Photo by: Regents of the University of California
5 Things to Know: 2026 Men's Cross Country Season Preview
August 24, 2026 | Men's Cross Country
IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine men's cross country is ready to kick off the 2026 campaign in just over a week. Get to know more about the Anteaters ahead of the season-opening Aztec Coastal Classic, which will be held in San Diego on Thursday, Sept. 3.
CONTINUING THE MOMENTUM
Junior Juan Chantaca is looking to build on an impressive 2025-26 season. Last fall, he led the Anteaters in all five of his cross country races. He started the year with an individual victory at the Vanguard Invitational before breaking the 8K school record with a time of 23:38.4 in a top-five showing at the UCR Invitational. Chantaca also ran a 10K personal-best 30:09.4 to place 32nd at the NCAA West Regional. It was UCI's best individual regional finish since 1999, while his time ranked seventh in program history. During the track season, Chantaca was a Big West scorer in both the 5000m and 10000m.
"Juan is coming off his best Big West track season and had such a good regional finish last year in cross country," UCI distance coach Casey Kear said. "He should be able to lead us from the front and is someone who can contend for the Big West championship. He was able to break the school record last year at Riverside, which is where our conference meet will be this year, so he has run really well there and is comfortable in that setting."
EXPERIENCED CORE
UC Irvine also welcomes back senior Jimmy Markowicz, junior Omar Reyes, and sophomores Ziyad Abdallah and Javin Schmitt. Abdallah (24:52.9) and Markowicz (25:01.7) ran the Anteaters' second and third fastest 8K times in 2025. They also competed at the NCAA West Regional. Schmitt saw action in all four regular-season meets as a true freshman, while Reyes had a top-10 showing at the season-opening Vanguard Invitational.
"We have a good mix of returners behind Juan," Kear said. "Jimmy had a strong Big West Championship in cross last year, so he's hoping to come back and continue to build on that. Ziyad and Javin had really good summers of training, and I think they are ready to take that next step and help lead the freshmen in the right direction."
FAB FIVE
The 'Eaters bring in five true freshmen who comprise half of the 2026 roster. Braulio Castillo was the 2025 Foothill League cross country individual champion, finished seventh at the CIF Division 3 State meet, and qualified for the Brooks Cross Country National Championship. Nolan Calder, Owen Souther, Nathan Wilber, and Aiden Zavala also bring impressive high school credentials.
FAMILIAR GROUND
The Anteaters will make their way to the UCR Ag/Ops Course for three of their six scheduled meets. They are set to compete in the UC Riverside Invitational (Sept. 19) and Highlander Invitational (Oct. 17), while the Big West Championships will also take place at UCR on Oct. 31. In addition to Juan Chantaca's 8K school record in Riverside last year, Ziyad Abdallah, Omar Reyes, and Javin Schmitt all set their PRs on the UCR Ag/Ops Course.
"We get to head back to UC Riverside for the Big West Championship which is a course we love and have historically run well at," Kear said.
MORE ON THE SCHEDULE
UCI starts its 2026 cross country slate at the Aztec Coastal Classic in San Diego on Thursday, Sept. 3. They also have two non-local meets, with a regular-season trip to Oregon for the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Oct. 9, and a postseason trek to Sacramento for the NCAA West Regional on Nov. 13. Qualifying teams and individuals make their way to Terre Haute, Indiana, for the NCAA Championships (Nov. 21).
"We have familiarity with the regional site in Sacramento and will continue to chase our goals of having student-athletes represented at the national championship," Kear said.
CONTINUING THE MOMENTUM
Junior Juan Chantaca is looking to build on an impressive 2025-26 season. Last fall, he led the Anteaters in all five of his cross country races. He started the year with an individual victory at the Vanguard Invitational before breaking the 8K school record with a time of 23:38.4 in a top-five showing at the UCR Invitational. Chantaca also ran a 10K personal-best 30:09.4 to place 32nd at the NCAA West Regional. It was UCI's best individual regional finish since 1999, while his time ranked seventh in program history. During the track season, Chantaca was a Big West scorer in both the 5000m and 10000m.
"Juan is coming off his best Big West track season and had such a good regional finish last year in cross country," UCI distance coach Casey Kear said. "He should be able to lead us from the front and is someone who can contend for the Big West championship. He was able to break the school record last year at Riverside, which is where our conference meet will be this year, so he has run really well there and is comfortable in that setting."
EXPERIENCED CORE
UC Irvine also welcomes back senior Jimmy Markowicz, junior Omar Reyes, and sophomores Ziyad Abdallah and Javin Schmitt. Abdallah (24:52.9) and Markowicz (25:01.7) ran the Anteaters' second and third fastest 8K times in 2025. They also competed at the NCAA West Regional. Schmitt saw action in all four regular-season meets as a true freshman, while Reyes had a top-10 showing at the season-opening Vanguard Invitational.
"We have a good mix of returners behind Juan," Kear said. "Jimmy had a strong Big West Championship in cross last year, so he's hoping to come back and continue to build on that. Ziyad and Javin had really good summers of training, and I think they are ready to take that next step and help lead the freshmen in the right direction."
FAB FIVE
The 'Eaters bring in five true freshmen who comprise half of the 2026 roster. Braulio Castillo was the 2025 Foothill League cross country individual champion, finished seventh at the CIF Division 3 State meet, and qualified for the Brooks Cross Country National Championship. Nolan Calder, Owen Souther, Nathan Wilber, and Aiden Zavala also bring impressive high school credentials.
FAMILIAR GROUND
The Anteaters will make their way to the UCR Ag/Ops Course for three of their six scheduled meets. They are set to compete in the UC Riverside Invitational (Sept. 19) and Highlander Invitational (Oct. 17), while the Big West Championships will also take place at UCR on Oct. 31. In addition to Juan Chantaca's 8K school record in Riverside last year, Ziyad Abdallah, Omar Reyes, and Javin Schmitt all set their PRs on the UCR Ag/Ops Course.
"We get to head back to UC Riverside for the Big West Championship which is a course we love and have historically run well at," Kear said.
MORE ON THE SCHEDULE
UCI starts its 2026 cross country slate at the Aztec Coastal Classic in San Diego on Thursday, Sept. 3. They also have two non-local meets, with a regular-season trip to Oregon for the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Oct. 9, and a postseason trek to Sacramento for the NCAA West Regional on Nov. 13. Qualifying teams and individuals make their way to Terre Haute, Indiana, for the NCAA Championships (Nov. 21).
"We have familiarity with the regional site in Sacramento and will continue to chase our goals of having student-athletes represented at the national championship," Kear said.
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