Lopes head to Seattle for Washington Invitational

SATURDAY, OCT. 1
Jefferson Park Golf Course \| hosted by Washington \| Seattle, Wash.
GRAND CANYON LOPES WAC	at	WASHINGTON INVITATIONAL HOSTED BY WASHINGTON MEET INFORMATION

	GCU

The Grand Canyon men's and women's cross country squads will face their toughest competition of the season to date as they travel to Seattle, Wash., for the Washington Invitational at Jefferson Park Golf Course on Saturday.

The women's 6,000m race will kick of the invitational at 11 a.m. MST, followed by the men's 8,000m race at 11:45 a.m. MST.

The eight-team field on the men's side features four nationally ranked programs in Oregon (No. 3), Washington (No. 21), Washington State (No. 24) and Colorado State (No. 29). In the women's field features nine teams, including two nationally ranked programs, Oregon (No. 4) and Washington (No. 12).

Other teams expected to compete are Eastern Washington, Harvard (women), Idaho, and fellow conference-member, Seattle U.

In addition to racing top-level competition in the Pacific Northwest, the Lopes will also be able to preview the Jefferson Park Golf Course, which will also serve as the site for the 2016 WAC Cross Country Championships later this month. The course features multiple 2,000m loops on fairways throughout the course. It has hosted premier cross country races, including the 2010 Pac-10 Championships, the USATF Club Nationals, and the 2012 and 2015 NCAA West Regional Championships.

The Lopes will be racing for the first time since the Dave Murray Invitational two weeks ago in Tucson, Ariz., where both teams placed third in the meet. Samuel Proctor was the top-finisher for GCU on the men's side with a seventh-place finish in 19:17, while freshman Elizabeth Balsan was first across the finish for the women with a sixth place finish in 14:46.

Men's Teams Competing (National Ranking)
Colorado State (29)
Eastern Washington
Grand Canyon
Idaho
Oregon (3)
Seattle U.
Washington (21)
Washington State (24)

Women's Team Competing (National Ranking)
Colorado State
Eastern Washington
Grand Canyon
Harvard
Idaho
Oregon (4)
Seattle U.
Washington (12)
Washington State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Elizabeth Balsan

Samuel Proctor

Grand Canyon University Athletics