Thursday, September 3
San Diego, Calif. / SDSU Mission Valley River Park
6:30 PM
UC Irvine
at
Aztec Coastal Classic
'Eaters Ready to Start 2026 Season Thursday in San Diego
September 02, 2026 | Women's Cross Country
IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's cross country team makes its way to SDSU Mission Valley River Park in San Diego for the season-opening Aztec Coastal Classic on Thursday, Sept. 3. The women's 5K is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start.
QUICK HITS
• UCI finished second at the 2025 Big West Cross Country Championships.
• The Anteaters welcome back 16 members from last year's squad.
• Senior Kaia Schmidt leads the way as an All-Big West returnee.
• The 'Eaters have also added three newcomers.
BIG WEST CONTENDERS
The Anteaters will be looking to build off an impressive 2026 track season in which they won the program's first MPSF Indoor Championship, and took home their second-straight Big West Outdoor Championship. In cross country, UC Irvine has been knocking on the door of its first Big West title since 2005. Last year, the 'Eaters were second behind four-time defending champion Cal Poly. They also finished third in 2024 and claimed runner-up honors in 2022 after coming in just one point behind the Mustangs. It will once again be stiff competition with Cal Poly chasing its fifth consecutive title, along with the conference's addition of California Baptist and Utah Valley, who both have strong distance programs.
SENIOR LEADERS
Seniors Kaia Schmidt and Emma Hadley were the Anteaters' top-two distance runners last year. Schmidt (20:38.4) and Hadley (20:47.6) ran the cross country team's best 6K times of the season which rank eighth and 10th, respectively, in program history. Schmidt also earned all-conference honors with a career-best fourth-place Big West finish. During the indoor and outdoor track seasons, the duo combined to set 11 marks that landed among UCI's all-time top-10. Schmidt holds the school record in the steeple, while Hadley established a program record in the indoor mile. Schmidt (steeple) and Hadley (1500m) were also Big West individual champions on the track.
RETURNING DEPTH
Behind Schmidt and Hadley is a group of 14 returners. Sophomore Grace Baxter, junior Liana Lee, and junior Rachel Moen all placed among the top-25 at the Big West Cross Country Championships a year ago. In addition, junior Anna Soares is coming off an outdoor track season in which she made her way up to No. 3 in program history in the steeple, and took home bronze in the event at the Big West meet. Junior Cynthia Herrera also returns after missing the 2025 cross country season.
ENTERING THE MIX
The 'Eaters have three newcomers with fifth-year transfer Sona Kourilova and freshmen Allie Harman and Alahna Thomas. Kourilova comes to Irvine from the University of Utah where she finished 14th in the steeplechase at the 2026 NCAA West First Round. She also won numerous cross country and track championships in the Czech Republic. Thomas placed among the top-25 at the CIF State Division 3 Championship all four years at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, while Harman had back-to-back top-10 league finishes at Rocklin High School.
UP NEXT
UC Irvine makes the first of its three trips to the UCR Ag/Ops Cross Country Course for the UC Riverside Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 19.
QUICK HITS
• UCI finished second at the 2025 Big West Cross Country Championships.
• The Anteaters welcome back 16 members from last year's squad.
• Senior Kaia Schmidt leads the way as an All-Big West returnee.
• The 'Eaters have also added three newcomers.
BIG WEST CONTENDERS
The Anteaters will be looking to build off an impressive 2026 track season in which they won the program's first MPSF Indoor Championship, and took home their second-straight Big West Outdoor Championship. In cross country, UC Irvine has been knocking on the door of its first Big West title since 2005. Last year, the 'Eaters were second behind four-time defending champion Cal Poly. They also finished third in 2024 and claimed runner-up honors in 2022 after coming in just one point behind the Mustangs. It will once again be stiff competition with Cal Poly chasing its fifth consecutive title, along with the conference's addition of California Baptist and Utah Valley, who both have strong distance programs.
SENIOR LEADERS
Seniors Kaia Schmidt and Emma Hadley were the Anteaters' top-two distance runners last year. Schmidt (20:38.4) and Hadley (20:47.6) ran the cross country team's best 6K times of the season which rank eighth and 10th, respectively, in program history. Schmidt also earned all-conference honors with a career-best fourth-place Big West finish. During the indoor and outdoor track seasons, the duo combined to set 11 marks that landed among UCI's all-time top-10. Schmidt holds the school record in the steeple, while Hadley established a program record in the indoor mile. Schmidt (steeple) and Hadley (1500m) were also Big West individual champions on the track.
RETURNING DEPTH
Behind Schmidt and Hadley is a group of 14 returners. Sophomore Grace Baxter, junior Liana Lee, and junior Rachel Moen all placed among the top-25 at the Big West Cross Country Championships a year ago. In addition, junior Anna Soares is coming off an outdoor track season in which she made her way up to No. 3 in program history in the steeple, and took home bronze in the event at the Big West meet. Junior Cynthia Herrera also returns after missing the 2025 cross country season.
ENTERING THE MIX
The 'Eaters have three newcomers with fifth-year transfer Sona Kourilova and freshmen Allie Harman and Alahna Thomas. Kourilova comes to Irvine from the University of Utah where she finished 14th in the steeplechase at the 2026 NCAA West First Round. She also won numerous cross country and track championships in the Czech Republic. Thomas placed among the top-25 at the CIF State Division 3 Championship all four years at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, while Harman had back-to-back top-10 league finishes at Rocklin High School.
UP NEXT
UC Irvine makes the first of its three trips to the UCR Ag/Ops Cross Country Course for the UC Riverside Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 19.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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