at Ben Brown Invitational
Date: Thursday-Friday (March 12-13)
Location: Cal State Fullerton - Fullerton, Calif.
Meet Info | Live Results

at Aztec Coastal Classic
Date: Friday, March 13
Location: SDSU Sports Deck - San Diego, Calif.
Meet Schedule | Live Results

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's track & field returns to action at the Ben Brown Invitational in Fullerton, March 12-13. The Anteaters will also send a contingent of distance runners to compete in the Aztec Coastal Classic at San Diego State on Friday, March 13.

QUICK HITS
• The 'Eaters have 21 student-athletes entered in 11 events at the Ben Brown Invitational.
• They will also send 16 distance runners to compete in the Aztec Coastal Classic.
• The Anteaters won the 2025 Big West Championship and 2026 MPSF Indoor Championship.
• UCI returns 19 conference scorers who combined for 103.5 of last year's winning point total of 150.5.
• UC Irvine also welcomes back seven NCAA First Round qualifiers, including All-American Zharia Taylor.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine had a strong start to the outdoor season at the Beach Opener last weekend. Giselle Rodriguez kicked things off with a runner-up finish in the javelin where she set a personal-best 46.62 meters (152-11). Her mark ranks third in program history. The next day, Catalina Teran clocked a PR 23.61 in the 200m. She was second in a field of 35 sprinters, while her time is second among UCI's all-time leaders. Pinkie Schnayer won the shot put and improved on her No. 5 mark in school history with a personal-record 14.94m (49-0.25). Kaitlene Ofilan added a second-place showing in the 800m, crossing the finish line in a lifetime-best 2:16.47.
 
MULTIS
UC Irvine returns its two conference scorers in the multis. Senior Jolie Robinson, who won the Big West heptathlon title in 2023 and 2024, claimed runner-up honors last year, while senior Jazzmine Davis finished fifth. They both set personal bests that rank among the top-three in program history. Entering the mix is freshman Joy Anderson, who has already made an impact as the 2026 MPSF champion in the pentathlon.

JUMPS
The Anteaters have built an impressive contingent in the jumps where they scored 23.5 points at the 2025 Big West Championships. UCI welcomes back all three of its conference scorers and NCAA West First Round qualifiers in the high jump - senior Zharia Taylor (2nd), senior Esmeray Demirbas (3rd), and junior Kailah McKenzie (T4th). Taylor advanced to the NCAA Championships where she earned second-team All-America honors. McKenzie and Jolie Robinson also competed in the long jump at the NCAA regional meet. The 'Eaters will be a threat in the pole vault this year as well with the addition of freshman Jessie Condliff and junior transfer Kaylee Tan, along with the return of junior Alana Sugue, who missed last season with an injury.

THROWS
UCI returns its four Big West scorers in the throwing events. DeAna Davis is back for her senior season after claiming runner-up honors in the hammer at the 2025 conference meet. Davis set a personal-record 57.65m (189-1), which ranks second in school history and earned her a spot in the NCAA West First Round. Senior Nyla Baker scored in both the discus (4th) and shot put (6th), while sophomore Pinkie Schnayer added a fourth-place showing in the shot put in her Big West Championship debut.

SPRINTS & HURDLES
Junior Halle Sutherland, senior Samantha Bartz, and junior transfer Catalina Teran will lead the way in the short sprints. Sutherland entered the year ranked second in program history in the 200m (23.69) and third in the 100m (11.61). She is a conference scorer in both events. In her first meet as an Anteater, Teran passed Sutherland for No. 2 on the 200m all-time charts with a PR 23.61. Bartz is also fourth in the 100m and tied for fifth in the 200m. Graduate transfer Aoife Hernon adds depth in the 400m. Reigning Big West champion Jazzmine Davis and conference runner-up Esmeray Demirbas return in the 400m hurdles. They both qualified for the NCAA West First Round and rank among the Anteaters' all-time top-three. In addition, Davis is third in school history in the 100H, and is coming off an individual title in the 60H at the MPSF Indoor Championships.

DISTANCE
Juniors Kaia Schmidt and Emma Hadley will anchor a young distance crew. Schmidt is a returning conference scorer after tying for second in the steeplechase and placing fifth in the 5000m at the Big West Championships a year ago. Hadley, who spent the last two seasons at Colorado, has already made her presence felt at UCI as she broke the Anteaters' indoor school record in the mile.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine will make its home debut, March 27-28, when it hosts the Vince O'Boyle Track & Field Classic.