Saturday, October 31
Riverside, Calif. / Ag/Ops Cross Country Course
9:15 AM
UC Irvine
at
Big West Championship
October 30, 2026 | Women's Cross Country
Anteaters return to the Inland Empire, site of their 2026 UCR Invitational team title
Big West Championships
Date: Saturday, Oct. 31
Event: 6K
Time: 9:15 a.m. PT
Location: Ag/Ops Cross Country Course – Riverside, Calif.
LIVE RESULTS
IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's cross country returns to Riverside for the 2026 Big West Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31. The Anteaters will compete in the women's 6K race, scheduled for a 9:15 a.m. start at UC Riverside's Agriculture Operations (Ag/Ops) Cross Country Course.
STARTING LINE
• UC Irvine finished runner-up at the 2025 Big West Championships with 75 points.
• The Anteaters have placed among the top three at three of the last four conference championships.
• UCI won the 2026 UCR Invitational 6K team title with 65 points in a 30-team field.
• Senior Emma Hadley claimed the individual title at the UCR Invitational with a personal-record 20:09.9, ranking fourth in program history.
• Hadley and Kaia Schmidt have both earned Big West Athlete of the Week honors this season.
• Schmidt is a returning All-Big West performer after placing fourth at the 2025 conference championships.
• UCI has won 12 Big West women's cross country team championships, most recently in 2005.
BIG WEST REWIND
UC Irvine finished second at the 2025 Big West Cross Country Championships in Honolulu, Hawai'i, totaling 75 points. Cal Poly captured its fourth consecutive conference title with 31 points, while UC San Diego rounded out the top three with 82.
The Anteaters improved upon their third-place finish at the 2024 conference championships in Riverside, where they totaled 96 points. UCI has placed among the top three at three of the last four Big West Championships.
Senior Kaia Schmidt earned All-Big West honors in 2025 after placing fourth individually, highlighting the Anteaters' runner-up performance.
UC Irvine has won 12 Big West women's cross country team championships, including five consecutive titles from 1983-87. The program's most recent conference crown came in 2005 at the Ag/Ops Cross Country Course, where the Anteaters totaled 29 points behind individual champion Amber Steen (20:55.5).
RETURNING TO THE SITE OF VICTORY
UC Irvine returns to the Ag/Ops Cross Country Course after capturing the women's 6K team and individual titles at the UCR Invitational on Sept. 19.
The Anteaters totaled 65 points to finish atop a 30-team field, 87 points ahead of runner-up Cal State Fullerton.
Senior Emma Hadley led the charge, winning the 269-runner race with a personal-record 20:09.9. Her performance moved her up six spots to fourth in program history.
Sophomore Grace Baxter finished fourth overall in a personal-best 20:27.7, moving to seventh on UCI's all-time 6K list. Junior Cynthia Herrera and senior Sona Kourilova also recorded personal bests of 20:41.4 and 20:43.5, respectively, to finish among the top 20.
The Anteaters recorded nine personal bests in the 6K, showcasing the team's depth early in the 2026 campaign.
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine was last in action at the Highlander Invitational on Oct. 17, finishing 14th with 345 points at the Ag/Ops Cross Country Course.
Sophomore Kaitlin Kenney led the Anteaters with a 41st-place finish among 223 runners, completing the 6K in 21:24.5. Junior Breckyn Kornachuk followed in 70th with a time of 21:43.0.
Freshman Alahna Thomas was next across the line in 86th at 21:54.3, while junior Arden Keeton finished 92nd in 21:55.7. Sophomore Avery Hutchison rounded out UCI's scoring five in 120th with a time of 22:26.2.
The Anteaters' top five combined for an average time of 21:53, with just over a minute separating the team's first and fifth finishers.
RACKING UP THE AWARDS
UC Irvine has collected two Big West Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors this season, with seniors Emma Hadley and Kaia Schmidt each earning recognition.
Hadley received her first career conference weekly award on Sept. 22 after winning the UCR Invitational. Her personal-record 20:09.9 was the fastest 6K time in the Big West at the time of the award.
Schmidt earned her second career Big West Athlete of the Week honor on Oct. 13 following her season debut at the Bill Dellinger Invitational. The senior finished 16th among 105 competitors with a time of 21:00.8, leading the Anteaters to a fourth-place team finish with 118 points.
Schmidt was the top Big West finisher in a competitive field that included nationally ranked Oregon and programs from the ACC, Big Sky and Mountain West.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
UC Irvine enters the conference championships with three seniors among its 13 entries in Emma Hadley, Sona Kourilova and Kaia Schmidt.
Hadley and Schmidt have led the Anteaters' individual performances this season, combining for two Big West weekly awards. Schmidt also brings All-Big West experience after earning all-conference recognition in 2025.
Juniors Cynthia Herrera, Arden Keeton, Breckyn Kornachuk, Liana Lee, Jackie Pan, Daisy Penney and Anna Soares provide additional experience, while sophomores Grace Baxter and Kaitlin Kenney add depth to the lineup.
Freshman Alahna Thomas rounds out UCI's championship entries.
CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE
UC Riverside will host the Big West Championships at its Agriculture Operations Cross Country Course.
Although the course appears relatively flat, runners will encounter a significant elevation change. The western end, approximately 1.5 miles from the start, sits nearly 100 feet below the start/finish area.
The return portion of the course presents an additional challenge, making pacing particularly important.
CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRIES
Grace Baxter (So.)
Emma Hadley (Sr.)
Cynthia Herrera (Jr.)
Arden Keeton (Jr.)
Kaitlin Kenney (So.)
Breckyn Kornachuk (Jr.)
Sona Kourilova (Sr.)
Liana Lee (Jr.)
Jackie Pan (Jr.)
Daisy Penney (Jr.)
Kaia Schmidt (Sr.)
Anna Soares (Jr.)
Alahna Thomas (Fr.)
CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
The 2026 Big West Cross Country Championships will begin with the men's 8K 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: 6K
Time: 9:15 a.m. PT
Location: Ag/Ops Cross Country Course – Riverside, Calif.
LIVE RESULTS
IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's cross country returns to Riverside for the 2026 Big West Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31. The Anteaters will compete in the women's 6K race, scheduled for a 9:15 a.m. start at UC Riverside's Agriculture Operations (Ag/Ops) Cross Country Course.
STARTING LINE
• UC Irvine finished runner-up at the 2025 Big West Championships with 75 points.
• The Anteaters have placed among the top three at three of the last four conference championships.
• UCI won the 2026 UCR Invitational 6K team title with 65 points in a 30-team field.
• Senior Emma Hadley claimed the individual title at the UCR Invitational with a personal-record 20:09.9, ranking fourth in program history.
• Hadley and Kaia Schmidt have both earned Big West Athlete of the Week honors this season.
• Schmidt is a returning All-Big West performer after placing fourth at the 2025 conference championships.
• UCI has won 12 Big West women's cross country team championships, most recently in 2005.
BIG WEST REWIND
UC Irvine finished second at the 2025 Big West Cross Country Championships in Honolulu, Hawai'i, totaling 75 points. Cal Poly captured its fourth consecutive conference title with 31 points, while UC San Diego rounded out the top three with 82.
The Anteaters improved upon their third-place finish at the 2024 conference championships in Riverside, where they totaled 96 points. UCI has placed among the top three at three of the last four Big West Championships.
Senior Kaia Schmidt earned All-Big West honors in 2025 after placing fourth individually, highlighting the Anteaters' runner-up performance.
UC Irvine has won 12 Big West women's cross country team championships, including five consecutive titles from 1983-87. The program's most recent conference crown came in 2005 at the Ag/Ops Cross Country Course, where the Anteaters totaled 29 points behind individual champion Amber Steen (20:55.5).
RETURNING TO THE SITE OF VICTORY
UC Irvine returns to the Ag/Ops Cross Country Course after capturing the women's 6K team and individual titles at the UCR Invitational on Sept. 19.
The Anteaters totaled 65 points to finish atop a 30-team field, 87 points ahead of runner-up Cal State Fullerton.
Senior Emma Hadley led the charge, winning the 269-runner race with a personal-record 20:09.9. Her performance moved her up six spots to fourth in program history.
Sophomore Grace Baxter finished fourth overall in a personal-best 20:27.7, moving to seventh on UCI's all-time 6K list. Junior Cynthia Herrera and senior Sona Kourilova also recorded personal bests of 20:41.4 and 20:43.5, respectively, to finish among the top 20.
The Anteaters recorded nine personal bests in the 6K, showcasing the team's depth early in the 2026 campaign.
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine was last in action at the Highlander Invitational on Oct. 17, finishing 14th with 345 points at the Ag/Ops Cross Country Course.
Sophomore Kaitlin Kenney led the Anteaters with a 41st-place finish among 223 runners, completing the 6K in 21:24.5. Junior Breckyn Kornachuk followed in 70th with a time of 21:43.0.
Freshman Alahna Thomas was next across the line in 86th at 21:54.3, while junior Arden Keeton finished 92nd in 21:55.7. Sophomore Avery Hutchison rounded out UCI's scoring five in 120th with a time of 22:26.2.
The Anteaters' top five combined for an average time of 21:53, with just over a minute separating the team's first and fifth finishers.
RACKING UP THE AWARDS
UC Irvine has collected two Big West Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors this season, with seniors Emma Hadley and Kaia Schmidt each earning recognition.
Hadley received her first career conference weekly award on Sept. 22 after winning the UCR Invitational. Her personal-record 20:09.9 was the fastest 6K time in the Big West at the time of the award.
Schmidt earned her second career Big West Athlete of the Week honor on Oct. 13 following her season debut at the Bill Dellinger Invitational. The senior finished 16th among 105 competitors with a time of 21:00.8, leading the Anteaters to a fourth-place team finish with 118 points.
Schmidt was the top Big West finisher in a competitive field that included nationally ranked Oregon and programs from the ACC, Big Sky and Mountain West.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
UC Irvine enters the conference championships with three seniors among its 13 entries in Emma Hadley, Sona Kourilova and Kaia Schmidt.
Hadley and Schmidt have led the Anteaters' individual performances this season, combining for two Big West weekly awards. Schmidt also brings All-Big West experience after earning all-conference recognition in 2025.
Juniors Cynthia Herrera, Arden Keeton, Breckyn Kornachuk, Liana Lee, Jackie Pan, Daisy Penney and Anna Soares provide additional experience, while sophomores Grace Baxter and Kaitlin Kenney add depth to the lineup.
Freshman Alahna Thomas rounds out UCI's championship entries.
CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE
UC Riverside will host the Big West Championships at its Agriculture Operations Cross Country Course.
Although the course appears relatively flat, runners will encounter a significant elevation change. The western end, approximately 1.5 miles from the start, sits nearly 100 feet below the start/finish area.
The return portion of the course presents an additional challenge, making pacing particularly important.
CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRIES
Grace Baxter (So.)
Emma Hadley (Sr.)
Cynthia Herrera (Jr.)
Arden Keeton (Jr.)
Kaitlin Kenney (So.)
Breckyn Kornachuk (Jr.)
Sona Kourilova (Sr.)
Liana Lee (Jr.)
Jackie Pan (Jr.)
Daisy Penney (Jr.)
Kaia Schmidt (Sr.)
Anna Soares (Jr.)
Alahna Thomas (Fr.)
CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
The 2026 Big West Cross Country Championships will begin with the men's 8K 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
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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