Lopes aim for WAC outdoor title repeat

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10 - SATURDAY, MAY 13
All Day \| UTRGV Track & Field Complex \| Edinburg, Texas
GRAND CANYON LOPES	at	WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
HOW TO FOLLOW WAC Track & Field Championships Central \| Live Stats \| @GCU_TrackXC

The Grand Canyon men's and women's track & field teams prepare for the 2017 Western Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Edinburg, Texas on May 10-13. The Lopes will seek to sweep the title for the second consecutive year.

In 2016, the Lopes swept conference titles during the indoor and outdoor season and will look to do the same in 2017 after they swept the men's and women's indoor titles. Just a year ago, the women's team defeated the field by nearly 30 points and the men's team scored 37 points ahead of runner-up Utah Valley. 2016's team totaled nine conference champions. During the 2017 WAC Indoor Championships, the women's squad crushed the competition by an 80.5-point victory while the men ran away with a 39.5-point win.

"We have made our jobs a little harder by redshirting a half dozen very talented seniors this year, totaling over 50 points for the women and nearly 30 points on the men's side," GCU head coach Tom Flood commented. "But we feel that is the right thing to do for these particular student-athletes and our program. This will give those seniors at least one opportunity to compete at the NCAA National Championships next in year during our first year of DI eligibility."

Headed into Edinburg with six straight conference titles, the Lopes will find themselves in their largest challenge yet without some key student-athletes. With several student-athletes redshirting the upcoming outdoor season, the GCU track & field program hopes to give their student-athletes the best chance to succeed on and off the track. In Grand Canyon's final year of transition to Division I, the redshirted seniors will have a shot to compete in the NCAA Championships starting in the 2018 indoor season.

"Even with the difficult task of trying to replace a lot of missing points, we won't concede anything and will look for others to step up and get the job done," Flood added. "We are going to battle in every single event and know that every single point, hundredth of a second and centimeter counts."

LOPES 2017 OUTDOOR SUCCESS

Without key student-athletes, the 2017 outdoor team has stepped up in a big way. In eight meets, the Lopes have broken 12 school records and currently lead the WAC in 13 categories (seven women, six men). In addition, the Lopes have secured four WAC Track & Field Athletes of the Week awards, for a total of 15 in 2017. Scott Marshall led the squad with five such honors on the year.

GCU 2017 Women's WAC Outdoor Leaders
Student-Athlete	Event(s)
Sasha-Gaye Marston	Shot Put (14.65m/48-0.75), Discus (54.15m/177-8)
Kayla Wilson	Long Jump (6.16m/20-2.5), Triple Jump (11.94m/39-2.25)
Mariah Montoya	10,000m (37:04.78)
Nyomi Mosley	Hammer (53.23m/174-8)
Anna Henry	3,000m steeplechase (10:36.26)

GCU 2017 Men's WAC Outdoor Leaders
Student-Athlete	Event(s)
Scott Marshall	Pole Vault (5.22m/17-1.5)
Ryan Girk	200m (21.08)
Timmy Johnson	Decathlon (6458)
Anthony Phelps	400H (51.71)
Jesse Newman	Javelin (62.85m/206-2)
Josh Hamberlin	Hammer (54.38m/178-5)

ICYMI: @flashflood32 talked about the program's success and the @WACSports Outdoor Championship with @YourphxCW6 on Saturday. #LopesRising pic.twitter.com/NR2aX2PfBn
— GCU Track/XC (@GCU_TrackXC) May 9, 2017

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Players Mentioned

Kayla Finnegan (Wilson)

Ryan Girk

Josh Hamberlin

Anna Henry

Timmy Johnson

Scott Marshall

Sasha-Gaye Marston

Mariah Montoya

Nyomi Mosley

Jesse Newman

Anthony Phelps

Grand Canyon University Athletics