Outdoor Preview: Seek more titles

After a successful indoor season, the track and field program looks to have another successful outdoor season and aim for a second outdoor WAC Championship, and the team's first since 2016 on both the men's and women's sides. The Lopes look to send athletes to the NCAA West Regional for the first time in Division I history with hopes of advancing to the NCAA Championships.

"We are really looking forward to getting this outdoor season started," head coach Tom Flood said. "It's been a long four year transition and we are excited about the opportunity to take as many student-athletes as possible to the NCAA West Regional and outdoor national championships."

The indoor to outdoor transition can be a difficult one, as the track size changes, the conditions are no longer climate controlled, and there are slightly different events that can change strategies and event entries. The opportunity the outdoor season brings that the indoor season did not is the possibility for even more Grand Canyon athletes to compete at the next level by competing at the NCAA West Regional Championships.

At the West Regional Championships, the top 48 from the region in each event are selected to attend and compete. In the indoor season, there isn't a regional championship - the top 16 athletes in each event are invited to compete for a national championship, the fewest participants included by percentage of any championship in the NCAA.

Tarasue Barnett will have a crack at a regional and national championship in the discus, the Jamaican's best event. Barnett represented her country in the Olympics and could have stood on the NCAA podium in past years.

Scott Marshall also has another chance at the NCAA Championships, after finishing in a tie for 13th and finishing as a Second Team All-American. Marshall, will have another chance with championship meet experience under his belt.

"Overall, we feel we have our strongest and deepest men's team," Flood said. "If we can keep them all healthy and hungry, we will be tough to beat at conference."

The men's side returns sprinter and jumper Marcus Flannigan, who did not compete during the 2018 indoor season and has an opportunity to compete at the West Regional Championships.

"We also feel we will be in the hunt again for a team championship on the women's side," Flood said.

The women's side returns jumper and hurdler Andrea Olstead. Olstead also did not compete during the 2018 indoor season, like Flannigan, but has the opportunity to jump and hurdle her way to the NCAA West Regional Championship.

"Obviously with any team you look to your veteran leadership and senior leadership and we are thankful to have an abundance of leadership on this team in Scott, Tarasue, Jennifer Johnson (Rolph), Isaac Allanarem, Marcus, Anthony Phelps, Ryan Girk, Briana Myers, Kayla Finnegan (Wilson) and Tope Williams, just to name a few," Flood said. "We are hoping these athletes lead us both at the conference level but also the regional and national level.

The Lopes will look to start things off strong this weekend, March 16-17 in Tucson, Arizona, at the Willie Williams Invitational.

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Players Mentioned

Isaac Allanarem

Tarasue Barnett

Kayla Finnegan (Wilson)

Marcus Flannigan

Ryan Girk

Jennifer Johnson (Rolph)

Scott Marshall

Briana Myers

Andrea Olstead

Anthony Phelps

Tope Williams

Grand Canyon University Athletics