Lopes finish weekend with bang

Friday, January 20

Flagstaff, Ariz.

Grand Canyon

NAU Lumberjack Team Challenge

1/21/2023 11:00:00 PM | Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

GCU posts 3 school records, 4 WAC-leading times, 11 WAC top-5 performances

By: Nathan Peters

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Grand Canyon track and field team competed at a high level against some of the best teams in the country at New Mexico's MLK Collegiate Invitational on Saturday.

The Lopes' split-squad weekend started by competing in the Lumberjack Team Challenge at Northern Arizona on Friday.

Leading the Lopes in the men's weight throw, graduate Jorden Okyere took second place with a mark of 19.98 meters. In the men's pole vault, GCU sophomore Grant Hagaman cleared the 4.9-meter height.

"We began the weekend at NAU with some good marks from our throwers and men's pole vaulters, but we finished the weekend today in Albuquerque with a bang," Lopes head coach Tom Flood said. "It was a great day for the Lopes at the UNM MLK Invitational, we set three school records, had four WAC-leading performers and 11 total WAC top-five performances."

For the third meet in a row, GCU junior Keira Christie-Galloway broke the 60-meter hurdles school record, which is now the fastest time in the WAC at 8.27 seconds.

The 200-meter school record was broken by senior Kyle De Moica with a time of 21.05.

In the 400, "Calvin Wilson took the overall lead in the WAC with a time of 47.69. Later in the meet, he, Kyle, Bryson Benjamin and Umajesty Williams broke our school record in the 4x400 meter relay too."

The relay squad covered 1,600 meters in 3:10.58.

The Lopes continue to look strong when comparing times with WAC foes.

"I also thought Katie Petsch had a great weekend," Flood said. "She ran a WAC-leading time in the 200, ran the fourth-fastest time in the WAC in the 60 and then also led off our 4x400 relay team to the second-fastest time in the WAC."

Petsch, the junior from Kennewick, Washington, had a 200 time of 24.63, 60 time of 7.58 and the relay time of 3:48.79. The relay included (junior) Joanna Archer, (sophomore) Mia Corners, and (senior) Kelly Moodry as well.

"It was also nice to see Jazmine Scott have a good day in the triple jump," Flood said.

Scott finished with a mark of 12.27 meters.

This was the first of four trips to Albuquerque for the Lopes this indoor season.

"We will return to Albuquerque again next week and look to get even better," Flood said.

Full results from Friday's Lumberjack Team Challenge can be found here.

Full results from Saturday's action at New Mexico can be found here.