Lundberg, Onwordi win events

Friday, February 19

USAF Academy, Colo.

Grand Canyon

Air Force Collegiate Open

Photo by: Elizabeth Tinajero

2/19/2021 4:03:00 PM | Track and Field

Lopes finish indoor season in Colorado

By: Sam Kuzminski

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. — The Grand Canyon track and field team completed its only official indoor meet of the season at the Air Force Collegiate Open on Friday. The Lopes haven't competed in an official indoor meet since the men took home the WAC Championship at Nampa, Idaho, in March 2020.

"I'm overall very pleased with our results today and really happy for the chance to compete at an indoor meet this season," GCU head coach Tom Flood said. "The indoor season this year is quite unique, and with smaller track sizes and raised runways it takes quite awhile to get used to. This was our first travel meet, which can provide its own complications. Overall, I thought the majority of our student-athletes performed very well."

The day started off strongly with GCU's Josh Onwordi finishing atop 12 other competitors in the long jump. Onwordi jumped 7.12 meters. Finishing within the top four, sophomore Austin Atencio followed his teammate closely with a 6.98 meter jump.

On the women's side, Lopes senior Madelyn Lundberg won the pole vault event with a 4.0-meter vault. Senior teammate Alyson Schwartz was runner-up in the pole vault with a 3.85-meter vault. Lundberg and Schwartz were last seen competing against each other when both vaulted personal bests of 4.16 meters at the 2020 WAC Indoor Championships.

"It was great to see Maddie Lundberg over four meters in the pole vault," Flood said. "I thought both Kyle DeMoica (60 meters) and Jan Kral (400 meters) ran well."

In the 60-meter race, junior Kyle DeMoica snatched second place with a time of 6.86 seconds. Third and fourth places were earned by senior David Kolar and junior Adam Knuff at 6.90 and 6.91 seconds, respectively. Freshman Miles Kruse competed in his first-ever indoor meet and received seventh place in the race, finishing in 7.04 seconds.

Other runner-up placements were earned by two Czech Republic natives, Kolar and sophomore Jan Kral. In the 400-meter race, Kral ran a time of 48.96 seconds, while Kolar competed in the 200 and finished in 22.02.

After a strong performance in his previous meet at the GCU Outdoor Invitational, Lopes freshman Gabriel Binion placed second in the triple jump at 14.96 meters.

"Our true freshman Gabe Binion is going to have a big career in the triple jump," Flood said.

GCU junior Samaria McDonald set a personal record in the weight throw at 16.78 meters. McDonald placed second among 19 athletes.

"We're not quite sure when our outdoor season will resume, but we are looking forward to getting back home to thaw out and continue to get better at practice in warm, sunny Phoenix," Flood said.

For final results, click here.