University of California-Irvine Women's Track & Field

Jeff Perkins began his tenure as the director of UC Irvine cross country/track & field on Jan. 1, 2014. He has been a member of the Anteater staff since 2007, and served as associate head coach for four years before taking over the program after the retirement of long-time head coach and UCI Hall of Famer Vince O'Boyle. Perkins works with the sprints, hurdles and multis. He is a USATF Level 1 and Level 2 certified sprints/hurdles/relays and jumps coach. In his 11 years at the helm of the men’s and women’s track & field teams, the Anteaters have claimed seven All-America honors and won 32 Big West individual titles, while producing 68 NCAA West First Round qualifying marks. In addition, 27 of UC Irvine's current indoor and outdoor school records have been set since Perkins took the reins. Since Perkins joined the UCI staff as an assistant coach in 2007, the ‘Eaters have boasted one NCAA champion, 10 All-Americans, 15 national qualifiers and 51 conference champions. He played a key role in UC Irvine's most recent individual national title, serving as one of Charles Jock's primary coaches during his illustrious collegiate career. Jock is one of the most decorated runners in Anteater history as he won the 800m at the 2012 NCAA Track & Field Championships, making him the program's first individual national champion in 34 years. A three-time All-American, Jock was also the NCAA runner-up in 2011 and finished ninth in 2010. In addition, the three-time Big West Track Athlete of the Y

Calla Nelson joined UC Irvine in 2018 as the Anteaters' assistant cross country/distance coach. Since Nelson’s arrival on campus, the ‘Eaters have produced e...

Casey Kear is in his sixth season as UC Irvine's cross country/distance coach after joining the staff in August 2019. Last year, Kear saw two of his student-...

Hannah Chau enters her second year as an assistant with the UC Irvine cross country/distance program in 2024-25. Chau joined the coaching ranks after a decorated Anteater career. She was a three-time All-Big West cross country performer and ranks among the top-three in school history in both the 4K and 6K. On the track, Chau earned four all-conference awards and broke the school record in the steeplechase twice with a best of 10:20.11 as a senior. In 2021, Chau became UC Irvine’s first Big West champion in the women’s 10,000-meter since 2002. She is also among UCI’s all-time indoor top-10 in the mile, 3000m and 5000m. Chau graduated from UC Irvine with a bachelor’s degree in public health sciences (2022) and a master’s degree in demographic and social analysis (2023).

Katelyn Ciarelli is in her 16th year as a member of the UC Irvine men’s and women’s track & field staff, and 11th as an associate head coach. Ciarelli was named UCI’s associate head coach in November 2014, after serving as an assistant since August 2009. Ciarelli works with the throwers, and her efforts have developed the Anteaters into a throwing powerhouse in The Big West. Since Ciarelli’s first season in 2009-10, the 'Eaters have produced 37 NCAA West regional qualifying marks, 52 All-Big West honors, 15 conference champions and three Junior All-Americans in the throwing events. This past season, Ciarelli’s student-athletes had a banner season, claiming the Big West title and establishing school records in three of the four men’s throwing events. Liam Miksic defended his conference crown in the javelin before breaking the school record with a toss of 68.34 meters (224-2) at the NCAA West First Round. Justin Willingham set the program standard four times in the shot put with the last coming in an individual victory at the Big West Championships where he hit 18.74m (61-5.75). Jacob Hawkins was also the conference champion in the discus and broke a 41-year-old school record earlier in the year with a best of 59.03m (193-8) at the Challenge Cup. Overall, the men’s throwers accounted for 48 of the team’s 89 points at the conference meet. Ciarelli also helped coach Josh Farmer to a Big West title and second-team All-America honors in the decathlon. At the NCAA Championships, Far

Sean Brown enters his second year as the jumps coach with the UC Irvine track & field program in 2024-25. Previously, Brown was the Anteater’s pole vault coach (2022). This past season, Brown’s student-athletes produced two individual conference titles, three All-Big West awards and two NCAA West First Round qualifying marks. He mentored Kailah McKenzie, who was named the 2024 Big West Women’s Freshman of the Year. McKenzie brought home UCI’s first conference title in the high jump since 2009. She also made her way onto the podium in the long jump where she finished third. McKenzie (High Jump) and Kenechukwu Okonkwo (Triple Jump) qualified for the NCAA regional meet. During the indoor season, Reyna Johnson won the long jump at the MPSF Championships with a school-record 5.97 meters (19-7). Teammates Jolie Robinson (5.84m/19-2) and McKenzie (5.80m/19-0.5) also rank second and third, respectively, in indoor program history. Overall, Brown saw his student-athletes set 13 marks that rank among UCI’s all-time top-10 in his first year. Brown’s prior coaching experience was at his alma mater, Cal Poly, where in his first year as a grad assistant (1998), he coached Bianca Moran who became the Mustangs' first NCAA Champion in the women’s pole vault. In 1999, he coached Brad Pickett in his senior year. Pickett cleared 5.50m (18-0.5) and placed 10th at NCAA Championships. Brown then moved to Los Angeles to work with then UCLA pole vault coach Anthony Curran, where Brown continued to tra

Tony Ciarelli enters his fifth year as an assistant throws coach with the UC Irvine track & field program in 2024-25. Since Ciarelli joined the staff in 2021, the UCI throws squad has produced seven individual Big West titles, 18 all-conference awards and 13 NCAA West First Round qualifying marks. Last season, the Anteater men’s throws squad had a banner season, winning three of the four throwing events and accounting for 48 of the team’s 89 points at the Big West Championships. They also established three school records in 2024. Liam Miksic defended his conference crown in the javelin before breaking the school record with a toss of 68.34 meters (224-2) at the NCAA West First Round. Justin Willingham set the program standard four times in the shot put with the last coming in an individual victory at the Big West Championships where he hit 18.74m (61-5.75). Jacob Hawkins was also the conference champion in the discus and broke a 41-year-old school record earlier in the year with a best of 59.03m (193-8) at the Challenge Cup. On the women’s side, Deandra Tyler earned her third career All-Big West award with a runner-up finish in the shot put. Tyler tied for first but ended up taking second based on her next best throw. She was also the MPSF Indoor Champion in the shot put. Nyla Baker added an All-Big West performance during the outdoor season, placing third in the shot put at the conference meet. Five student-athletes qualified for the 2024 NCAA West First Round - Hawkins (Sho