Cross Country Takes on Mesa Thunderbird Classic

PHOENIX – The Grand Canyon University men's and women's cross country teams will take on the Mesa Thunderbird Classic this Saturday in Mesa, Ariz. The Lopes have competed annually in the event going back as far as 2009. Last year, the women's squad finished second while the men's team placed fifth.

Last weekend at Kansas' Rim Rock Farm Classic, the women's team posted a stellar third place finish, led by Kelsi Klotter's time of 21:52.2 to place 10^th. She beat her time on the course by over a minute. Emily Wilkinson had the second highest finish with a time of 22:14.6 for 16^th and Mariah Montoya had a time of 22:17.4 for 17^th.

On the men's side, the team finished eighth amongst strong Division I competition. They were led by Samuel Proctor's 22^nd place with a time of 24:56.8. Matthew Jackson and Jose Retana were the next two finishers for GCU with times of 25:48.6 and 25:50.4, respectively.

The action will begin this weekend at 8:15 a.m. with the women's 5k, while the men's 8k event will start at 9 a.m. Fans are encouraged to make the trek out to Mesa to support the team. A full recap will also be available at www.gculopes.com.

Grand Canyon University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Matthew Jackson

Kelsi Klotter

Mariah Montoya

Samuel Proctor

Jose Retana

Emily Wilkinson

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