5 Things to Know: Nov. 8-14

Each week, a loaded schedule for the 21 GCU Division I athletic squads may leave a Lopes fan missing out on some of the highlights! With that in mind, GCULopes.com will give you the best fast reads each Tuesday, quick hits of what's coming up soon and the top nuggets you may have missed.

1	SIGNING NEW LOPES	General
	It was a busy week in GCU Athletics with the early signing period taking place. Swimming & diving, women's volleyball, baseball, basketball, golf, cross country, track & field and softball all had future Lopes sign on to join their respective programs. For several of the sports, the signing period is ongoing and will continue through the early portions of this week. For ongoing coverage of the signings, follow the teams on Twitter. (Keep reading: Men's Golf \| Softball)

2	MR. PLAYER OF THE YEAR	Men's Soccer
	When you score four more goals than the nearest challenger in the conference, you're probably a shoe-in for Offensive Player of the Year. The Western Athletic Conference made it official last Tuesday with Niki Jackson taking home the honor. He finished the regular season with 16 scores, third-most in all of Division I. It marked the first time since joining the Division I ranks that a GCU soccer player was named player of the year. Freshman Hector Montalvo also earned recognition, being named to the conference's second team. (Keep reading: All-WAC Announcement)

3	WOMEN'S HOOPS' HOT START	Women's Basketball
	With an exhibition victory over Western State and an opening night win over Alcorn State, the women's basketball team has outscored its opponents 145-92 to kick off the year. With players returning from injury and a handful of transfers, head coach Trent May's squad has a fresh look. The Lopes proved in Friday's regular season opener that they had the touch from distance, shooting 12-of-24 from the 3-point line. GCU wasted no time besting its season-high 3-point mark from last season when the Lopes made a maximum of nine 3-point shots in any game. (Keep reading: Season Opener Recap)

4	PLAYING THE BEST	Men's Basketball
	For the second time in three seasons, the men's basketball team opened up a season against the nation's No. 1-ranked team. This time, it was the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium. GCU played even with Duke for the majority of the first half, staying within four points as late as the 4:30 mark of the first half. The Blue Devils pulled away with a hot finish to the first 20 minutes and never looked back. Coach Mike Krzyzewski had kind words for both Majerle's "very athletic" team and Joshua Braun, "the kid who's really good." The Lopes continue play in the Hall of Fame Tip Off Tournament at Penn State on Tuesday night. (Keep reading: Season Opener Recap)

5	FAREWELL, FALL SPORTS	Women's Volleyball
	We're down to one fall sports event remaining on the calendar, and it comes in the form of the women's volleyball season finale against Benedictine-Mesa on Thursday evening. The Lopes will honor their five seniors in Chloe Jenkins, Leigh Stonerook, Gracie Dimond, Emily Christensen and Sara Westerman. Following Thursday's matchup in Antelope Gym, the fall sports season officially comes to a close with soccer, volleyball, cross country, golf and tennis wrapped up for the fall. The game is set for 6 p.m. (Keep reading: Schedule)

+1	SOFTBALL ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE
	Time to add some more events into your spring calendar! The softball team was the latest to announce its schedule for the upcoming spring season, highlighted by key dates against Washington, Stanford, Arizona and Baylor. Head coach Ann Pierson was excited about the schedule, saying: "We are really excited about our schedule for the spring 2017 season. We will have the opportunity to play some unbelievable opponents." (Keep reading: Schedule R elease \| Schedule)

Grand Canyon University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Joshua Braun

Emily Christensen

Gracie Dimond

Niki Jackson

Chloe Jenkins

Hector Montalvo

Leigh Stonerook

Sara Westerman

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