Completed Event: Track and Field at Texas Relays on March 26, 2025 ,
Track & Field
at Texas Relays
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, January 23
Phoenix, Ariz.
5pm
Grand Canyon
vs
GCU Indoor Collegiate/Open
Photo by: Mathew McGraw
GCU hosts 1st-ever home meet
1/23/2021 3:38:00 PM | Track and Field
Lopes start the season in winning style
The Grand Canyon track and field team held its first-ever home meet to open the season successfully Saturday against Northern Arizona.
GCU senior Ethan Harris started the team's momentum by breaking a school record in the high jump at 2.14 meters, breaking former teammate Chris Linnin Jr.'s mark of 2.10 meters at the 2019 Aztec Invitational. Lopes sophomore Blake Bennett also set a personal record in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14 minutes, 39.36 seconds.
"Breaking the school record is pretty exciting, especially looking at meets coming up," Harris said. "I am looking forward to getting better."
GCU's 1,600-meter relay also was an impressive performance by Ivan Zaharchenko, Nicholas Vargas, David Kolar and Jan Kral with a time of 3:20.36. ASU transfer Anaya Bailey, a senior, placed first for the Lopes in the 60-meter dash at 7.64 seconds.
Another GCU highlight of the meet was junior Zachary Galgan, who was 0.04 meters from breaking a personal record at 5.03 meters in pole vault. In the 3,000-meter competition, Lopes senior Elizabeth Balsan ran a personal best of 9:56.45.Â
"I'm just completely thrilled to have been able to watch our student-athletes compete in our first-ever home meet and for the first time in over 11 months," GCU head coach Tom Flood said. "It has been a long frustrating fall of not being able to consistently practice, but despite that, we had a school record in the high jump and several other outstanding performances."
Lopes junior Jorden Okyere enjoyed having his grandfather, Jerry Colangelo, watch him compete collegiately for the first time. Okyere threw 16.63 meters in the shot put event to place second.Â
"We will get back to work next week to get even better before our next meet," Flood said.
The Lopes will compete on Feb. 3 in another home meet.Â
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GCU senior Ethan Harris started the team's momentum by breaking a school record in the high jump at 2.14 meters, breaking former teammate Chris Linnin Jr.'s mark of 2.10 meters at the 2019 Aztec Invitational. Lopes sophomore Blake Bennett also set a personal record in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14 minutes, 39.36 seconds.
"Breaking the school record is pretty exciting, especially looking at meets coming up," Harris said. "I am looking forward to getting better."
GCU's 1,600-meter relay also was an impressive performance by Ivan Zaharchenko, Nicholas Vargas, David Kolar and Jan Kral with a time of 3:20.36. ASU transfer Anaya Bailey, a senior, placed first for the Lopes in the 60-meter dash at 7.64 seconds.
Another GCU highlight of the meet was junior Zachary Galgan, who was 0.04 meters from breaking a personal record at 5.03 meters in pole vault. In the 3,000-meter competition, Lopes senior Elizabeth Balsan ran a personal best of 9:56.45.Â
"I'm just completely thrilled to have been able to watch our student-athletes compete in our first-ever home meet and for the first time in over 11 months," GCU head coach Tom Flood said. "It has been a long frustrating fall of not being able to consistently practice, but despite that, we had a school record in the high jump and several other outstanding performances."
Lopes junior Jorden Okyere enjoyed having his grandfather, Jerry Colangelo, watch him compete collegiately for the first time. Okyere threw 16.63 meters in the shot put event to place second.Â
"We will get back to work next week to get even better before our next meet," Flood said.
The Lopes will compete on Feb. 3 in another home meet.Â
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Players Mentioned
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/ Track and Field
DIS
/ Track and Field
DIS
/ Track and Field
PV
/ Track and Field
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/ Track and Field
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/ Track and Field
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/ Track and Field
/ Track and Field
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/ Track and Field
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/ Track and Field
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