UC Riverside’s men’s and women’s track and field teams have begun their indoor seasons and are preparing for their outdoor season.

The Highlanders opened their indoor season on Jan. 31 at the University of Washington.

The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, or MPSF, indoor track and field championships will begin Feb. 21 in Spokane, Washington. 

The men’s roster this season will include newcomers Michael Petricka and Mallik Bolton who will compete in sprints, Arthur Celestine and Maxwell Jefferson who will compete in jumps, and Mateo Garcia who will compete in throws.

The women’s rosters new additions include Morgan Nygren and Kylie Nasca who will compete in middle-distance events, Mercy Ehiemere and Elena Mack who will compete in sprints, and Ningning O’Brien and Gabriela Colon-Gipson who will compete in throws.

Several key returners on the men’s side looking to build on their performances from last season’s Big West Championships include Ashraf Abdelmagid who placed second in the 3k steeplechase with a time of 8:52.44, Andrew Jackson who finished third in the 800 meters with a time of 1:50.02, Kyan Thomas who secured fourth place in the triple jump with a mark of 15.24 meters, and Reggie Day who took sixth in the 400 meters with a time of 47.79.

On the women’s side, Raykiat Olukoju returns after winning the Big West title in the 200 meters with a time of 23.45 and placing 36th at the NCAA Division I West First Rounds; Collette Lowengrub recorded a fifth-place finish at the Big West Championships in the 10k with a time of 35:27.12, and took sixth in the 5k with a time of 16:50.69; and Norma Alvarez earned the Big West steeplechase title with a time of 10:36.36, finished 11th in the 5k with a time of 17:15.76, and placed 47th at the NCAA West First Rounds.

Last season, UC Riverside finished eighth overall in men's standings with a total of 27 points and fifth in women's standings with a total of 93 points at the Big West Championships.

The Highlanders will open their outdoor season on Feb. 28 at the Riverside City College Invitational.

The Big West Outdoor Track and Field Championships are set for May 9-10 for multi events and May 16-17 for championship weekend at Long Beach State's Jack Rose Track.

Nathan Browne, who took over the program as head coach in 2016, continues to lead the Highlanders. Former Olympian and winner of the 400 meters in the 1991 All-Africa Games, Fatimat Olukoju is now a full-time assistant coach and will oversee the short sprints group; she is also the mother of Raykiat Olukoju. 

“Our main goal is to continue our upward trajectory in the Big West and qualify more student-athletes for the postseason than we did a year ago,” Browne said. “Our women have increased their Big West point total every year since the pandemic, and we aim to continue that trend.”

The Highlanders’ next meet is Feb. 21 when they will compete at the MPSF Championships.