UCI Wins Three Events Friday at Big West Championships

Friday, May 15

Long Beach, CA

10:30 AM

UC Irvine

Big West Championships

Kaia Schmidt leads the field at the water barrier in the steeplechase

UCI Wins Three Events Friday at Big West Championships

May 15, 2026 | Women's Track & Field

Live Results

LONG BEACH, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's track & field team picked up three individual victories and had 10 qualifiers out of the preliminary events Friday at the Big West Championships in Long Beach.

The Anteaters lead the 11-team field with 86.5 points through seven scored events. Cal Poly is second with 62.5 points, while UC San Diego is third (25).

Senior Zharia Taylor secured the high jump title with a second-attempt clearance at 1.78 meters (5-10). It was a season best for Taylor who was an All-American and conference runner-up in the event a year ago. The 'Eaters have finished atop the high jump podium in two of the last three seasons. Freshman Joy Anderson (T4th) and senior Esmeray Demirbas (8th) also scored with a height of 1.70m (5-7). Anderson was the Big West heptathlon champion last weekend.

Senior Nyla Baker won the shot put with a toss of 15.75m (51-8.25). Baker had an impressive series as she was the only competitor to reach the 15-meter mark and did so on five of her six attempts. Baker is UCI's third Big West women's shot put champion and first since 2014. Sophomore Pinkie Schnayer added a seventh-place showing at 14.59m (47-10.5).

Junior Kaia Schmidt took home gold in the steeplechase. Schmidt opened action on the track with her third steeple win of the year, crossing the finish line in 10:26.25. It is her second-straight All-Big West performance after claiming runner-up honors in 2025. Sophomore Anna Soares also had a podium finish, coming in third at 10:34.71.

Senior DeAna Davis had a strong start in the hammer throw with a first-round toss of 56.36m (184-11). That stood as her best of the meet and put her on the podium for a second consecutive year as she was third overall.

Junior Kailah McKenzie placed fifth in the long jump at 6.03 meters (19-9.5).

Sophomores Jackie Pan and Liana Lee finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 10,000-meter. In their first career 10K races, Pan finished with a time of 37:19.45, while Lee was right on her heels at 37:20.00.

In the prelims on the track, senior Samantha Bartz broke her own school record in the 100m, winning her heat in 11.40 seconds. She will be joined by junior Halle Sutherland in tomorrow's final. Sutherland clocked a wind-legal lifetime-best 11.53 to move up to No. 3 in program history.

Sutherland and Bartz also advanced out of the 200m prelims with wind-aided personal bests. Sutherland crossed the finish line in 23.37 seconds, while Bartz came in at 23.53.

Junior Emma Hadley had the top qualifying time in the 1500m (4:28.21).

Senior Aoife Hernon was an automatic qualifier in the 400m, cruising to a section win at 54.19.

Senior Jazzmine Davis won her heat of the 100m hurdles in a time of 13.57 seconds to advance to Saturday's final.

Davis, senior Esmeray Demirbas, and junior Sarah Ajayi will all be in the 400m hurdle final. Demirbas led the field at 59.81, while Ajayi wasn't far behind in a personal-record 59.93. Davis added a season-best 60.07.

UC Irvine returns to Jack Rose Track tomorrow for the final day of the Big West Championships.