Lopes aim for first WAC Outdoor titles

Wednesday, May 11

Lawrence, Kan.

All Day

Grand Canyon

WAC Outdoor Championships Day 1

5/10/2016 5:49:00 PM | Track and Field

Schedule of Events

By: Charles Hampton

The Grand Canyon men's and women's track teams will kick off the 2016 WAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Lawrence, Kan. on Wednesday, each looking to take home a conference championship. The Championships will run May 11-14 from Rock Chalk Park. The University of Missouri-Kansas City is hosting the championships. Both GCU squads are looking to capture their first outdoor conference title.

In the pre-championship coaches polls, Grand Canyon was selected as the favorite to win both the men's and women's championship. The GCU men received three first place votes and 28 points overall. Utah Valley took the second place slot with 27 points and three first place votes. On the women's side, the Lopes received five first place votes and 41 total points, while Utah Valley earned 36 points and one first place vote.

"We'll be looking to replicate the success that both our men's and women's programs achieved at the WAC Indoor Championships in February," head coach Tom Flood said. "We feel that we will be right in the hunt for both team titles but you don't get a trophy for showing up. We are going to have to battle in every single event and know that every single point, hundredth of a second and centimeter counts."

The women's heptathlon will start the championships on Wednesday with the 100m hurdles scheduled for 10 a.m. MST. The high jump, shot put and 200 will follow throughout the day. The men's decathlon will follow shortly thereafter at 10:30 a.m. MST with the 100. The first five events on Day 1 of the decathlon will include the long jump, shot put, high jump and 400.

The Lopes enter competition with the conference leader in 11 events, six on the men's side and five on the women's side. On the men's side, Pierre-Louis Ricou (decathlon), Marcus Flannigan (long jump), Scott Marshall (pole vault), Anthony Phelps (400 hurdles) as well as the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams have the top mark in the conference. On the women's side, Tarasue Barnett (discus and shot put), Kevina Godfrey (long jump), Jennifer Rolph (pole vault) and the 4x100 relay team are atop their events in the WAC.

"All we ever ask of our student-athletes as coaches is to give a 100 percent in every event and leave it all out on the track, " Flood added. "We feel that both team titles are most likely going to come down to the final event, the 4x400 relay."

To follow the championships directly from the WAC, check out their Outdoor Track & Field Championships Central.