Saturday, May 16
Long Beach, CA
12:00 PM
UC Irvine
at
Big West Championships
Back-to-Back Champs! βEaters Defend Big West Title
May 16, 2026 | Women's Track & Field
LONG BEACH, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's track & field team continued to make history, winning their second-straight Big West Championship title Saturday at Jack Rose Track.
UCI cruised to the team victory, holding a 61.5-point margin over runner-up Cal State Fullerton.
The Anteaters shattered the program record with 187.5 points, topping the previous best of 159 that was set in 1991. It was also the conference's highest Big West Championship score since 2015.
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The 'Eaters completed their quest for back-to-back Big West titles after winning their first championship in 2025. They also took home the 2026 MPSF Indoor Championship in March.
"We are super proud of this team; it was definitely a team effort," associate head coach Katelyn Ciarelli said. "Every event really put it out on the line and did everything they could to get this team championship."
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UC Irvine had three event wins on the final day of the Big West meet. Jazzmine Davis, Halle Sutherland, Samantha Bartz, and Catalina Teran started the afternoon with a victory in the 4x100 relay. The quartet combined for a time of 44.78 seconds.
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Emma Hadley was the 1500m champion at 4:30.80. Hadley separated from the pack over the final lap and held off a late push from UC San Diego's Sylvana Northrop for the .19 second victory.
Sutherland also secured gold in the 200m, running a wind-aided personal-record 23.24. It was a photo finish as she was .02 seconds ahead of the runner-up. Bartz added a fifth-place performance with a PR 23.54.
Bartz made her way back onto the podium after the relay with a third-place finish in the 100m (11.43). Sutherland also took fourth at 11.53.
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Aoife Hernon finished second in the 400m final where she broke her own school record at 53.61.
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Davis was the runner-up in the 100m hurdles, running a wind-aided personal-best 13.31.
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Esmeray DemirbasΒ claimed silverΒ in the 400m hurdles (58.65), while Sarah Ajayi contributed a personal-record 60.18 to come in sixth.
Β Β
Twenty-four hours after winning gold in the steeplechase, Kaia Schmidt clocked a lifetime-best 16:53.20 to finish fourth in the 5000m. Schmidt's time ranks 10th in program history. Makena Castillo also scored, placing eighth in 17:08.73.
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Giselle Rodriguez kicked off the field events with a runner-up showing in the javelin. She had a consistent series, surpassing 44 meters on all six throws and finishing with a best of 46.50m (152-6).
Β
Nyla Baker, who won the shot put title on Friday, earned her second medal of the weekend, coming in third in the discus with a personal-best 55.01m (180-5). Her mark ranks second in school history.
Β
Alana Sugue scored in the pole vault, taking sixth with a first-attempt clearance of 3.77m (12-4.5).
Β
Hernon, Ihe Okoh, Teran, and Mikah Longcob closed out the meet with a third-place finish in the 4x400 relay (3:41.11).
Big West Championships
Women's Team Standings
1. UC Irvine - 187.5
2. Cal State Fullerton - 126
3. Cal Poly - 105
4. UC San Diego - 84
5. Long Beach State - 69
T6. CSUN - 49.5
T6. UC Santa Barbara - 49.5
8. Hawai'i - 47
9. UC Riverside - 39
10. Cal State Bakersfield - 37
11. UC Davis - 25.5
Β
Β
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UCI cruised to the team victory, holding a 61.5-point margin over runner-up Cal State Fullerton.
The Anteaters shattered the program record with 187.5 points, topping the previous best of 159 that was set in 1991. It was also the conference's highest Big West Championship score since 2015.
Β
The 'Eaters completed their quest for back-to-back Big West titles after winning their first championship in 2025. They also took home the 2026 MPSF Indoor Championship in March.
"We are super proud of this team; it was definitely a team effort," associate head coach Katelyn Ciarelli said. "Every event really put it out on the line and did everything they could to get this team championship."
Β
UC Irvine had three event wins on the final day of the Big West meet. Jazzmine Davis, Halle Sutherland, Samantha Bartz, and Catalina Teran started the afternoon with a victory in the 4x100 relay. The quartet combined for a time of 44.78 seconds.
Β
Emma Hadley was the 1500m champion at 4:30.80. Hadley separated from the pack over the final lap and held off a late push from UC San Diego's Sylvana Northrop for the .19 second victory.
Sutherland also secured gold in the 200m, running a wind-aided personal-record 23.24. It was a photo finish as she was .02 seconds ahead of the runner-up. Bartz added a fifth-place performance with a PR 23.54.
Bartz made her way back onto the podium after the relay with a third-place finish in the 100m (11.43). Sutherland also took fourth at 11.53.
Β
Aoife Hernon finished second in the 400m final where she broke her own school record at 53.61.
Β
Davis was the runner-up in the 100m hurdles, running a wind-aided personal-best 13.31.
Β
Esmeray DemirbasΒ claimed silverΒ in the 400m hurdles (58.65), while Sarah Ajayi contributed a personal-record 60.18 to come in sixth.
Β Β
Twenty-four hours after winning gold in the steeplechase, Kaia Schmidt clocked a lifetime-best 16:53.20 to finish fourth in the 5000m. Schmidt's time ranks 10th in program history. Makena Castillo also scored, placing eighth in 17:08.73.
Β
Giselle Rodriguez kicked off the field events with a runner-up showing in the javelin. She had a consistent series, surpassing 44 meters on all six throws and finishing with a best of 46.50m (152-6).
Β
Nyla Baker, who won the shot put title on Friday, earned her second medal of the weekend, coming in third in the discus with a personal-best 55.01m (180-5). Her mark ranks second in school history.
Β
Alana Sugue scored in the pole vault, taking sixth with a first-attempt clearance of 3.77m (12-4.5).
Β
Hernon, Ihe Okoh, Teran, and Mikah Longcob closed out the meet with a third-place finish in the 4x400 relay (3:41.11).
Big West Championships
Women's Team Standings
1. UC Irvine - 187.5
2. Cal State Fullerton - 126
3. Cal Poly - 105
4. UC San Diego - 84
5. Long Beach State - 69
T6. CSUN - 49.5
T6. UC Santa Barbara - 49.5
8. Hawai'i - 47
9. UC Riverside - 39
10. Cal State Bakersfield - 37
11. UC Davis - 25.5
Β
Players Mentioned
Hurdles
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Heptathlon/Hurdles
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles/Jumps
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Javelin
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
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