COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The UC Irvine men's track & field team wrapped up action at the NCAA West First Round Friday at E.B. Cushing Stadium.
 
Freshman Justin Johnson, who entered the meet seeded 31st in the West Region, represented the Anteaters in the 200m quarterfinal where he placed 22nd overall. He crossed the finish line in a wind-legal personal-record 20.69, which ranks second in school history. In his first collegiate season, Johnson entered UCI's all-time top-10 in both the 100m (10.56) and 200m, was a Big West scorer and was the program's first NCAA qualifier in the 200m since 2018.
 
Senior Joshua Schuld took 44th in the steeplechase, beating out his ranking by four spots. Schuld qualified for his first NCAA regional meet with a personal-record 8:50.75, which he established in a fourth-place showing at the Big West Championships two weeks ago. Schuld's PR was UCI's best steeple time since 1985 and puts him fifth among the program's all-time leaders.
 
Senior Jacob Hawkins closed out a stellar collegiate career with a 47th-place finish in his second-straight NCAA appearance in the discus. Two weeks ago, Hawkins earned his third career All-Big West award with a runner-up performance in the discus at the conference meet. Last year, he was the Big West champion in the discus and conference runner-up in the shot put. He will graduate as the discus school record holder with a PR of 59.03 meters (193-8).
 
Junior Kenechukwu Okonkwo made his second career NCAA West First Round appearance in the triple jump. Okonkwo did not record a mark after fouling on his three attempts, but ends another impressive season with the No. 2 distance in program history at 15.83m (51-11.25), which he set on March 15. Okonkwo also claimed runner-up honors at the Big West Championships.
 
The top-12 finishers in each event advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon. On Wednesday, senior Liam Miksic punched his ticket to the national meet in the javelin and will head to Hayward Field, June 11-14.