at Beach Opener
Date: Friday-Saturday (March 6-7)
Location: Jack Rose Track - Long Beach, Calif.
Meet Info & Schedule

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine men's track & field kicks off the 2026 campaign this weekend at the Beach Opener, March 6-7. The hammer and javelin will be contested on Friday beginning at 11 a.m., while the remainder of the events are scheduled for a 10 a.m. start on Saturday. Nineteen Anteaters are entered in 14 events at Long Beach State's Jack Rose Track.

QUICK HITS
• This is the fifth year in a row the 'Eaters will compete in the Beach Opener.
• Nine individuals are scheduled to make their UCI debut on the track this weekend.
• The Anteaters return four of their seven NCAA West First Round qualifiers from last year.

AT A GLANCE
UC Irvine is coming off a 2025 season in which it produced an All-American, seven NCAA West First Round qualifiers, and four all-conference performers. The Anteaters welcome back four student-athletes from that group - Kenechukwu Okonkwo (Triple Jump), Justin Johnson (200m), Joshua Schuld (Steeple), and Angel Cordero (800m). Cordero was named the 2025 Big West Men's Freshman of the Year. The 'Eaters also bring in 11 newcomers with six freshmen and five transfers.

"Our men's team is on the rise with some standout individuals so we are excited to see what they can do this outdoor season," head coach Jeff Perkins said. 
 
SPRINTS & HURDLES
Sophomore Justin Johnson will be looking to build off an impressive freshman campaign in which he was an NCAA West First Round qualifier and Big West scorer in the 200m. Johnson clocked a personal-record 20.69 at the regional meet to rank second in school history, while he also sits at No. 7 in the 100m (10.56). Junior transfer Brendan Clark is expected to make an immediate impact in the 400m where he was a 3C2A State Championship qualifier and conference runner-up at Orange Coast College. In the hurdles, senior AJ Taylor is UCI's top returner as a Big West scorer (110H). Junior Logan Lyght also joins the Anteaters after spending two seasons at the University of Houston. Lyght makes his way back to Orange County following a standout prep career at Mater Dei High School where he was a two-time CIF-Southern Section champion in the 110H.

JUMPS
Senior Kenechukwu Okonkwo will anchor the jumps crew. Okonkwo is a two-time NCAA West First Round qualifier in the triple jump, and claimed runner-up honors at the Big West Championships last year. The Colton, California, native enters the 2026 campaign ranked second in school history with a lifetime-best 15.83 meters (51-11.25). In the high jump, Alan Vuong is coming off a breakout season in which he was a conference scorer with a lifetime-best 2.06m (6-9), which was good for fourth place. Senior Jake Reed also scored in the pole vault and registered a collegiate PR 4.78m (15-8.25) in 2025.

DISTANCE
Leading the distance group is 2025 Big West Freshman of the Year Angel Cordero. In his first collegiate season, Cordero was an NCAA West First Round qualifier and conference runner-up in the 800m. He ran a personal-record 1:48.10 at the Big West Championships to rank fourth in program history. Graduate student Joshua Schuld also brings veteran leadership in his final collegiate season on the track. Schuld made big strides in the steeplechase a year ago, qualifying for the NCAA West First Round and finishing fourth at the conference meet where he ran a PR 8:50.75 to sit at No. 5 on UC Irvine's all-time charts. 

THROWS
UCI lost two of its school record holders and Big West champions in the throws with the graduation of Jacob Hawkins (discus) and Liam Miksic (javelin), who also earned All-America honors last year. This season, the Anteaters return a pair of conference qualifiers in Chimobi Onye and Jake Troxell, while adding four newcomers. Freshman Griffin Cole will look to fill the shoes of Miksic as he was a U18 Canadian national champion in the javelin. The Vancouver native brings a personal-record 62.05m (203-7) to Irvine. Transfers Darrin Campbell (javelin), Joe Duggan (shot put/discus), and Duke Pascoe (hammer) round out the incoming group.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine will stay local again next weekend, making the short trip to Cal State Fullerton for the Ben Brown Invitational, March 12-13.