Title standards push GCU into outdoor season

Saturday, March 16

Tucson, Ariz.

Grand Canyon

Spring Break Fiesta

Photo by: Rachel Sollazzo

3/15/2024 12:15:00 PM | Track and Field

Lopes men chase WAC 4-peat; women come off indoor title

By: Paul Coro

When Grand Canyon student-athletes are training at their campus track, weight room and elsewhere, the Lopes are thinking about who else in the conference is training to beat them.

That is the mindset that GCU track and field head coach Tom Flood wants to convey for a program with championship standards as it enters the outdoor season Saturday in Tucson.

The Lopes added their 20th WAC indoor or outdoor championships in men's and women's competitions in February when the GCU women claimed their sixth indoor title, all coming in the past eight WAC Indoor Championships.

Tom Flood

"You like to think that it gave a jump start to the women's program, but hopefully it's more of jolt and a motivating factor for the guys," Flood said. "We didn't have a good meet (tied for second at WAC Indoor Championships), and hopefully it motivates them that, if we're going to win outdoor, we're going to have to step it up and contend with a pretty dang good Southern Utah team.

"The athletes know that standard. They expect that out of themselves. I'm not disappointed in a lot of their performances. I'm disappointed for them, not in them. We didn't get it done collectively, but that buck stops with me."

The GCU men are the three-time WAC defending champion in outdoor track and field with an eye toward this year's conference meet at Utah Valley in May. The women lose the indoor meet's High Point Award winner, now volunteer coach Neysia Howard, but the competition opens up with 2023 outdoor champion New Mexico State's move to Conference USA.

"I think we'll be making a lot of noise on both the men's and women's side outdoor too and be right in the hunt," Flood said. "The guys have to reload. Hopefully, there's a little more motivation, but I do think we're better outdoor. We'll battle in every event until the last event, as we did indoor knowing we weren't going to win. We have to replace some pretty talented individuals on the women's side, but I think we'll be right in the thick of things."

The men will have to chase down indoor champion Southern Utah, whose scoring in distance events should take a hit with California Baptist re-entering the picture for outdoor season.

The outdoor season will be bolstered by adding graduate throwers Israel Oloyede and Jorden Okyere, along with WAC indoor High Point Award winner Daviciea McCartney and sprinter Erin Brown.

"Izzy is about as good as it gets on the national level, but it'll be fun to watch Jorden and Davicea go knock it out for the High Point Award scorer," Flood said.

McCartney gets to expand his repertoire outdoors with his best event, the 400-meter intermediate hurdles. The Mesquite, Texas native barely missed qualifying for nationals with his first-place performances in the 60-meter hurdles and the 400-meter run at the WAC Indoor Championships.

The Lopes men will also be a favorite in the 4x100-meter relay and feature sophomore Ben Moffett leading a strong group of javelin throwers, freshman Dylan Poteat in sprints and hurdles, graduate Jack Hodge in a talented pole vault team and Stephen F. Austin transfers JoJo Harding (sprints) and Germain Lemaitre (middle distance).

The GCU women's quest for their first their first outdoor conference championships since 2021 meets a challenging field with Utah Valley hosting the conference meet, UT Arlington projecting well and UT Rio Grand Valley on the upswing.

"Everyone's gunning for you," Flood said. "We'll continue to battle, get better every day and show up and compete to the best of our abilities. Lord willing, we'll come home with some hardware."

Howard's 32-point impact for the indoor title will have to be replaced with depth. With Howard done and hurdler Amanda Thrue redshirting the outdoor season, the Lopes' throwers will become a focal point for scoring.

Senior Onome Ogbeni of Nigeria set GCU records for the shot put and weight throw during this year's indoor season, but the outdoor seasons allows her to get to her specialty in the discus. She is joined in the rings by senior Hannah Blood, a Louisiana transfer from the United Kingdom, and graduate Allyssa Walls. Blood was the WAC indoor runner-up for weight throw.

More scoring help could come from the sprinters, pole vaulter Nicole Prall and heptathlete Summer Grubbs.

"Summer is good enough and will rebound from indoors," Flood said. "She'll be right there in the heptathlon and she'll score in the hurdles and long jump and maybe even the 200."