Year's best, brightest take center stage for Lopeys

Grand Canyon student-athletes swapped the intensive sweat and focused scowls of training and competition for the glitz and smiles of the annual Lopey Awards on Monday night.

After walking the purple carpet, GCU Athletics' student-athletes, coaches and staffers were treated to a night that put some of the best achievers on the GCU Arena stage to receive Lopeys. Beyond competition, those efforts included more than 3,000 hours of community service from GCU student-athletes.

"We have been very blessed with our competitive success," GCU Vice President of Athletics Jamie Boggs told the hundreds of student-athletes and staffers. "That is because of your guys' hard work and the support of GCU and the support of all the community members around and also God's great plan for us.

"We challenged ourselves this year to think about 'More Than Us,' and 'More Than Us' is about humility and gratitude and thinking less about ourselves and more about the importance of serving others."

FEMALE STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Gianna Gourley, soccer

Gourley set a GCU record with 18 goals last season to tie for the fourth most in the nation and led the WAC in scoring with 42 points. The GCU captain and forward set 10 program records and earned WAC Offensive Player of the Year.

The Las Vegas native led the Lopes on a hot finish to the regular season, when they lost once in their final eight games and she scored a hat trick in the regular-season finale.

"I'm so grateful just to have this honor," Gourley said. "It honestly wouldn't be possible without the love and support of my teammates and coaches."

MALE STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Jacob Wilson, baseball

Wilson was a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist and All-America second-team honoree after becoming the toughest player to strikeout in the nation (once per 35 at bats) The shortstop earned All-WAC first-team honors and earned a spot on the USA Collegiate National Team.

The Thousand Oaks, California, native helped GCU receive its first NCAA regional bids in his first two Lopes seasons, which included a combined 80 wins.

"A special shout-out to my team," Wilson said. "I can't thank them enough. It takes everybody. GCU, keep playing."

FEMALE BREAKTHROUGH STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Krista Rowan, beach volleyball

Rowan went from participating in four dual matches as a GCU freshman player to being part of the Lopes' Court 4 duo that went 19-5 last season.

The native of nearby Chandler, Arizona, picked up victories in GCU matches against nine top-20 opponents last year.

Rowan contributed to the Lopes program's progression to having its first NCAA tournament team, its highest national final ranking at No. 7 and a Lopes program single-season record of 26 wins.

MALE BREAKTHROUGH STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Marten Gasparini, track and field

Gasparini went from picking up a new sport as a GCU walk-on freshman who competed once in the 2021 season to becoming one of the top javelin throwers in the nation last year.

The native of Alture di Ruda, Italy, and former minor-league baseball player recorded the eighth-best javelin throw in the nation last year with a 71-foot improvement.

Gasparini claimed the WAC javelin championship and advanced to the NCAA Championships, where he finished 17th.

FEMALE FRESHMAN STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Tatum Parrott, volleyball

Parrott started 22 matches last fall and led the Lopes in service aces (33) and kills (307), including two matches of more than 20 kills.

The outside hitter from Phoenix earned All-WAC first-team honors while helping GCU to an 18-win season that included the program's first national postseason tournament victory of its Division I era.

MALE FRESHMAN STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Daniel Avitia, baseball

Avitia became a Freshman All-American and the first conference freshman to win WAC Pitcher of the Year after the right-handed hurler served as the GCU staff ace with 111 strikeouts last season.

The graduate of Alhambra High School, which is three blocks from GCU Ballpark, helped the Lopes earn an at-large NCAA tournament berth and a top-25 national ranking in their 41-win season.

FEMALE ROLAND L. BECK SENIOR SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD

Annabelle Kubinski, volleyball

Kubinski has been a standout on and off the court for GCU, starring as a middle blocker with 243 career blocks and completing her MBA wtih a 3.90 GPA

The Albuquerque native has worked with Canyon Ventures and served as a FCA ambassador in addition to being part of a program that won 72% of its matches in the last four seasons. She received GCU Athletics' most prestigious and longstanding award, recognizing excellence in academics, athletics, leadership and character consistent with the University's Christian values.

"This award honestly means so much to me, more than any athletic achievement," Kubinski said. "I think it speaks to the very thing my coaches stressed my entire career that is very important. That's just being a good person overall. Thank you to my amazing coaches I've had over my five years at GCU. Thank you for not only coaching in Athletics, but just in life as well. It's pretty rare to have coaches that you just want to literally spend two hours in the office with. Thank you for people who can give me good advice and genuinely care."

MALE ROLAND L. BECK SENIOR SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD

Mariano Hernandez, track and field

Hernandez contributed to last year's WAC indoor track and field championship as the conference runner-up in the 400-meter race and continues to be a leader for the Lopes in his senior season.

The Eagle Pass, Texas, native is graduating this spring with a degree in Applied Management and has been a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee member. He received GCU Athletics' most prestigious and longstanding award, recognizing excellence in academics, athletics, leadership and character consistent with the University's Christian values.

"I want to thank everyone who made this possible -- my family, my team, my coaches," Hernandez said. "The person that made this feel like home -- Coach (Tom) Flood. One of the things I came here for was you made this feel like home. I'm thankful for the opportunity he gave me. I want to thank God for the opportunity He gave me. I'm able to take these experiences with me, and I'll probably cherish them forever. One last thing I want to leave everybody with is to be unique. Have a unique identity. Don't let others stop you from being special."

THUNDER AWARDS

The awards go to an impact athlete for each GCU team. The inaugural winners are:

Josh Buckley, baseball
Ray Harrison, basketball
Olivia Lane, basketball
Allanis Navis, beach volleyball
Christian Fagerlin, cross country
Jodie Judd, cross country
Bryson Benjamin, track and field
Mia Corners, track and field
Matthew Braley, golf
Siripatsorn Patchana, golf
Samuel Lossou, soccer
Renee Sainz, soccer
Kinsey Koeltzow, softball
Griffin McKean, swimming
Raphaela Nakashima, swimming
Wyatt Anderson, tennis
Santa Strombacha, tennis
Grayson Browning, volleyball
Ava Mason, volleyball

L.O.P.E.S. CUP

Beach volleyball

The beach volleyball team claimed its first L.O.P.E.S. (Leadership, Ownership, Purpose, Excellence, Service) Cup. With its excellence on the courts as a national top-10 program and effort in the community, head coach Kristen Rohr's team committed to 330 hours of community service, the classroom with a 3.58 team GPA and outstanding attendance at Lopes for Life events and other GCU teams' games.

TOP TEAM GPA OF THE YEAR

Women's volleyball
Men's swimming and diving

The women's volleyball team carried the top overall team GPA at 3.73 under head coach Tim Nollan. On the men's side, head coach Steve Schaffer's swimming and diving squad repeated for the top team GPA at 3.41.

OSCAR FRAYER SPIRIT AWARD

Mia Corners, track and field

Corners embodies the meaning behind the second annual Oscar Frayer Spirit Award, which honors the late GCU basketball player by honoring a Lopes student-athlete who also displays his love for the team, Lopes Athletics and the campus community while serving as a positive GCU ambassador. The Lopes track and field coaches have not seen a student-athlete exemplify the spirt of GCU more than Corners.

The Yuma, Arizona, native battled injuries to be an integral part of the track and field program while ascending from team representative to president in GCU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and vice president of the same body for the WAC. After her graduation this month, Corners will work at the NCAA headquarters after being selected for its Postgraduate Internship Program in the Leadership Development cohort.

"To me, 'More Than Us' means to be a servant leader and have a spirit of humility and gratitude," Corners said. "I'm really proud of how I've seen our athletic department embody this theme.

"As this school year comes to a close, I challenge you again to not lose the spirt of 'More Than Us.' The friendships and memories I've created at GCU are something I will cherish for the rest of my life."

Awards were voted on by GCU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and GCU Athletics administration. Performances from spring of 2022 and the fall/winter of 2022-23 were considered.

Grand Canyon University Athletics