UCR - Highlander Invitational Preview

UC Riverside plays host the Saturday 10/19 to the Highlander Invite, their second home meet in as many months.

The Ag-Ops course, which is adjacent to the UCR campus, was developed in 1979 for the NCAA Division II Championships, also plays host to the 2024 Big West Championships on November 2nd.

The men’s 8k course record is held by Charles Hicks of Stanford. The Team GB star ran 22:30 in 2022 to win a hotly contested Pac12 title. Hicks went in later that season to win the NCAA individual title.

The 6k women’s course record was also set at the Pac12 meet in 2022. Multiple time All-American Bailey Hertenstein of Colorado blostered 19:11 to set the standard.

The women’s race will start the action Saturday at 8 am, with the men slated for an 8:40 am starting gun.

The men’s meeting features an assortment of local collegiate flavor. Big West rivals UC Irvine, UC San Diego, and Cal State Northridge will battle the host Highlanders in a final prep for the conference meet. Cal State Fullerton will run a toned-down version of their squad.

Collegiate teams visiting from Arizona include: U Arizona, Embry Riddle (led by Demetris Love Jr, who won at the Master's Invite two weeks ago), Arizona Christian as well as JUCO’s Pima, Coconino and Park Gilbert.

The women’s race also has a Big West flavor with the Highlanders squaring off against UC San Diego and Cal State Northridge as well as a portion of Coach Alex Tebbe’s CSU Fullerton Titans and Casey Kear’s UC Irvine Anteaters.

San Diego State from the Mountain West and USD out of the West Coast conferences respectively will toe the line with Big 12 newbie Arizona among 20 other squads.

Hope International standout Emma Timmermans and The Master’s senior Hannah Fredericks will also arrive. The latter has been a winner this fall at Biola, Larry Young, and The Master’s invites.

By Matt Farmer