Lopes prevail through weather at Mt. SAC Relays

Thursday, April 13

Torrance, Calif.

Grand Canyon

Mt. SAC Relays

Olshanski mid competition leading the pack

4/15/2023 9:32:00 PM | Track and Field

Olshanski, Skoog, 4x400 relay team break school records

By: Nathan Peters

WALNUT, Calif. - The Grand Canyon track and field team had an impressive weekend at the Mt. SAC Relays, where three school records were broken despite unideal circumstances.

"With temperatures that were a 45-degree difference in a day from when we left sunny and warm Phoenix, our Mt. SAC Relays experience was not the weather our sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers are accustomed to but was mid-distance/distance runners' paradise," GCU head coach Tom Flood said. "Those event groups took full advantage of the cooler running conditions."

On Friday night, the Lopes had two school-record performances in the 5,000 meters from Joseph Skoog and Therese Olshanski. Skoog's record was also the first sub 14-minute time, finishing at 13 minutes 52.96 seconds. Olshanksi's record time was 16:36.87 after also posting the second-fastest 1,500 time in GCU history at 4:25.51

The men's 800-meter runners preformed very well. Max Carmona (1:50.54), Jarron Stevens (1:50.63), Alex Rafferty (1:51.31), Brian Martinez (1:51.83), and Robby Foster (1:52.85), posted the Nos. 1, 2, 7, 10 and 13 times in the WAC this season, respectively. Stevens' time is a new GCU freshman record

"On Saturday, the sun came out and Kelly Moodry ran the fastest 800-meter time in the WAC this year," Flood said of Moody's 2:06.46 time beating the previous mark by almost 3 seconds.

The Lopes finished the weekend by breaking the GCU school record, and running a WAC-leading time in the men's 1,600-meter relay. Ben Stratman, Mariano Hernandez, Bryson Benjamin and Kyle De Moica ran a time of 3:06.83.

"While we will mostly train through this next weekend's home meet; we will look to celebrate our seniors at our Canyon Invitational and to improve as we prepare for the WAC Outdoor Championships," Flood said.

Live results from the Mt. SAC Relays can be found here.