Anteaters Host Asics/UCI Invitational Saturday
Sept. 9, 2009
Women's Entries / Men's Entries
IRVINE, Calif. --- The UC Irvine men's and women's cross country teams host the Asics/UCI Invitational Saturday (Sept. 12) at the Anteater Recreation Center Field on campus.
Two women's 5,000-meter races are scheduled with the first one beginning at 8:00 a.m. One men's 8,000-meter race will start at approximately 9:00 a.m.
Sophomore Rex Nelson (Newport Harbor HS) leads the list of returning UCI men as he finished 24th at last fall's Big West Conference Championships.
Junior Victor Bonilla (Whittier/St. John Bosco HS) was 48th at the Big West meet and sophomore Sam Hyams (Pleasanton/Foothill HS) placed 50th.
Sophomore Andy Burich (Los Gatos HS), who was a redshirt in cross country a year ago, was a Big West qualifier in the steeplechase during the 2009 track season.
Vince O'Boyle, in his 28th season as head coach at UCI, also looks forward to contributions from freshman Austin Williams (Pasadena/La Salle HS) and junior Barrett Tilley. Williams finished fourth at last year's state meet and Tilley was a state qualifier in cross country and track (10,000 meters) at San Diego Mesa College.
The Anteater women's team will be young as none of UCI's nine competitors from last year's Big West Championships return this season.
Junior Shelby Pock (Crescenta Valley HS) was 38th at the Titan Invitational last fall and 41st at the Triton Classic. She was a Big West track qualifier in the 800 and 1500 meters.
Katherine Nielsen (Irvine HS) is a redshirt sophomore while Chloe Fata (South Pasadena HS), Melissa Mead (Newport Harbor HS) and Maggie Newton-Neal (Laguna Beach HS) are redshirt freshmen in cross country who competed in track at UCI last spring. Nielsen was a Big West track qualifier at 1500 meters and Fata at 800 and 1500 meters.
O'Boyle is looking for support from incoming freshmen Nicole Mendoza (Sacramento/St. Francis HS), Courtney Wilson (Saugus HS) and Carlotta Pham (Crescenta Valley HS). Mendoza was 24th at last year's state meet, Wilson competed on three state championship cross country teams at Saugus and Pham was a member of the Crescenta Valley teams that finished sixth in the state meet last year and third the previous season.
Following Saturday's invitational, UCI will journey to Mammoth for a week of training before returning to competition at the Stanford Invitational Sept. 26.
