in the conference in 2025.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine will make its way to Azusa for the Bryan Clay Multis, April 10-11, and to Fullerton for the Friday Night Lights meet on April 11.