Completed Event: Cross Country at George Kyte Classic on August 30, 2025 , , M: 3rd out of 13 | W: 6th out of 10
XC
at George Kyte Classic
M: 3rd out of 13 | W: 6th out of 10
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Slattery adds strongest newcomer group yet
8/24/2020 3:10:00 PM | Cross Country
12 freshman, 2 transfers are signed onto GCU roster
Grand Canyon cross country head coach Sara Slattery announced her 2020 signing class, the Lopes' strongest class ever.
Slattery and GCU welcomed 12 freshmen and two transfers to the roster. Taking the team total to 37 student-athletes, this is the largest cross country roster that the Lopes have fielded in their Division I history.
"This is a unique year for our incoming freshmen," Slattery said. "They all missed the opportunity to complete their final track season. What is impressive is that despite missing their final track season, this is by far one of the most talented group of distance athletes we have had coming into GCU in the five years I have been coaching at GCU."
The 14 new Lopes are Cannon Angotti, Isaiah Ellis, Brian Martinez, Braedon Palmer, Matthew Powell, Luke Wentz, Andrea Demko, Ani Durell, Hana Hall, Niki Hemmerlin, Katie Hooten, Halle Jenkins, Anna Skoog and Becca Taylor.
Cannon Angotti
Coming from a small town in Washington, Angotti consistently was a top finisher with the Blue Devils at Walla Walla High School. Last season, Angotti placed second at the 4A Mid-Columbia Conference Championships, among four other top-10 finishes during the 2019 cross country season.
Slattery: "He is a very hard worker and excited to make the jump to D1 college running."Isaiah Ellis
GCU welcomes Ellis, a tri-athlete, to the Valley after he was named to the all-league first team for cross country in 2019. Ellis also was a first-place finisher in his division at the Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational in 2019, as well as placing fourth at the Northwest Conference for the men's team.
Slattery: "He has run some very impressive times off very little training. He is a three-sport athlete with cross country, basketball and track. This will be his first year running year-round."Brian Martinez
The addition of Martinez builds depth to the group of milers in the Lopes' mid-distance crew. Martinez was a podium finisher at the Washington state meet as a junior, when he helped his team win first place. He also won North Puget Sound League Track Athlete of the Year and competed in the Junior Olympics, where he was a two time All-American in the 1,500-meter race in track.
Slattery: "I am excited to see what he can do when he is able to train with athletes that can push him day to day."Braedon Palmer
Of the newcomers, Palmer is the only male athlete to be Arizona-raised. His father, Matt, played baseball with GCU from 2001-2002. Since Palmer's sophomore year at Sunrise Mountain, he has been a consistent podium finisher at the Arizona state championships. In his senior year of competing with the Mustangs, Palmer placed first at the Fountain Hills Invitational with a personal-best and course-record time of 15 minutes, 15.5 seconds. He also placed second at the 2019 state sectionals.
Slattery: "I have enjoyed watching Braedon run because he runs with confidence and isn't afraid to push the pace to make the race. That is a hard skill to teach. I look forward to coaching him and improving his fitness and racing tactics."Matthew Powell
Powell is another one of the male newcomers who helps to solidify a promising mid-distance crew. He earned first-team all-state twice and second-team all-state. In his senior year, Powell won the 5,000-meter race at the Canby Invitational. Competing at the 6A level, Powell ran at state championships and set personal records in his senior year's state championship while running a time of 16:39.3 in the 5,000.
Slattery: "Powell will continue to improve with more training and be pushed in practice and races."Luke Wentz
From the suburbs of Chicago, Wentz has consistently finished in the top five at the Illinois state meets. In his final cross country meet competing as a Wolf, Wentz set a personal record with a time of 14:57.5 in the 3-mile race at the state Class 3A state cross country championship. Wentz improved his 3-mile time by an entire minute from his freshman to senior year.
Slattery: "This year will be a great opportunity for him to slowly build his volume and get used to the jump in college."Andrea Demko
Demko is one of two transfers joining the Lopes this season. Demko will be a junior with experience and knowledge after competing at the regional and national levels. Demko ran in the Big Ten Championship, NCAA cross country regionals and at the NCAA Division I Championship. During track season, Demko won her first race in April 2019f, competing in the 1,500-meter race at the Team Challenge meet.
Slattery: "I was impressed by her long-term goals and outlook on her development. I'm excited to see what she can do training in optimal weather year-round."Ani Durell
Durell is another one Arizona-raised student-athlete who will compete for the Lopes after studying and running at nearby Glendale Preparatory. She competed in the 5,000-meter race six times during her senior year, including state and regional races.
Slattery: "She is a very hard worker in the classroom and off the track. I am excited to work with her and see what she can do with the other strong women we have here at GCU."Hana Hall
Hall is one of the most decorated cross country recruits that GCU has ever signed. She is a three-time state champion in Arizona. She also was the runner-up at the Nike Cross Country Southwest Regional Championships, which punched her ticket for the Nike Cross Nationals. She became a finalist at the Nike Cross Nationals race. Recently, Hall ran a half marathon in one hour and 20 minutes in Eugene with her mother, Sara. Hall is the daughter of Sara and Ryan Hall, who are world-class distance runners.
Slattery: "Hana comes in as one of the most talented recruits we have ever had. It is amazing because four years ago she could barely run 400 meters. She is a tremendously hard worker and mentally very tough. The most amazing part of her story is what she has done off the track. She didn't know any English four years ago and has had to work extremely hard in the classroom to be academically eligible for college."Niki Hemmerlin
Coming from the east side of the Valley, Hemmerlin is an eager mid-distance runner. She competed in the Aztec Invitational right before the sudden end of her outdoor prep track season. At the invite, she won the 800-meter race and set a personal record in the 3,200 as a finalist.
Slattery: "I love Nikki's excitement to be a part of the team and contribute to something bigger than herself. That was a big reason she wanted to come to GCU. She wanted to be a part of a team of women that will push her, lift her up when she needs it and make her better each day."Katie Hooten
Hooten not only works hard at her sport, but also displays determination in the classroom. As a biomedical engineering major, she strives to obtain one of the most difficult degrees offered at GCU. Hooten also received cross country awards of first-team all-conference twice, second-team all-conference and second-team all-region.
Slattery: "Katie is an extremely hard worker on and off the track. She will enter one of the toughest majors at GCU. Katie is coming from altitude in Colorado and is eager to push herself and continually improve."Halle Jenkins
One of Washington's top female runners, Jenkins competed in 10 meets during her senior year, including regional, state and Nike Portland. In half of those meets, Jenkins finished in the top two, including a district championship. In addition, Jenkins qualified for the Border Clash meet, where the top runners in Oregon and Washington compete. Jenkins comes from a family with running experience as her mother, Jenna, was an All-American at Oregon and her sister, Emma, runs for Portland.
Slattery: "Halle has consistently been one of the top distance athletes in Washington. Halle is excited to be a part of building the strong women's distance program at GCU."Anna Skoog
Skoog, the sister of current GCU cross country student-athlete Joseph Skoog, comes from a very strong high school cross country program. She competed at the state championships and took fifth place in the 5,000-meter race at the district championships as a senior. Skoog also won two meets as a senior.
Slattery: "I am excited to gradually build her up and see what Anna can do. I think she can contribute right away and add a lot of depth to our strong women's team."Becca Taylor
Transferring from Hawaii, Taylor makes her way back to her home state of Arizona. In her high school years as a Chandler Wolf, Taylor was a usual podium finisher. She has experience competing at the district and state levels and helped her team win the cross country state championships in 2015 and 2017. Taylor also lettered four years in swimming.
Slattery: "I recruited Becca when she was a senior and immediately connected with her because she has a swimming background like I do. She has a huge aerobic engine from swimming and a lot of potential. She has had a few injuries that have set her back the last year and I am excited to see what she can do now that she has been consistently healthy for a year."
GCU's cross country season has been postponed to the spring due to precautions of COVID-19.
Slattery and GCU welcomed 12 freshmen and two transfers to the roster. Taking the team total to 37 student-athletes, this is the largest cross country roster that the Lopes have fielded in their Division I history.
"This is a unique year for our incoming freshmen," Slattery said. "They all missed the opportunity to complete their final track season. What is impressive is that despite missing their final track season, this is by far one of the most talented group of distance athletes we have had coming into GCU in the five years I have been coaching at GCU."The 14 new Lopes are Cannon Angotti, Isaiah Ellis, Brian Martinez, Braedon Palmer, Matthew Powell, Luke Wentz, Andrea Demko, Ani Durell, Hana Hall, Niki Hemmerlin, Katie Hooten, Halle Jenkins, Anna Skoog and Becca Taylor.
Meet the 2020 Newcomers
Cannon Angotti
Walla Walla, Wash. – Walla Walla HS
Coming from a small town in Washington, Angotti consistently was a top finisher with the Blue Devils at Walla Walla High School. Last season, Angotti placed second at the 4A Mid-Columbia Conference Championships, among four other top-10 finishes during the 2019 cross country season.Slattery: "He is a very hard worker and excited to make the jump to D1 college running."
Time to introduce another newcomer to the team! Meet Cannon 🥳👋 #LopesUp pic.twitter.com/7qz3Tyh5yv
— GCU Track & XC (@GCU_TrackXC) July 15, 2020
Isaiah Ellis
Lynden, Wash. – Lynden HS
GCU welcomes Ellis, a tri-athlete, to the Valley after he was named to the all-league first team for cross country in 2019. Ellis also was a first-place finisher in his division at the Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational in 2019, as well as placing fourth at the Northwest Conference for the men's team.Slattery: "He has run some very impressive times off very little training. He is a three-sport athlete with cross country, basketball and track. This will be his first year running year-round."
Brian Martinez
Maple Valley, Wash. – Tahoma HS
The addition of Martinez builds depth to the group of milers in the Lopes' mid-distance crew. Martinez was a podium finisher at the Washington state meet as a junior, when he helped his team win first place. He also won North Puget Sound League Track Athlete of the Year and competed in the Junior Olympics, where he was a two time All-American in the 1,500-meter race in track.Slattery: "I am excited to see what he can do when he is able to train with athletes that can push him day to day."
Braedon Palmer
Peoria, Ariz. – Sunrise Mountain HS
Of the newcomers, Palmer is the only male athlete to be Arizona-raised. His father, Matt, played baseball with GCU from 2001-2002. Since Palmer's sophomore year at Sunrise Mountain, he has been a consistent podium finisher at the Arizona state championships. In his senior year of competing with the Mustangs, Palmer placed first at the Fountain Hills Invitational with a personal-best and course-record time of 15 minutes, 15.5 seconds. He also placed second at the 2019 state sectionals.Slattery: "I have enjoyed watching Braedon run because he runs with confidence and isn't afraid to push the pace to make the race. That is a hard skill to teach. I look forward to coaching him and improving his fitness and racing tactics."
We are excited to introduce 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙚𝙙𝙤𝙣 𝙋𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙚𝙧 to the team! #LopesUp pic.twitter.com/gbj7lK3AQ1
— GCU Track & XC (@GCU_TrackXC) July 17, 2020
Matthew Powell
Canby, Ore. – Canby HS
Powell is another one of the male newcomers who helps to solidify a promising mid-distance crew. He earned first-team all-state twice and second-team all-state. In his senior year, Powell won the 5,000-meter race at the Canby Invitational. Competing at the 6A level, Powell ran at state championships and set personal records in his senior year's state championship while running a time of 16:39.3 in the 5,000.Slattery: "Powell will continue to improve with more training and be pushed in practice and races."
It's time to meet the new members of the Lope family! 👋 First up, 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙬 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 😤 #LopesUp pic.twitter.com/k9xgstTK8X
— GCU Track & XC (@GCU_TrackXC) July 1, 2020
Luke Wentz
Oswego, Ill. – Oswego East HS
From the suburbs of Chicago, Wentz has consistently finished in the top five at the Illinois state meets. In his final cross country meet competing as a Wolf, Wentz set a personal record with a time of 14:57.5 in the 3-mile race at the state Class 3A state cross country championship. Wentz improved his 3-mile time by an entire minute from his freshman to senior year.Slattery: "This year will be a great opportunity for him to slowly build his volume and get used to the jump in college."
Introducing 𝙇𝙪𝙠𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙯 to the 2020 roster 💪 #LopesUp pic.twitter.com/PuwgRxsUip
— GCU Track & XC (@GCU_TrackXC) July 8, 2020
Andrea Demko
Hershey, Pa. – Penn State
Demko is one of two transfers joining the Lopes this season. Demko will be a junior with experience and knowledge after competing at the regional and national levels. Demko ran in the Big Ten Championship, NCAA cross country regionals and at the NCAA Division I Championship. During track season, Demko won her first race in April 2019f, competing in the 1,500-meter race at the Team Challenge meet.Slattery: "I was impressed by her long-term goals and outlook on her development. I'm excited to see what she can do training in optimal weather year-round."
Ani Durell
Glendale, Ariz. – Glendale Preparatory HS
Durell is another one Arizona-raised student-athlete who will compete for the Lopes after studying and running at nearby Glendale Preparatory. She competed in the 5,000-meter race six times during her senior year, including state and regional races.Slattery: "She is a very hard worker in the classroom and off the track. I am excited to work with her and see what she can do with the other strong women we have here at GCU."
Hana Hall
Flagstaff, Ariz. – Flagstaff HS
Hall is one of the most decorated cross country recruits that GCU has ever signed. She is a three-time state champion in Arizona. She also was the runner-up at the Nike Cross Country Southwest Regional Championships, which punched her ticket for the Nike Cross Nationals. She became a finalist at the Nike Cross Nationals race. Recently, Hall ran a half marathon in one hour and 20 minutes in Eugene with her mother, Sara. Hall is the daughter of Sara and Ryan Hall, who are world-class distance runners.Slattery: "Hana comes in as one of the most talented recruits we have ever had. It is amazing because four years ago she could barely run 400 meters. She is a tremendously hard worker and mentally very tough. The most amazing part of her story is what she has done off the track. She didn't know any English four years ago and has had to work extremely hard in the classroom to be academically eligible for college."
Niki Hemmerlin
Mesa, Ariz. – Red Mountain HS
Coming from the east side of the Valley, Hemmerlin is an eager mid-distance runner. She competed in the Aztec Invitational right before the sudden end of her outdoor prep track season. At the invite, she won the 800-meter race and set a personal record in the 3,200 as a finalist.Slattery: "I love Nikki's excitement to be a part of the team and contribute to something bigger than herself. That was a big reason she wanted to come to GCU. She wanted to be a part of a team of women that will push her, lift her up when she needs it and make her better each day."
Katie Hooten
Lafayette, Colo. – Centaurus HS
Hooten not only works hard at her sport, but also displays determination in the classroom. As a biomedical engineering major, she strives to obtain one of the most difficult degrees offered at GCU. Hooten also received cross country awards of first-team all-conference twice, second-team all-conference and second-team all-region.Slattery: "Katie is an extremely hard worker on and off the track. She will enter one of the toughest majors at GCU. Katie is coming from altitude in Colorado and is eager to push herself and continually improve."
Let's give a warm welcome to another one of our newcomers, 𝙆𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣 👋 #LopesUp pic.twitter.com/gFPhekFZ0v
— GCU Track & XC (@GCU_TrackXC) July 3, 2020
Halle Jenkins
Camas, Wash. – Camas HS
One of Washington's top female runners, Jenkins competed in 10 meets during her senior year, including regional, state and Nike Portland. In half of those meets, Jenkins finished in the top two, including a district championship. In addition, Jenkins qualified for the Border Clash meet, where the top runners in Oregon and Washington compete. Jenkins comes from a family with running experience as her mother, Jenna, was an All-American at Oregon and her sister, Emma, runs for Portland.Slattery: "Halle has consistently been one of the top distance athletes in Washington. Halle is excited to be a part of building the strong women's distance program at GCU."
Let's welcome 𝙃𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚 𝙅𝙚𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙨 to the Lope family! #LopesUp pic.twitter.com/V3JA3189HT
— GCU Track & XC (@GCU_TrackXC) July 10, 2020
Anna Skoog
Mill Creek, Wash. – Henry Jackson HS
Skoog, the sister of current GCU cross country student-athlete Joseph Skoog, comes from a very strong high school cross country program. She competed at the state championships and took fifth place in the 5,000-meter race at the district championships as a senior. Skoog also won two meets as a senior.Slattery: "I am excited to gradually build her up and see what Anna can do. I think she can contribute right away and add a lot of depth to our strong women's team."
Let's welcome another new member of the team, 𝘼𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙎𝙠𝙤𝙤𝙜 👏 #LopesUp pic.twitter.com/8kmJ0DdzzU
— GCU Track & XC (@GCU_TrackXC) August 4, 2020
Becca Taylor
Chandler, Ariz. – Hawaii
Transferring from Hawaii, Taylor makes her way back to her home state of Arizona. In her high school years as a Chandler Wolf, Taylor was a usual podium finisher. She has experience competing at the district and state levels and helped her team win the cross country state championships in 2015 and 2017. Taylor also lettered four years in swimming.Slattery: "I recruited Becca when she was a senior and immediately connected with her because she has a swimming background like I do. She has a huge aerobic engine from swimming and a lot of potential. She has had a few injuries that have set her back the last year and I am excited to see what she can do now that she has been consistently healthy for a year."
GCU's cross country season has been postponed to the spring due to precautions of COVID-19.
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/ Cross CountryBaptized at GCU
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