Saturday, October 31
Riverside, Calif. / Ag/Ops Cross Country Course
9:15 AM
UC Irvine
at
Big West Championship
October 31, 2026 | Women's Cross Country
Kaia Schmidt and Emma Hadley lead Anteaters with top-10 finishes
RIVERSIDE, Calif. โ UC Irvine women's cross country earned a fourth-place finish at the 2026 Big West Championships Saturday morning at the Ag/Ops Cross Country Course in Riverside.
The Anteaters totaled 87 points to finish fourth in the 12-team field, placing two runners among the top eight and all five scorers among the top 27 in the women's 6K race.
Kaia Schmidt led the 'Eaters with a seventh-place finish, clocking a time of 20:02.8. Emma Hadley followed closely behind in eighth at 20:07.8, giving UC Irvine two top-10 finishers separated by just five seconds.
Cynthia Herrera was the third Anteater across the line, placing 22nd overall with a time of 20:36.9. Liana Lee finished just behind in 23rd at 20:37.5, while Anna Soares rounded out UCI's scoring five in 27th with a time of 20:43.2.
Grace Baxter and Jackie Pan completed the Anteater lineup. Baxter crossed the finish line in 31st place at 20:49.4, while Pan took 36th in 20:53.0.
UC Irvine's top five combined for a team time of 1:42:09, averaging 20:26 per runner. The Anteaters maintained fourth place throughout the race, holding their position at both the 2K and 4K splits before crossing the finish line with an impressive 41-second spread between their first and fifth runners.
Utah Valley captured the team championship with 44 points, followed by California Baptist in second (63) and Cal Poly in third (77). UC Irvine finished fourth with 87 points, comfortably ahead of fifth-place UC Santa Barbara (163).
UC Irvine Individual Results
Team Standings
The Anteaters totaled 87 points to finish fourth in the 12-team field, placing two runners among the top eight and all five scorers among the top 27 in the women's 6K race.
Kaia Schmidt led the 'Eaters with a seventh-place finish, clocking a time of 20:02.8. Emma Hadley followed closely behind in eighth at 20:07.8, giving UC Irvine two top-10 finishers separated by just five seconds.
Cynthia Herrera was the third Anteater across the line, placing 22nd overall with a time of 20:36.9. Liana Lee finished just behind in 23rd at 20:37.5, while Anna Soares rounded out UCI's scoring five in 27th with a time of 20:43.2.
Grace Baxter and Jackie Pan completed the Anteater lineup. Baxter crossed the finish line in 31st place at 20:49.4, while Pan took 36th in 20:53.0.
UC Irvine's top five combined for a team time of 1:42:09, averaging 20:26 per runner. The Anteaters maintained fourth place throughout the race, holding their position at both the 2K and 4K splits before crossing the finish line with an impressive 41-second spread between their first and fifth runners.
Utah Valley captured the team championship with 44 points, followed by California Baptist in second (63) and Cal Poly in third (77). UC Irvine finished fourth with 87 points, comfortably ahead of fifth-place UC Santa Barbara (163).
UC Irvine Individual Results
| Place | Athlete | 6K Time |
| 7 | Kaia Schmidt | 20:02.8 |
| 8 | Emma Hadley | 20:07.8 |
| 22 | Cynthia Herrera | 20:36.9 |
| 23 | Liana Lee | 20:37.5 |
| 27 | Anna Soares | 20:43.2 |
| 31 | Grace Baxter | 20:49.4 |
| 36 | Jackie Pan | 20:53.0 |
Team Standings
| Place | Team | Points |
| 1 | Utah Valley | 44 |
| 2 | California Baptist | 63 |
| 3 | Cal Poly | 77 |
| 4 | UC Irvine | 87 |
| 5 | UC Santa Barbara | 163 |
| 6 | Cal State Fullerton | 183 |
| 7 | UC San Diego | 194 |
| 8 | UC Riverside | 213 |
| 9 | Sacramento State | 239 |
| 10 | CSUN | 286 |
| 11 | Long Beach State | 319 |
| 12 | CSU Bakersfield | 382 |
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
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