Divers continue growth at stacked meet

Thursday, November 20

Los Angeles, Calif.

Grand Canyon

USC Diving Invitational

11/22/2025 9:20:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving

Numerous Lopes reach finals of Trojan Diving Invitational at USC

By: Nathan Peters

LOS ANGELES — Grand Canyon diving delivered a strong collective showing at the Trojan Diving Invitational, advancing multiple athletes into championship finals and demonstrating continued growth in the middle stretch of the season.

Lopes diving head coach Daniel Fecteau said the weekend reflected the program's meaningful progress.

"It was great to see all the divers step up and compete their hearts out," Fecteau said. "Many had new dives that we were excited to showcase. The divers are finding a new level of confidence. So, getting closer to the middle of our season, we will continue to build on this momentum."

The Lopes competed against a deep field that included USC, UCLA, BYU, UNLV, California Baptist, Idaho, Fresno State, Cal State Bakersfield, Pepperdine and San Diego.

In the men's 1-meter springboard, Grand Canyon advanced three divers to the championship final. Sophomore Omar El Sayed led the squad with a sixth-place finish after posting a strong preliminary round. Junior Luke Struiksma followed with an 11th-place finish in the final, and freshman Braeden Rasmus rounded out the GCU finalists in 15th. All three delivered six-dive performances that kept them consistently in the top tier of the standings.

The Lopes produced another deep performance in the men's 3-meter event, highlighted again by El Sayed, who reached the final and placed sixth overall with a high-difficulty list. Struiksma earned a 12th-place finish, junior Bryce Porter added a 14th-place result, and Rasmus completed the GCU group in 17th. The event showcased the team's growing depth, with all four divers scoring well across their lists.

Grand Canyon also enjoyed a productive set of results in the men's platform competition, where three divers reached the championship final. El Sayed once again paced the Lopes, finishing seventh. Porter delivered a 10th-place finals finish, and Struiksma followed in 11th. Rasmus competed in prelims and added additional depth to GCU's platform group. The Lopes also placed second in the men's team event with the trio of Porter, Struiksma, and El Sayed combining for a strong total.

On the women's side, the meet began with the 1-meter event, where sophomore Brooke Woeslaw and junior Lucinda Harrison represented GCU. Woeslaw scored in the upper half of a field with more than 30 athletes, while Harrison added steady execution across her six-dive list.

In the women's 3-meter event, Harrison and Woeslaw competed in a deep preliminary field. Harrison placed in the top 25, and Woeslaw followed closely behind, giving the Lopes additional structure in the springboard events.

GCU's strongest women's performance came in the platform event, where Woeslaw advanced to the championship final and finished 14th overall after producing her best diving of the meet.

Harrison added a 23rd-place finish in preliminaries, contributing another solid mark for the women's squad.

Grand Canyon's steady presence in finals across 1-meter, 3-meter and platform dives reflected a strengthening program with divers improving their consistency, expanding their list difficulty and performing well in multi-round formats. The Lopes now move deeper into the season with growing confidence and momentum.