Lopes aim to defend WAC outdoor titles

Thursday, May 12

Seattle, Wash.

Grand Canyon

WAC Outdoor Championships

Photo by: WAC

5/12/2022 7:00:00 PM | Track and Field

Conference coaches predict Lopes men to repeat, women in tight race

Thursday-Saturday, May 12-14 \| WAC Championships \| Seattle, Wash. \| Husky Track

	GRAND CANYON LOPES	at	WAC OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Watch: WAC Digital Network/ESPN+ schedule • Results: View

The Grand Canyon men's and women's track and field teams are defending their WAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Seattle this week.

Conference coaches believe the Lopes could pull of a double repeat, even in the expanded field. The Lopes men were predicted to finish first after taking the outdoor title in three of the previous five outdoor conference meets that were held (the 2020 meet was canceled for COVID). The Lopes women finished one point behind WAC newcomer Abilene Christian in the pre-championship poll, putting them in position to go for their fourth consecutive conference outdoor championship.

flood

"With still a lot of questions at the beginning of our school year with regard to COVID, we are thrilled for our track and field student-athletes having the chance to compete in another conference championship," GCU head coach Tom Flood said. "We are very excited and confident in our teams' ability to have a very successful WAC Outdoor Championships meet again this year."

The men's team figures to score points with its depth and standouts like javelin thrower Marten Gasparini, thrower Jorden Okyere, jumper Gabriel Binion, decathletes Aidan Diggs and Jorg Vanlierde, pole vaulter Eric Cabais-Fernandez and distance runners Jacob Lewis and Joseph Skoog.

"Our men's team is again very well balanced and we will look to a great group of upperclassmen for leadership and for some very talented newcomers to make a lot of noise," Flood said.

The women's team is loaded with experience and an influx of young talent. Alyson Schwartz is a returning pole vault champion with other veterans like middle-distance runners Alexa Hokanson, Kelly Moodry and Jodie Judd. Sprinters Naudia Dawson and Atena Rayson, distance runner Kendall Drisko, hurdler Amanda Thrue, throwers Onone Ogbeni and Samaria McDonald, jumpers Jazmine Scott and Nebtom N'Da and heptathlete Rees Young also have stood out this season.

"Our women's team is again very young this year and we will be missing some very talented athletes due to injuries, but everyone is ready to leave it all out on the track and field and fight until the last event," Flood said.

The meet will conclude with the 1,600-meter men's and women's relays on Saturday night.

"This new WAC is very tough and both teams know that no one is going to hand them anything and that they are going to have to fight for every point they get," Flood said. "We will have to battle in every single event to the best of our abilities and let the games committee keep track of the team scores."