Insider: Performance center strengthens

To excel in how they perform in sports everywhere else on campus, the Lopes now have a bigger, better sports perofrmance center in Grand Canyon's Lopes Performance Center.

Part of the building's summer expansion included increased space and new equipment that was installed Wednesday and Thursday.

With the two-story building being expanded by 100 feet to the north, the sports performance department's training space added an adjoining room to allow larger or multiple GCU Athletics teams to work out in the same area. Those rooms now include 15 power racks with the GCU-branded oak platforms. About 1,000 pounds of dumbbells and weight plates were also added as well as three new pulling/rowing machines and five new glute/hamstring developers.

"We had great facilities before," GCU director of sports performance Gabe Bourland said. "They were above and beyond. For the time when it was built (2010) and the size that it was, it was more than any other place would have. Now with our size and what we have now, we have very equal size to even schools that have football. It's top-notch. You couldn't ask for anything better in a training area than what we'll have."

In addition to the adjoining training rooms on the LPC's first level, the Lopes' student-athletes have a third training room on the second level.

"It's better for the student-athletes, as far as being able to be on schedules that work and fit with their practices and school schedules and for teams to train at the same time," Bourland said.

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro

Grand Canyon University Athletics

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