Saturday, October 31
Riverside, Calif. / Ag/Ops Cross Country Course
8:30 AM
UC Irvine
at
Big West Championship
October 30, 2026 | Men's Cross Country
Anteaters return to familiar course for Saturday's conference meet
Big West Championships
Date: Saturday, Oct. 31
Event: 8K
Time: 8:30 a.m. PT
Location: Ag/Ops Cross Country Course – Riverside, Calif.
LIVE RESULTS
IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine men's cross country heads to Riverside for the 2026 Big West Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31. The men's 8K race is scheduled for an 8:30 a.m. start at UC Riverside's Agriculture Operations (Ag/Ops) Cross Country Course.
STARTING LINE
• UC Irvine finished eighth at the 2025 Big West Championships with 206 points.
• The Anteaters placed fourth at the 2024 conference meet in Riverside, their best finish since 2016.
• Junior Juan Chantaca owns the UCI 8K school record of 23:38.4, set at the 2025 UCR Invitational.
• Chantaca placed 16th at the 2026 UCR Invitational in 24:01.6.
• Senior Jimmy Markowicz led the 'Eaters at the Bill Dellinger Invitational with a season-best 25:08.3.
• Markowicz is the lone senior among UCI's 11 championship entries.
• The Anteaters have won nine Big West men's cross country team championships, most recently in 1991.
BIG WEST REWIND
UC Irvine finished eighth at the 2025 Big West Cross Country Championships in Honolulu, Hawai'i, totaling 206 points. Cal Poly claimed its fourth consecutive conference title with 27 points, followed by UC Davis (47) and Cal State Fullerton (98).
The Anteaters return to Riverside, where they placed fourth at the 2024 conference championships, their best finish since 2016. Juan Chantaca led UCI with a 14th-place finish in 24:06.3, while Omar Reyes followed in 34th with a personal-best 24:44.9.
UC Irvine has won nine Big West men's cross country team championships, including three consecutive titles from 1989-91. The Anteaters' most recent top-three conference finish came in 2012.
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine was last in action at the Highlander Invitational on Oct. 17, competing at the same Ag/Ops Cross Country Course that will host Saturday's conference championships.
The Anteaters sent three freshmen to the starting line for the men's 8K, led by Braulio Castillo, who finished 94th among 206 runners with a time of 25:16.2.
Aiden Zavala followed in 115th at 25:27.8, while Nolan Calder rounded out UCI's contingent in 144th with a time of 25:53.0.
The three freshmen finished within 37 seconds of one another, combining for an average time of 25:32.3. UC Irvine did not register a team score with fewer than five competitors.
MARKOWICZ PACES 'EATERS
Senior Jimmy Markowicz led UC Irvine at the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Oct. 9, clocking a season-best 25:08.3 to finish 44th overall.
Junior Juan Chantaca followed in 46th at 25:11.4, while freshman Nathan Wilber (25:13.5) and sophomore Ziyad Abdallah (25:15.6) placed 48th and 49th, respectively.
Freshman Owen Souther rounded out the Anteaters' scoring five in 25:45.1 as UCI finished ninth with 223 points in a competitive field that included nationally ranked Oregon.
RECORD-SETTING CHANTACA
Junior Juan Chantaca enters the conference championships as UC Irvine's 8K school-record holder after clocking a personal-best 23:38.4 at the 2025 UCR Invitational.
The San Clemente native finished fourth among 224 competitors, earning his second Big West Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week honor of the season.
Chantaca previously received conference recognition after capturing his first collegiate individual title at the Vanguard Invitational, where he led wire-to-wire and set a meet record of 24:05.8.
Returning to the UCR Invitational in 2026, Chantaca led the Anteaters with a 16th-place finish in 24:01.6.
CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
UC Irvine's championship entries feature six returning runners and five freshmen. Senior Jimmy Markowicz leads the veteran group alongside juniors Juan Chantaca, Omar Reyes and Angel Cordero, and sophomores Ziyad Abdallah and Javin Schmitt.
Markowicz, Chantaca and Reyes bring previous Big West Championship experience, while Abdallah made an immediate impact during his freshman campaign, placing fourth in his collegiate debut at the 2025 Vanguard Invitational.
Freshmen Nolan Calder, Braulio Castillo, Owen Souther, Nathan Wilber and Aiden Zavala round out the Anteaters' championship entries.
CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE
UC Riverside will host the conference championships at its Agriculture Operations Cross Country Course.
The course presents a deceptive challenge, appearing relatively flat despite a significant elevation change. The western portion, approximately 1.5 miles from the start, sits nearly 100 feet below the start/finish area, making the return particularly demanding.
CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRIES
Ziyad Abdallah (So.)
Nolan Calder (Fr.)
Braulio Castillo (Fr.)
Juan Chantaca (Jr.)
Angel Cordero (Jr.)
Jimmy Markowicz (Sr.)
Omar Reyes (Jr.)
Javin Schmitt (So.)
Owen Souther (Fr.)
Nathan Wilber (Fr.)
Aiden Zavala (Fr.)
CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
The men's 8K opens the 2026 Big West Cross Country Championships at 8:30 a.m., followed by the women's 6K at 9:15 a.m. An awards ceremony recognizing the conference's individual and team champions is scheduled for 10:15 a.m.
General admission is $14 at the door or $12 in advance. Students from Big West institutions receive free admission with a valid student ID.
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will travel to Sacramento for the NCAA West Regional on Friday, Nov. 13.
Date: Saturday, Oct. 31
Event: 8K
Time: 8:30 a.m. PT
Location: Ag/Ops Cross Country Course – Riverside, Calif.
LIVE RESULTS
IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine men's cross country heads to Riverside for the 2026 Big West Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31. The men's 8K race is scheduled for an 8:30 a.m. start at UC Riverside's Agriculture Operations (Ag/Ops) Cross Country Course.
STARTING LINE
• UC Irvine finished eighth at the 2025 Big West Championships with 206 points.
• The Anteaters placed fourth at the 2024 conference meet in Riverside, their best finish since 2016.
• Junior Juan Chantaca owns the UCI 8K school record of 23:38.4, set at the 2025 UCR Invitational.
• Chantaca placed 16th at the 2026 UCR Invitational in 24:01.6.
• Senior Jimmy Markowicz led the 'Eaters at the Bill Dellinger Invitational with a season-best 25:08.3.
• Markowicz is the lone senior among UCI's 11 championship entries.
• The Anteaters have won nine Big West men's cross country team championships, most recently in 1991.
BIG WEST REWIND
UC Irvine finished eighth at the 2025 Big West Cross Country Championships in Honolulu, Hawai'i, totaling 206 points. Cal Poly claimed its fourth consecutive conference title with 27 points, followed by UC Davis (47) and Cal State Fullerton (98).
The Anteaters return to Riverside, where they placed fourth at the 2024 conference championships, their best finish since 2016. Juan Chantaca led UCI with a 14th-place finish in 24:06.3, while Omar Reyes followed in 34th with a personal-best 24:44.9.
UC Irvine has won nine Big West men's cross country team championships, including three consecutive titles from 1989-91. The Anteaters' most recent top-three conference finish came in 2012.
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine was last in action at the Highlander Invitational on Oct. 17, competing at the same Ag/Ops Cross Country Course that will host Saturday's conference championships.
The Anteaters sent three freshmen to the starting line for the men's 8K, led by Braulio Castillo, who finished 94th among 206 runners with a time of 25:16.2.
Aiden Zavala followed in 115th at 25:27.8, while Nolan Calder rounded out UCI's contingent in 144th with a time of 25:53.0.
The three freshmen finished within 37 seconds of one another, combining for an average time of 25:32.3. UC Irvine did not register a team score with fewer than five competitors.
MARKOWICZ PACES 'EATERS
Senior Jimmy Markowicz led UC Irvine at the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Oct. 9, clocking a season-best 25:08.3 to finish 44th overall.
Junior Juan Chantaca followed in 46th at 25:11.4, while freshman Nathan Wilber (25:13.5) and sophomore Ziyad Abdallah (25:15.6) placed 48th and 49th, respectively.
Freshman Owen Souther rounded out the Anteaters' scoring five in 25:45.1 as UCI finished ninth with 223 points in a competitive field that included nationally ranked Oregon.
RECORD-SETTING CHANTACA
Junior Juan Chantaca enters the conference championships as UC Irvine's 8K school-record holder after clocking a personal-best 23:38.4 at the 2025 UCR Invitational.
The San Clemente native finished fourth among 224 competitors, earning his second Big West Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week honor of the season.
Chantaca previously received conference recognition after capturing his first collegiate individual title at the Vanguard Invitational, where he led wire-to-wire and set a meet record of 24:05.8.
Returning to the UCR Invitational in 2026, Chantaca led the Anteaters with a 16th-place finish in 24:01.6.
CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
UC Irvine's championship entries feature six returning runners and five freshmen. Senior Jimmy Markowicz leads the veteran group alongside juniors Juan Chantaca, Omar Reyes and Angel Cordero, and sophomores Ziyad Abdallah and Javin Schmitt.
Markowicz, Chantaca and Reyes bring previous Big West Championship experience, while Abdallah made an immediate impact during his freshman campaign, placing fourth in his collegiate debut at the 2025 Vanguard Invitational.
Freshmen Nolan Calder, Braulio Castillo, Owen Souther, Nathan Wilber and Aiden Zavala round out the Anteaters' championship entries.
CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE
UC Riverside will host the conference championships at its Agriculture Operations Cross Country Course.
The course presents a deceptive challenge, appearing relatively flat despite a significant elevation change. The western portion, approximately 1.5 miles from the start, sits nearly 100 feet below the start/finish area, making the return particularly demanding.
CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRIES
Ziyad Abdallah (So.)
Nolan Calder (Fr.)
Braulio Castillo (Fr.)
Juan Chantaca (Jr.)
Angel Cordero (Jr.)
Jimmy Markowicz (Sr.)
Omar Reyes (Jr.)
Javin Schmitt (So.)
Owen Souther (Fr.)
Nathan Wilber (Fr.)
Aiden Zavala (Fr.)
CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
The men's 8K opens the 2026 Big West Cross Country Championships at 8:30 a.m., followed by the women's 6K at 9:15 a.m. An awards ceremony recognizing the conference's individual and team champions is scheduled for 10:15 a.m.
General admission is $14 at the door or $12 in advance. Students from Big West institutions receive free admission with a valid student ID.
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will travel to Sacramento for the NCAA West Regional on Friday, Nov. 13.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
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