UCI Set for Big West Championships This Weekend - UCI Athletics (2024)

2024 Big West Track & Field Championships
Date:Friday-Saturday (May 10-11)
Location:Miller & Capriotti Athletics Complex - San Luis Obispo, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. -The UC Irvine men's track & field team makes its way to San Luis Obispo for the 2024 Big West Championships, May 10-11. The men's field events are slated for a 12 p.m. start, while action on the track gets underway at 1 p.m. both days at Cal Poly's Miller & Capriotti Athletics Complex. ESPN+ will broadcast the championship meet with live coverage starting at 1 p.m. on Friday and 12 p.m. on Saturday.

• The Anteaters scored a conference-leading 16 points at the Big West Multi-Event Championships last weekend.
• Josh Farmer became UC Irvine's first Big West Decathlon champion since 1993, winning the event with 7,556 points.
• Max Daniels also made his way onto the podium, placing third with 7,204 points.
• Farmer (7,703) and Daniels (7,435) both set PRs at the Bryan Clay Invitational in April to rank among UCI's top-five.
• Justin Willingham has broken the school record in the shot put three times this season.
• On April 6, he topped his own standard with a program-best 18.68 meters (61-3.5) at the Triton Invite.
• Jacob Hawkins took down a 41-year-old discus school record with a toss of 59.03m (193-8) at the Challenge Cup.
• Logan Peyton (65.93m) and Liam Miksic (65.85m) set PRs in the javelin that rank second and third in school history.
• Kenechukwu Okonkwo (TJ) and Drew Pickett (110H) moved up to No. 3 all-time at UCI with PRs at the Steve Scott Invite.

The Anteaters' roster features 16 letterwinners from last year's team that finished sixth at the Big West Championships. They also welcomed back three key members of the squad who redshirted the 2023 campaign in Josh Farmer, Jacob Hawkins and Lukas Amare, while brining in 12 newcomers to bolster their roster. UCI has two team titles in program history, winning the championship in 1978 and 1979. The 'Eaters will be looking to boast an individual conference champion in the throws for the fourth-straight year. In 2023, Liam Miksic brought home UC Irvine's first Big West title in the men's javelin, while former student-athletes Kyle Tsu (2021) and Noah Holm (2022) were back-to-back shot put champions.

Senior Josh Farmer and junior Max Daniels put 16 points on the board for UC Irvine at last weekend's Big West Multi-Event Championships. Farmer maintained his Day 1 lead to become the first Anteater to win the Big West decathlon since 1993. Overall, it was UCI's 10th decathlon title as he joined his father, Matt, who was a three-time conference champion (1990-92), in elite company. Earlier in the season, Farmer compiled a personal-record 7,703 points at the Bryan Clay Invitational. His score ranks second in school history, first in the conference, eighth in the region and 11th in the nation. The two-time All-American, who redshirted last season, was named The Big West Men's Field Athlete of the Week for that performance.

Daniels made his way onto the podium last weekend, finishing third in the Big West Decathlon with 7,240 points. He set lifetime bests in the 100m (10.61), high jump (1.87m/6-1.5), 110H (14.72) and 1500m (5:02.37). His 100m time is tied for eighth in school history. Daniels also ranks fifth on UCI's all-time charts in the decathlon with a personal-record 7,435 points, which he established at the Bryan Clay Invitational. His score ranks fourth in the conference, 17th in the region and 21st in the nation.

Senior Justin Willingham broke a nine-year-old school record in the shot put at the Ben Brown Invitational where he had a then personal-best 18.62 meters (61-1.25). He bettered that mark at the Vince O'Boyle Classic with a toss of 18.65m (61-2.25), which earned him Big West Men's Field Athlete of the Week honors. On April 6, Willingham saw another improvement, hitting 18.68m (61-3.5) at the Triton Invitational. He is the second Anteater to surpass 60 feet, joining Mason Miller, who had a best of 18.44m (60-6) in 2015. The Santa Clarita, California, native has placed among the top-10 in nine of his 10 shot put competitions with four individual victories. He also established a PR 54.87m (180-0) which is seventh in program history in the discus. Willingham enters the Big West Championships ranked first in the shot put and fourth in the discus.

At the Challenge Cup on March 15, junior Jacob Hawkins broke a 41-year-old school record in the discus with a personal-best 59.03 meters (193-8). He topped the previous standard of 58.44m, which was set by Ken Mills back in 1983. At the same meet, Hawkins also established a lifetime-best 17.83m (58-6) in the shot put, which ranks fifth in program history. He won both events and was named The Big West Men's Field Athlete of the Week for his effort. Hawkins added an individual victory in the discus at the Vince O'Boyle Classic (March 29) and Aztec Invite (March 23). He enters this weekend's conference meet ranked first in The Big West in the discus and third in the shot put.

At the Beach Opener on March 1, junior Liam Miksic, who won the Anteaters' first Big West men's javelin title last year, improved on his No. 2 mark in program history with a PR 65.85m (216-0). Junior transfer Logan Peyton then passed Miksic on UCI's all-time charts with a personal-record 65.93m (216-4) to win the javelin at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 18. Peyton is a junior transfer who earned 2023 NCAA Division II All-America honors at Azusa Pacific. Peyton and Miksic head into the Big West Championships ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in the conference.

Sophom*ore Kenechukwu Okonkwo was a late addition to the Anteaters' roster, joining the squad in April. In his UC Irvine debut, Okonkwo cracked the program's all-time top-10 with a mark of 14.79m (48-6.25) in the triple jump at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate on April 11. Two weeks later at the Steve Scott Invitational, he topped that performance with a personal-record 15.33m (50-3.5) to climb to No. 3 in program history.

Seniors Drew Pickett and Jarel Sayles have both earned All-Big West honors in their careers and rank among the top-10 in school history in the 110m hurdles. At the Steve Scott Invitational (April 27), Pickett clocked a personal-record 13.91 seconds to tie for third in program history. Sayles also established a lifetime-best 14.23 at the Vince O'Boyle Classic (March 29) to rank ninth among UCI's all-time leaders.

The 'Eaters have a seasoned distance crew, returning all four conference scorers from a year ago. Junior Jacob Bustamante had a fourth-place finish in the 10K, while senior Cameron Smith placed among the top-eight in the steeplechase and 5K. Junior Joshua Schuld was also fifth in the steeple and junior Zeid Hussain was seventh in the 10K. In addition, UCI welcomes back two-time All-Big West cross country performer Lukas Amare, who redshirted the 2023 campaign. Entering the mix are freshmen Juan Chantaca and Jimmy Markowicz.

Qualifying individuals and relay teams will compete in the NCAA First Round (West Region) at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas, May 22-25.