Deepest team poised to make turn for WAC title

If Grand Canyon can win its first men's swimming and diving WAC championship since 2019, it will not come in the fashion that GCU's only conference trophy was captured that year.

Those Lopes leaned hard on the superstar duo of Mark Nikolaev and Daniil Antipov winning six individual WAC races. These Lopes might form the program's deepest roster yet as the season launches this weekend with a two-day dual meet at Seattle U.

"We're much deeper," said GCU 17-year head coach Steve Schaffer, the athletic department's longest-tenured head coach. "UNLV is still the team to beat. If we're going to do something, this team is going to be able to make a run at it with depth."

Although the GCU men have been the WAC Championships runner-up the past two seasons, Schaffer feels like the program needs to approach the level it reached in 2019 when it finished 32nd nationally.

"It's certainly our most well-rounded team with some high-quality top end," Schaffer said. "I don't know if it can match the team that won the conference in 2019, but the potential is there. With the kids we brought in as transfers and the ones we have, we have the potential to get a medley relay to the NCAAs and the potential to get one or two kids qualified for the NCAAs, like we did back when Mark and Daniil were leading that charge."

Schaffer said he and junior Alex Volkov believe he can be the Lopes' next NCAA Championships qualifier. The Israeli was 1.1 seconds from qualifying for NCAAs last year when he was the WAC's 100-yard backstroke champion.

With a switch in the WAC Championships format, Volkov will be able to compete in the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly this year because the events will be held with more time in between races.

"He's good at everything," Schaffer said of Volkov. "His best chance will be 100 backstroke. He's close in the 100 butterfly. Those events are on the same day, so that's a tough double."

GCU junior Eli Cohen, Volkov's countryman, will be strong in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyles, as well as the 100 butterfly. Sophomore Guillermo Carey of Spain was the Lopes' fastest sprinter last season.

"Those guys are really swimming at the top end and will make a difference for whether our relay gets to NCAAs or not," Schaffer said.

Carey's countryman, sophomore Mario Perez, has been the fastest sprinter in preseason training after transferring from McKendree, where the swimming and diving program was eliminated.

Another transfer, sophomore Jasu Ovaskainen of Finland, came from Wagner after winning Northeast Conference Swimmer of the Year as a freshman last season. He came within seven-tenths of a second of reaching the NCAAs in the 100 butterfly, where he is faster than Volkov and Cohen on paper. He won NEC titles in the 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke and 200 individual medley as a freshman.

Vaskainen's Finnish national coach, Eetu Karvonen, swam at GCU for Schaffer in the Division II era and approved of Ovaskainen's independent choice.

Schaffer's top freshman recruit is distance freestyler Batu Servi of Turkey, who could be a 500 freestyle threat to make NCAAs as he begins to thrive in a collegiate team setting. He already is being pushed in practices by another freshman, Easton Mousser of Springville, Utah.

"He trains like a madman," Schaffer said of Mousser.

Arizona State transfer Asher Havenhill, who is from Urbandale, Iowa, could also prove to be a conference scorer. Four returning divers are vying to see who can emerge after the depature of last season's scoring divers, Isaac Poole and Reece Robles.

Senior Atu Ambala and graduate Harper Houk are the "heart and soul" of the GCU swimming leadership group.

"Everyone we take to WAC will be a scorer, and we'll have guys who are fighting to be on that scoring roster," Schaffer said.

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Players Mentioned

Atu Ambala

Eli Cohen

Asher Havenhill

Harper Houk

Easton Mousser

Jasu Ovaskainen

Mario Perez

Isaac Poole

Reece Robles

Batu Servi

Alex Volkov

Grand Canyon University Athletics