Friday, November 13
Sacramento, Calif.
9:00 AM
UC Irvine
at
NCAA West Regional
November 12, 2026 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
NCAA WEST REGIONAL
Friday, Nov. 13
Arcade Creek Cross Country Course at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex | Sacramento, Calif.
Women's 6K: 9 a.m. PT | Men's 10K: 10 a.m. PT
LIVE RESULTS | MEET INFORMATION
IRVINE, Calif. โ With a trip to the NCAA Championships on the line, UC Irvine cross country heads to Sacramento for the NCAA West Regional on Friday, Nov. 13.
The Anteaters will race at Arcade Creek Cross Country Course at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex, with the women's 6K beginning at 9 a.m. and the men's 10K following at 10 a.m.
WOMEN'S PREVIEW
A strong lead duo and a tightly packed supporting group give UC Irvine momentum entering Friday's regional competition. The Anteaters are coming off a fourth-place finish at the Big West Championships, where their five scorers finished within 40.4 seconds of one another.
Kaia Schmidt and Emma Hadley set the pace in Riverside, placing seventh and eighth, respectively. Schmidt crossed the line in 20:02.8, with Hadley just five seconds behind at 20:07.8. The seniors now turn their attention to leading UCI against the West Region's best.
Cynthia Herrera, Liana Lee and Anna Soares helped keep the Anteaters together at the conference meet. Herrera finished 22nd in 20:36.9, narrowly ahead of Lee in 23rd at 20:37.5, while Soares completed the scoring five in 27th at 20:43.2. Grace Baxter followed in 31st at 20:49.4 as UCI totaled 87 points.
All six will return to the starting line Friday, joined by senior Sona Kourilova to complete the Anteaters' seven-runner contingent.
The group has already shown its ability to compete near the front of a large field. At the UCR Invitational on Sept. 19, UC Irvine captured the team title with 65 points, finishing 87 points clear of runner-up Cal State Fullerton in the 30-team competition.
Hadley won the individual title in 20:09.9, while Baxter placed fourth in 20:27.7. Herrera and Kourilova added top-20 finishes, crossing in 20:41.4 and 20:43.5, respectively.
Hadley and Schmidt have each earned Big West Athlete of the Week recognition this fall. Hadley was honored following her UCR Invitational victory, while Schmidt received the award after finishing 16th in 21:00.8 at the Bill Dellinger Invitational and leading UCI to fourth in the team standings.
MEN'S PREVIEW
UC Irvine's men enter the regional meet looking to build on a strong finish at the Big West Championships while taking on the longer 10K distance.
The Anteaters moved from sixth to fifth over the final 500 meters of the conference race, securing 157 points and finishing five points ahead of Cal State Fullerton. The result marked a three-place improvement over their 2025 conference finish.
Juan Chantaca led that effort with an eighth-place showing in 23:41.9, earning All-Big West honors. Nathan Wilber gave UCI a second runner inside the top 20, finishing 16th in 23:55.1.
Owen Souther followed in 39th at 24:26.8, while Jimmy Markowicz and Ziyad Abdallah finished just 1.3 seconds apart to complete the scoring group. Markowicz placed 51st in 24:43.8, with Abdallah taking 53rd in 24:45.1. Aiden Zavala crossed in 66th at 25:05.1, and Braulio Castillo was 68th in 25:09.4. The same seven will represent the Anteaters Friday.
Chantaca brings the program's 8K record into the regional meet, having run 23:38.4 at the 2025 UCR Invitational. His Big West performance was just 3.5 seconds off that mark.
Markowicz adds senior leadership and has also taken a turn at the front of UCI's lineup this season, pacing the Anteaters at the Bill Dellinger Invitational. Alongside junior Chantaca and sophomore Abdallah, he will help guide a group featuring four freshmen in Wilber, Souther, Zavala and Castillo.
ROAD TO NATIONALS
The top two teams in each regional race automatically advance to the NCAA Championships, with 14 additional teams per gender selected at-large nationally.
The first four individual finishers in each region who are not members of a qualifying team also earn automatic berths, provided they finish among the top 25 overall. Two additional individuals per gender will receive at-large selections.
The NCAA Championships will take place Saturday, Nov. 21, at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Friday, Nov. 13
Arcade Creek Cross Country Course at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex | Sacramento, Calif.
Women's 6K: 9 a.m. PT | Men's 10K: 10 a.m. PT
LIVE RESULTS | MEET INFORMATION
IRVINE, Calif. โ With a trip to the NCAA Championships on the line, UC Irvine cross country heads to Sacramento for the NCAA West Regional on Friday, Nov. 13.
The Anteaters will race at Arcade Creek Cross Country Course at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex, with the women's 6K beginning at 9 a.m. and the men's 10K following at 10 a.m.
WOMEN'S PREVIEW
A strong lead duo and a tightly packed supporting group give UC Irvine momentum entering Friday's regional competition. The Anteaters are coming off a fourth-place finish at the Big West Championships, where their five scorers finished within 40.4 seconds of one another.
Kaia Schmidt and Emma Hadley set the pace in Riverside, placing seventh and eighth, respectively. Schmidt crossed the line in 20:02.8, with Hadley just five seconds behind at 20:07.8. The seniors now turn their attention to leading UCI against the West Region's best.
Cynthia Herrera, Liana Lee and Anna Soares helped keep the Anteaters together at the conference meet. Herrera finished 22nd in 20:36.9, narrowly ahead of Lee in 23rd at 20:37.5, while Soares completed the scoring five in 27th at 20:43.2. Grace Baxter followed in 31st at 20:49.4 as UCI totaled 87 points.
All six will return to the starting line Friday, joined by senior Sona Kourilova to complete the Anteaters' seven-runner contingent.
The group has already shown its ability to compete near the front of a large field. At the UCR Invitational on Sept. 19, UC Irvine captured the team title with 65 points, finishing 87 points clear of runner-up Cal State Fullerton in the 30-team competition.
Hadley won the individual title in 20:09.9, while Baxter placed fourth in 20:27.7. Herrera and Kourilova added top-20 finishes, crossing in 20:41.4 and 20:43.5, respectively.
Hadley and Schmidt have each earned Big West Athlete of the Week recognition this fall. Hadley was honored following her UCR Invitational victory, while Schmidt received the award after finishing 16th in 21:00.8 at the Bill Dellinger Invitational and leading UCI to fourth in the team standings.
MEN'S PREVIEW
UC Irvine's men enter the regional meet looking to build on a strong finish at the Big West Championships while taking on the longer 10K distance.
The Anteaters moved from sixth to fifth over the final 500 meters of the conference race, securing 157 points and finishing five points ahead of Cal State Fullerton. The result marked a three-place improvement over their 2025 conference finish.
Juan Chantaca led that effort with an eighth-place showing in 23:41.9, earning All-Big West honors. Nathan Wilber gave UCI a second runner inside the top 20, finishing 16th in 23:55.1.
Owen Souther followed in 39th at 24:26.8, while Jimmy Markowicz and Ziyad Abdallah finished just 1.3 seconds apart to complete the scoring group. Markowicz placed 51st in 24:43.8, with Abdallah taking 53rd in 24:45.1. Aiden Zavala crossed in 66th at 25:05.1, and Braulio Castillo was 68th in 25:09.4. The same seven will represent the Anteaters Friday.
Chantaca brings the program's 8K record into the regional meet, having run 23:38.4 at the 2025 UCR Invitational. His Big West performance was just 3.5 seconds off that mark.
Markowicz adds senior leadership and has also taken a turn at the front of UCI's lineup this season, pacing the Anteaters at the Bill Dellinger Invitational. Alongside junior Chantaca and sophomore Abdallah, he will help guide a group featuring four freshmen in Wilber, Souther, Zavala and Castillo.
ROAD TO NATIONALS
The top two teams in each regional race automatically advance to the NCAA Championships, with 14 additional teams per gender selected at-large nationally.
The first four individual finishers in each region who are not members of a qualifying team also earn automatic berths, provided they finish among the top 25 overall. Two additional individuals per gender will receive at-large selections.
The NCAA Championships will take place Saturday, Nov. 21, at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
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