Saturday, October 31
Riverside, Calif. / Ag/Ops Cross Country Course
8:30 AM
UC Irvine
at
Big West Championship
Photo by: Jacob Thompson
October 31, 2026 | Men's Cross Country
Juan Chantaca leads the Anteaters with an eighth-place finish
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Irvine men's cross country secured a fifth-place finish at the 2026 Big West Championships Saturday morning at the Ag/Ops Cross Country Course in Riverside.
The Anteaters totaled 157 points to improve three spots from their eighth-place finish at last year's conference championship. UCI placed five runners among the top 53, led by Juan Chantaca, who earned an eighth-place finish in the men's 8K.
Chantaca paced the 'Eaters with a time of 23:41.9, finishing among the conference's top 10 runners. Nathan Wilber followed in 16th place, clocking a 23:55.1 to give UC Irvine two top-20 finishers.
Owen Souther was the third Anteater across the line, placing 39th overall in 24:26.8. Jimmy Markowicz was close behind in 51st with a time of 24:43.8, while Ziyad Abdallah rounded out UCI's scoring five in 53rd at 24:45.1.
Aiden Zavala and Braulio Castillo completed the Anteater contingent. Zavala crossed the finish line in 66th place with a time of 25:05.1, while Castillo was 68th in 25:09.4.
UC Irvine posted a combined team time of 2:01:33, averaging 24:19 across its five scoring runners. The Anteaters moved up one spot over the final 500 meters after sitting sixth at the 7.5K split, ultimately finishing five points ahead of sixth-place Cal State Fullerton.
California Baptist captured the team championship with 28 points, narrowly edging runner-up Utah Valley (33). Cal Poly took third with 91 points, followed by UC San Diego (151) and UC Irvine (157) to round out the top five.
UC Irvine Individual Results
Team Standings
The Anteaters totaled 157 points to improve three spots from their eighth-place finish at last year's conference championship. UCI placed five runners among the top 53, led by Juan Chantaca, who earned an eighth-place finish in the men's 8K.
Chantaca paced the 'Eaters with a time of 23:41.9, finishing among the conference's top 10 runners. Nathan Wilber followed in 16th place, clocking a 23:55.1 to give UC Irvine two top-20 finishers.
Owen Souther was the third Anteater across the line, placing 39th overall in 24:26.8. Jimmy Markowicz was close behind in 51st with a time of 24:43.8, while Ziyad Abdallah rounded out UCI's scoring five in 53rd at 24:45.1.
Aiden Zavala and Braulio Castillo completed the Anteater contingent. Zavala crossed the finish line in 66th place with a time of 25:05.1, while Castillo was 68th in 25:09.4.
UC Irvine posted a combined team time of 2:01:33, averaging 24:19 across its five scoring runners. The Anteaters moved up one spot over the final 500 meters after sitting sixth at the 7.5K split, ultimately finishing five points ahead of sixth-place Cal State Fullerton.
California Baptist captured the team championship with 28 points, narrowly edging runner-up Utah Valley (33). Cal Poly took third with 91 points, followed by UC San Diego (151) and UC Irvine (157) to round out the top five.
UC Irvine Individual Results
| Place | Athlete | 8K Time |
| 8 | Juan Chantaca | 23:41.9 |
| 16 | Nathan Wilber | 23:55.1 |
| 39 | Owen Souther | 24:26.8 |
| 51 | Jimmy Markowicz | 24:43.8 |
| 53 | Ziyad Abdallah | 24:45.1 |
| 66 | Aiden Zavala | 25:05.1 |
| 68 | Braulio Castillo | 25:09.4 |
Team Standings
| Place | Team | Points |
| 1 | California Baptist | 28 |
| 2 | Utah Valley | 33 |
| 3 | Cal Poly | 91 |
| 4 | UC San Diego | 151 |
| 5 | UC Irvine | 157 |
| 6 | Cal State Fullerton | 162 |
| 7 | UC Santa Barbara | 206 |
| 8 | CSUN | 221 |
| 9 | UC Riverside | 231 |
| 10 | Sacramento State | 271 |
| 11 | Long Beach State | 286 |
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
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