Track and Field Opens Outdoor Slate at Willie Williams Classic

Brianne Kee

Photo by: Darryl Webb

Track and Field Opens Outdoor Slate at Willie Williams Classic

3/20/2015 10:25:00 PM | Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Lopes will resume action Saturday in Tucson

The Grand Canyon University men's and women's track and field teams opened their outdoor slate Friday at the Willie Williams Classic in Tucson, Ariz. The two-day meet is being hosted by the University of Arizona.

Brianne Kee leaped to a first-place finish in the women's long jump, as the senior recorded a conference-best mark of 6.10 meters, which is just shy of Ann-Marie Duffus' school record jump of 6.11 meters. Aaliyah Cook (5.64 meters) and Kevina Godfrey (5.59 meters) placed sixth and seventh, respectively.

After a stellar freshman indoor campaign, Tope Williams finished second among collegiate competitors in the 200-meter dash, crossing the line in a time in a WAC-best time of 24.65 seconds.

Kelsi Klotter (18:14.41) and Lacey Peterson (18:22.95) came in second and third, respectively, in the 5,000-meter run. Emily Wilkinson was seventh in the 1500-meter run with her time of 4:52.75.

GCU took the 3-5 spots in the shot put, as Nyomi Mosley led the way with her throw of 11.87 meters, while Hanna Wolfe (11.32 meters) and Casandra Bustamante (10.15 meters) followed in fourth and fifth, respectively. Mosley was also third in the hammer throw with her distance of 43.69 meters, while Rylie Matthews took third in the javelin throw after recording a toss of 36.58 meters.

On the men's side, LeSean Marks was the top collegiate finisher in the 400-meter hurdles, clocking a WAC-best time of 52.70 seconds. Anthony Phelps was second with his time of 54.61 seconds and Austin Lutterloh third after notching a time of 54.69 seconds.

Josh Ralston (21.78 seconds) was third and Aaron Thurber (21.89 seconds) fourth among collegiate competitors in the 200-meter dash. Ralston's 200-meter dash time is the fastest outdoor time recorded in the WAC this season.

Timothy Ryan tied for the third-best collegiate mark in the men's high jump, clearing the bar at a height of 1.95 meters. Marcus Flannigan took fourth in the long jump (6.94 meters) and Akintunde Adeyemi sixth (6.80 meters). Kirk Jay Gould II had the third-best heave in the javelin throw, posting a distance of 49.31 meters.

The Lopes will be back in action in Tucson on Saturday and fans can follow Saturday's competition via a link for live results at www.gculopes.com.

Friday's results can be viewed here.